A Collection of Controversial Opinions, Part V
42 views on Batman
Batman is the second greatest superhero after Superman bar none.
Batman is always better by himself, with the possible exception of Robin.
As “The Closer Look” YouTuber points out, one of Batman’s main strengths is that he is always intellectually several steps ahead of his adversaries.
A Batman making stupid, predicable mental mistakes is not a good representation of Batman.
As “The Closer Look” YouTuber also points out, Batman works best when he’s dark.
Batman has the coolest vehicles and gadgets of any superhero.
Batman has the best, most memorable villains.
Adam West was the greatest television Batman.
Adam West had the best Batman costume.
He didn’t need molded plastic to improve his physique; it was “pure West.” (See The Simpsons “Mr. Plow” episode below.)
The best Batmobile is the 1966 television version.
The best, prettiest Catwoman is a tie between Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether.
My mother’s allegations aside, watching reruns of Batman in the 1970s was not the cause of sporadic fighting between my brothers and me.
The spooky, gothic feel of the 1989 Batman makes it the best Batman movie.
Michael Keaton was the best movie Batman.
Keaton’s bat-suit is the best of the movie costumes.
The 1989 Batmobile was the best movie Batmobile.
The 1989 Batwing was the best Batman flying vehicle.
The Batwing’s weapon aiming system must have been seriously out of alignment for Batman to miss the Joker standing alone in the middle of the street.
Jack Nicholson’s Joker was the best Joker until Heath Ledger’s.
Batman Returns’ Penguin was a little too creepy.
Batman Forever tried unsuccessfully to add the campy feel of the 1966 television show.
There were too many villains; the Riddler would have been enough.
The U2 song Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me should have been the theme song to the movie.
Batman and Robin compounded the problems of Batman Forever’s campiness and having too many villains.
George Clooney has some of the worst lines in all Batman movies.
Nolan’s trilogy transformed Batman from a comic book story into an artistic film event.
While this works for the most part, Batman’s moral dilemmas, such as not killing the bad guys, gets old at times.
Christian Bale’s “Batman” voice also gets old quickly too.
As film critic Stephen Graydanis has pointed out, we’re never really sure why the people of Gotham are worth saving (or why they have garnered the particular wrath of Ra's Al Ghul).
The villain is more interesting than the hero in The Dark Knight.
Heath Ledger’s Joker might not have been as memorable if he had not died before the movie came out.
The Dark Night Rises is as every bit as good or better than The Dark Knight.
In Rises, Batman again becomes more interesting than the villains.
The best part about Tom Hardy’s Bain is his voice.
Nolan has this thing about making his female characters inordinate in their abilities and cunning over their male counterparts.
So, it was quite predictable that “Miranda” not Bane would be the chief villain, but not particularly convincing.
Batman’s strengths are usually diminished when he’s coupled with the Justice League.
Ben Affleck’s Batman illustrates the importance of having a close shave if you’re going to be Batman.
2019’s Joker is a great movie (although needlessly graphically violent) that should probably remain as a stand-alone.
Making villains more realistic can ruin their character, such as the boring Penguin and Riddler in The Batman.
The Batman keeps the serious, artistic tone of Nolan’s trilogy, but reality clashes a bit too much at times (such as when there’s a hint of absurdity seeing a guy wearing in a bat suit around the police at the first crime scene).
See the previous installments in the series:
A Collection of Controversial Opinions, Part I
The first two Star Wars movies were the greatest, after that it was steadily downhill. One could stop at Return of the Jedi, and miss the rest. If it wasn’t for John Williams, Star Wars would have been forgotten by now. It would have been better if George Lucas had left his original movies alone.
A Collection of Controversial Opinions, Part II
The original series (TOS) is indisputably the greatest of them all. Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy are the greatest characters in Star Trek. In spite of constant claims to the contrary, Star Trek is essentially a work emanating from the Christian tradition.
A Response to "A Collection of Controversial Opinions, Part I"
A few days ago, author Alec Joseph Ott posted the first in a new series (find it here), chronicling 35 opinions that some of our readership may find controversial. I actually agree with a bunch, and the next set on Star Trek is going to be even more fun.
A Response to "A Collection of Controversial Opinions, Part II" - The Wrath of Kilgore
In this post, Alec Joseph Ott outlined 43 positions on Star Trek (should have gone for 47, just saying…), and since time worked in my favor on this one, we’re going to be celebrating the 57th anniversary of the debut of The Original Series (TOS), along with sharing some art and some controversial opinions of my own.
A Collection of Controversial Opinions, Part IV
Superman is the greatest superhero bar none. There is no comparable character in the Marvel universe. Superman is an American hero who should always stand for truth, justice, and the AMERICAN way. Superman is a wise and happy character, as such he should never be dark.
50 'Controversial Opinions' on all Things Superhero
Here are my “controversial” opinions on the Superhero genre. Marvel is overall better than DC, the fundamental reason why the Marvel Cinematic Universe has earned more money than the DC Cinematic Universe is Marvel has a more compelling brand overall.
No mention of the animated series? Mask of the Phantasm? Other than that, I think this is a pretty solid list and solid opinions. Although I wouldn't rank Batman no. 1 or no. 2 on my list of personal favorite superheroes. Also, I don't even like the Dark Knight Rises that much, much less think it's the best Batman movie.
Batman is a detective; Batman needs to mostly be one step ahead of situations this is the opinion I agree with the most. I feel like too many batman adaptations forgets this fact. Also, Batman doesn't need to be dark OR comedic/campy it can be both. I think Tim Burton's Batman movies get that better than Nolan's. It's a shame that Heath Ledger's Joker kind of eventually overshadowed Jack Nicholson's joker both were great.
Overall, Batman movies have been strangely some of the worst examples of Hollywood blockbusters and best all with the same character. There are so many, arguably too many.