Adam West's Batman vs the modern "Dark Knight" version - which do you prefer?

I voted the Burton option, as both Batman (1989) and Batman Returns are very good. My favorite is actually Batman Forever, though. But I couldn't vote Schumaker, as Batamn & Robin is so horrific. Except for Poison Ivy, that is.

I like a little humor and camp in my Batman. Not as goofy as the Adam West ones, but not as serious as the Chris Nolan versions. The Adam West Batman movie is tough to sit through. Seems soooooooooo long with not much excitement.

 

So? Can't one decide whether they like apples or oranges better?

 

Can Christian Bale do this:

 

I enjoy Adam West's portrayal and the series but it really isn't "Batman" to me (coming from the comic books and the reinvention of the character).

I can enjoy both for what they are and I really feel that it should be on home video and wish that Warner/DC and Fox would get over their issues.

 

I enjoy the TV shows, the Keaton re-do and the Bale re-do. If you re-watch the Burton movies, they still have a lot of the camp element to them, whilst being darker, and Nolan strips that away. Schumaker actually brought what Burton did back around to the TV show. I like the Nolan films the most and I'd be interested in seeing someone tackle Miller's comic Dark Knight on film. I loves me some Batman.

 

When I was younger I loved the Adam West Batman, mostly because of the action in the series. As I got older and I watched the shows again, to my horror I realized that they were making fun of Batman. I preferred the original incarnation of Batman as envisioned by Bob Kane and Bill Finger as a dark avenger. Out of nostalgia I've watched some of the Adam West Batman episodes on the Hub network, and while it's fun at times, this for me is not the real Batman.

I really enjoyed the first Tim Burton Batman film that brought the character back to it's roots, though it was Burton's vision of Batman, which still contained a touch of camp, but was not initially over-bearing. The movie franchise was almost destroyed when Joel Schumacher took over the series. Schumacher made it no secret that he was a fan of the Adam West Batman and he tried to mix the campy elements of the West series with Burton's vision, and it was like oil and water, it just didn't work, and Schumacher almost single handedly killed the movie franchise.

The movie franchise was brought back on track by Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale, though the series is now even more darker than Burton's take and especially with the Heath Ledger version of the Joker, to the point it's wise not to let very young children see it.

My own personal preference is the animated Batman series from the 90's. It's an excellent series, true to the character of Batman and is extremely well written. One of the best episodes in the series is 'Beware The Gray Ghost', which is a nice homage to the 60's TV series, with a wonderful and moving vocal performance by Adam West. For me and other fans, the 90's animated series is the definitive version of Batman.

Batman: Beware The Gray Ghost
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyYG0fDL3HQ

 

Batman & Robin was real bad, but wasn't Batman Forever the most succesful of the movies? At least until the Nolan/Bale ones. I thought Batman Forever did better than either of the Keaton/Burton movies.

 

The 60's show is a bit too campy and homoerotic for me to tolerate. Give me Burton's 1989 Batman any day.

 

My brother and I use to do the towel cape thing back in the late 60's. We had Batman belt buckles, sweatshirts, lunch boxes and Halloween costumes.

Anytime Adam West is on TV as Batman I watch it...dada dada dada dada, dada dada dada dada, Batman!

Adam West is Batman and the reason it is still popular today no matter which you prefer.

 

Adam West: I wasn't around at the time, but the 60's Batman was aired several times in my country. Fun, but not really scary. If we're talking about Batman, this is not a merit IMHO

Burton: one of the first movies I saw at the theatre was "Batman". Fantastic. I slightly prefer "Batman returns" but, overall, Burton & Keaton get my vote.

Batman The Animated Series: have to admit I haven't seen the whole series, anyway what I've seen really impressed me. Hard to believe, but italian tv usually broadcasted this stuff in the morning.

Schumacher: he had Kilmer, Jones, Carrey, Kidman, Clooney, Schwarzenegger, Thurman but he probably was not the right director for the franchise, let's put it this way.

