Favorite Shot In Any Batman Film

[Catwoman]

You aren't a lone ranger on this one. I love the look too. With the right story and script it could have been a classic. If I was in charge of the look and feel of making a Batman movie I would probably go for blending color with a '40s noir atmosphere like an old comic book. Smooth jazz soundtrack, a blue Batmobile that looks more like a Cadillac than a tank, etc. Mmm. I think it'd rock. And I'm totally with you on B&R Gotham game too.

Now that's a Batman film I'd like to see. I imagine mixing a jazz club ambience with elements of film noir would result in an atmosphere similar to Batman: The Animated Series. Something dark, yet colourful. Gritty, yet stylish. And after the more grounded visual sensibility displayed in the Nolan and (to an extent) DCEU films, I'd welcome something different.

And I agree about the story and script in B&R. I think the key issue is that the film needed to be funnier. They needed sharper dialogue with more irony and fewer puns. And while I appreciate the energy that Thurman and Schwarzenegger brought to their respective roles, I think the performances needed to be a lot drier. If they'd accomplished this, then audiences might have been more receptive to the movie's visual merits.

Thanks for endorsing the idea. Live action BTAS is exactly what I was imagining. Maybe someday.

And yes you are totally right. They were both way over the top. I'd add Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face to that too. If those three (particularly Freeze and Two-Face) had been played a bit more straight, I think the movies would have done better. They were on the right track with the stories and, like you and I have agreed here, the visuals. Script the story better and we have something, because we know the actors could have pulled it off (including Clooney as Batman).

[thecolorsblend]

we know the actors could have pulled it off (including Clooney as Batman).

I don't understand why people keep saying this. I have seen precious little in Clooney's filmography to make me believe he could turn in a performance as a driven, vengeful loner. I daresay casting him in B&R is just about perfect for him whereas he would've stuck out like a sore thumb in TDK.

I think he was great for the type of Batman he was playing and I wouldn't change much of anything about his performance in B&R.

[Silver Nemesis]

And yes you are totally right. They were both way over the top. I'd add Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face to that too. If those three (particularly Freeze and Two-Face) had been played a bit more straight, I think the movies would have done better. They were on the right track with the stories and, like you and I have agreed here, the visuals. Script the story better and we have something, because we know the actors could have pulled it off (including Clooney as Batman).

I don't understand why people keep saying this. I have seen precious little in Clooney's filmography to make me believe he could turn in a performance as a driven, vengeful loner. I daresay casting him in B&R is just about perfect for him whereas he would've stuck out like a sore thumb in TDK.

This raises an interesting question – could Clooney have delivered a more satisfying performance had he starred in a serious Batman production?

At around 5'11, he was above average height and just about tall enough to look imposing in the suit. With the added lifts in his Arctic Suit boots, he probably stood closer to 6'0 or 6'1 while wearing his second costume. So I'd say he was tall enough.

Looks wise, he bears a strong resemblance to Alex Ross' depictions of Bruce Wayne.

Where he falls short of the source material is his lack of muscle. Clooney was probably the skinniest actor to ever play Batman. Even more so than Keaton. He wasn't particularly broad shouldered and clearly didn't train with heavy weights.

With an extra 20-30 lbs of lean muscle on his frame, he would have been a pretty strong match for the comic book Batman. Not a perfect match by any means, but close enough. Even without the muscle he was still closer to the comic book Bruce than Keaton was, mainly due to this height and jaw line. However I'd argue Keaton was still a lot more intimidating than Clooney.

Physical suitability aside, did he have the acting chops to portray a more serious version of Batman?

I believe Schumacher cast Clooney based on his performance in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Clooney's role as Seth Gecko is the closest he's ever got to being intimidating on screen. He's not entirely convincing as a tough badass, but he does a decent job of playing an aggressive, temperamental outlaw. I can see how some of that character's darkness might translate to Bruce Wayne.

As a Tarkovsky fan boy I'm reluctant to recommend the remake of Solaris, but it contains a good example of Clooney portraying a haunted, emotionally-damaged intellectual who internalises his pain. We already saw shades of this during his scenes with Alfred in Batman & Robin, but he could have taken it further had the script required him to.

For evidence of his ability to portray a suave, debonair playboy, we need look no further than... well, real life. He more or less nailed that aspect of the character in Schumacher's movie anyway.

So could Clooney have convincingly played a serious version of Batman? I think he could have done a better job of it than his performance in Batman & Robin would indicate. He would've struggled most with portraying Batman's more intimidating, shadowy characteristics. But I reckon he could have played Bruce Wayne – both the playboy and damaged orphan aspects – fairly convincingly. I'm sceptical if he could have captured the same intensity that Keaton did, or the physicality Bale manifested. But overall, he could've been a semi-decent serious Batman.

I think he was great for the type of Batman he was playing and I wouldn't change much of anything about his performance in B&R.

It is hard to imagine anyone else playing this particular version of Batman. Clooney's performance is yet another aspect of the film I feel nostalgic about. It has a charm reflective of a more innocent age. No actor would dare play Batman like this nowadays. And while most fans would say that's a good thing (and they're probably right), I find it a little sad to be honest.