Batman has been the life force of DC Comics and the superhero genre. From his first appearance in the May 1939 issue of Detective Comics #27, co-creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger had humanized what it means to be a superhero. Grounded in reality, Batman is a walking modern myth with a tragic backstory. The loss of his parents, his self-starter attitude, and his ability to adapt rings universal truths for his readers everywhere. Batman was adapted to film, modest serials shown in chapters, in 1943 and again in 1949. The character’s popularity took on new heights during the 1960s, a time known as Batmania, with the charismatic Adam West, affectionately known as the Bright Knight. By 1989, Batman would return to his dark roots, following the macabre storytelling of the comics with Michael Keaton as the Dark Knight.
A number of actors have donned the cape and cowl, offering different versions of Batman for each generation. Their acting decisions, however, are not without the guidance of their directors. Actors emote the scene, but directors think and see the scene. The Batman directors have gone to great lengths to bring the broken heart of a young Bruce Wayne and the obsessive mind of the Batman together for the big screen.
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6 Zack Snyder
Warner Bros. Pictures
Calling a Zack Snyder superhero movie dark (can’t see dark, not serious dark) would be an understatement. When it comes to Batman, it’s overkill. The director, almost in an uncompromising manner, had Batman kill his enemies in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The Caped Crusader did kill early on during the Golden Age of comics, but it feels wildly out of place for a present-day Batman. It’s not even presented as a moral struggle. Batman mows down foes in the Batmobile without hesitation. The action and slow motion are more important than character development. Changing Batman’s voice for Ben Affleck didn’t count. Both ironically come off as slapstick, and the dialogue is too cartoonish to be serious. Granted Snyder had created a new cinematic universe for DC Comics; the result was an action figure dramatization.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Joel Schumacher
Warner Bros.
Joel Schumacher attempted a return to the campy feel of the 1960s Batman under a layer of foreboding darkness with Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Schumacher almost made a trilogy with a third film entitled Batman: Unchained, but the project was canceled and with good reason. The director took the abstract ideas of the Batman mythos and made them concrete, but in a flamboyant way. Fights were either short and jerky or a literal dance; villains were exaggerated caricatures, and the heroes were dressed in skin-tight suits complete with Bat-nipples. Schumacher did manage one last notable feat: he directed one of the worst superhero movies of all time.
4 Leslie H. Martinson
20th Century Fox
“Sometimes you can’t get rid of a bomb.” According to Leslie H. Martinson, this was how Adam West summed up his career. The famous line in the 1966 Batman movie was a testament to the character’s morality and (sometimes dark) sense of humor. Batman tries to dispose of a bomb but runs into innocents left, right, and center. The running gag became the perfect metaphor and scene that Martinson was determined and proud to have in the film.
3 Matt Reeves
Matt Reeves had callbacks of his own. He made a reference to Zorro, used a mask and opening driving sequence similar to the cowl and Batcave driving sequence from the 1960s, and included all major villains from the original Batman movie: Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler, and Joker. He even told a twisted joke when Batman discovers a cut-off finger attached to a USB stick: a thumb drive. Besides paying homage, Reeves focused on the detective side of Batman using pitch-perfect cinematography and casting.
2 Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan is known for his deep-seated think pieces. Batman gave him all the psychological motivation to understand and show the psychology of a man becoming something greater than himself amidst his tragic loss. Nolan effectively adapted Batman into a reality that was familiar and plausible. The Dark Knight Trilogy presented a Batman for a modern audience, with his second film, The Dark Knight, being touted as one of the best superhero movies of all time.
1 Tim Burton
After the success of Beetlejuice, Tim Burton and Michael Keaton came back together to work on Batman. Initially, Keaton was not favored for the role of the Dark Knight as he was typecast as a comedic actor. Giving Bruce Wayne a reclusive, unassuming nature and Batman a stone-faced, ominous presence (with no voice-changing necessary) made Keaton’s performance subtle and strong. Burton also wisely followed the comics, namely The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and The Killing Joke by Alan Moore. The under-estimated Dynamic Duo renewed the Batman phenomenon once again with a movie that was unexpected.