Nolan: an incredible talented and classy filmmaker. As I said before, my preference goes (maybe for sentimantal reasons too?) to Burton's Batman, but Nolan is really close.

 

I prefer the character played as a straightforward good guy, minus neurosis or what's sometimes termed "darkness". I voted Adam West.

My favorite superhero film of recent times is Unbreakable with Bruce Willis.

 

I think the success of 'Batman Forever' was due to the rising popularity of Jim Carey at the time. His take on the Riddler is downright demented. However, Tommy Lee Jones Two Face is very disappointing. Two Face is one of the great, tragic figures in Batman lore, and Jones' portrayal I found to be much too campy. Joel Schumacher's direction may have been more of a factor in that case, in that it was a total misunderstanding of the character. Christopher Nolan's take on Two Face puts the proper emphasis on the tragedy of Harvey Dent. In the first Burton Batman film Billy Dee Williams was introduced as Harvey Dent, who would eventually become Two Face. If Burton was gearing to have Williams play Two Face, I think it would have been interesting, and I think Williams could have pulled it off. One of those lost opportunities, I guess.

 

I'm pretty embarrassed by the results so far....I'm sorry but Batman is SUPPOSED to be a dark and gritty tale and NOT BAM, BIFF & POW.

 

I had the blue cape and cowl and was in front of my TV set every week with Batman on Channel 7 Los Angeles. I am currently watching the show again daily on The Hub. I liked the Keaton Batman films, but really don't care that much for the others.

 

The Christopher Nolan films w/ Christian Bale.

 

I've only seen a couple of episodes but the old serials helped me more easily get into the story.

 

I agree. To paraphrase John Byrne, the Adam West series got the character right but the tone is wrong. The Burton and Nolan films have the right tone, but the character is all wrong. Adam West was placed in silly situations, and the tone was ironic and at times mocking, but fundamentally he acted like Batman. The tic-filled Burton version and the technology-dependent Nolan versions are practically different characters, not the Batman I knew from the comics.

 

Then you'll hate the "Batroom" in the Dickie Goodman Red Bird 45 "Batman & his Grandmother"...."OHHH,AH, AH, AH, AHHHH...." ..A hilarious classic..try looking for THAT,Gary!

 

You know, I watched the old Batman TV show when I was 10 or 11 -- the perfect age for that show -- and I thought it was the stupidest, corniest thing I had ever seen. But I never missed an episode. Still, I was a big fan of the comic book, and I kind of felt betrayed at the time, because the comic was a lot less slapstick and more intricate (albeit gimmicky).

I was glad to see Tim Burton revive the character in the 1980s, but not enough people give credit to artist/writer Frank Miller, who was the original guy who came up with the whole "Batman as Dark Knight" idea.

 

For me Michael Keaton = Batman like Christopher Reeve = Superman.
Both really conveyed the comic icons best and both equally played their alter egos Wayne and Kent convincingly. West simply has the age bias here with the boomers. They grew up with him as the sole figure and therefore relate to him the most.

 

The Bale Batman, with the Animated Series a close second. Far more interesting than the West Batman, though it was a fun show when I was a kid.

 

Adam West was the best Batman...all those other guys just had a better suit.

 

Adam West.

And Cesar Romero is the Joker.

 

For all you guys who prefer Batman as a "straightforward good guy" who handed out stickers and helped people cross the road -- how does it make any sense to you that he was a little boy who watched his parents get murdered in front of him, and grew up alone, becoming obsessed with learning to fight back and dressing as a bat?

 

Frank Miller is the root cause of a lot of problems with the Batman character in comics for the past 25 years. His Batman was emotionally maladjusted, obsessive compulsive, and antisocial, and unfortunately the Burton films (as well as many other comic stories) chose to emulate those things. The Ryan films have returned to a more emotionally healthy Batman, but they have other problems.

It's possible to suffer a severe childhood trauma and grow up to be an emotionally healthy, well-adjusted adult.