During the Batman festival M-Net Movies Action paid homage to four of the actors who have played Batman by showcasing one movie in which each actor featured as the Caped Crusader. Since Val Kilmer and George Clooney only donned the mask once, there was only movie to show for each actor.
Michael Keaton, on the other hand, made two, with Christian Bale appearing thrice as Batman/Bruce. Which brings us to the million-dollar question: who is the best Batman?
Kilmer has a handful of fans and Clooney virtually none. The battle for the title of the best Batman rages between Keaton and Bale. The latter often comes out on top, but he has his detractors as well – and they’re usually the ones who fall into the Keaton camp.
The two actors’ interpretations are not deemed the best merely by process of elimination. Both men gave strong performances, taking the camp out of the Crusader to deliver believable heroes – even if they’re dressed like bats.
We cannot neglect to mention that part of what makes these two so great is the excellent support they received in terms of story, special effects, villains and, of course, direction.
Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan both delivered dark, but very different, interpretations of the comic book hero, which is exactly why it is so difficult to decide who is the best.
But if you had to make a decision: who would it be?