Batman & James Bond...A Question For You

[Ash]

This is reference to the earlier thread that WAS about Daredevil and turned into Batman opinions.....

Ultimately, when we see different actors portray superheroes, it is inevitable that comparisons and arguements will be made.
James Bond and Batman are the two prominent ones that come to mind.

No matter who you talk to or where you go, these two will be forever compared together with the man who once played them.

You may be saying to yourself, "James Bond is not a superhero!"

I disagree.  
HE IS a super hero.  
He fits most of the criteria.  
He fights evil.  
He has his flaws.  
He usually banters well with his enemies before he dispatches them
He, even though mortal, has never been killed.  
He IS what WE most want to be.  
Please don't tell me that you, not for one second,  would turn down an opportunity to taste life as it is like for him.  
I know you wouldn't!  
(well, most of us wouldn't anyway)

One person will say, "I think Sean Connery was the best Bond".
The other will say, "Michael Keaton was the best Batman.

I say, "go with who you like!"

Who cares what others say.  
All that matters is what YOU think!

NOW I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHAT I THINK!

If you want my personal opinion, (if not, too bad, you're gonna get it anyway!)
I think Michael Keaton is absolutely, without a doubt, THE BEST Batman.  
All others that have come after him pale in comparison.  Val Kilmer should be flogged for even attempting that role!  
Mr. Clooney needs 10 more lashings than Mr. Kilmer for trying to 1 up him.

Ok, evil's punished.  
On to Bond.

Everyone including my grandmother seems to think Sean Connery rules as James Bond.
They think this simply because they were alive when he was introduced in the 60's.  
Or they were or are still just following the herd.  (like a lot of people do)
Or maybe you sincerely like Connery in this role.
He was the first.
They will accept no substitute and will not falter in any way on that judgement.

More power to you if you agree with that.

HOWEVER.

I first met Mr. James Bond in the late 70's.
Mr. Roger Moore had the duty back then.

I am 28 years old.
I have seen a few Bonds come and go and I have watched nearly every early "Connery" version of Bond.

Connery is good.
But not as good as Brosnan!
Pierce Brosnan, in my opinion has captured the true element of what James Bond is all about (with the exception of "The World Is Not Enough)
I hated that film.
I think it was the editing that made me dislike it.  (I'm obsessive about editing)
Other than that, he is my personal actor of choice to play James Bond.
I'm not alone here.
If the Hollywood execs.and other fans thought he sucked, they wouldn't have made "Die Another Day".  
His 4th film as Bond.

For once I agree with the Hollywood head honchos.

Brosnan is my Bond of choice!!

What do you think??

[Dano]

Basically I agree with you, but...

Keaton was definitely the best, but he was the weakest link in the original Batman in my opinion.  I just couldn't put Mr. Mom out of my head in his Bruce Wayne scenes...  Fortunately, the villain stole the show for him and when he was in the Batsuit I could forget the tenderhearted Jack supporting his working wife Teri Garr and getting his son to give up his wubbie.  

Keaton wins by default.  Kilmer looked like he was making that movie because he lost a bet, and Clooney turned Wayne into a super-cool guy without so much of a trace of the loss that Wayne had really suffered.  I think the fact that they ignored his romantic relationship (they just had him in a great relationship with the totally undeveloped Elle MacPherson) shows that they had no interest in the character of Bruce Wayne anymore.

I couldn't agree more about Brosnan.  I read one of the books once a long time ago (the Moore era), and I pictured Bond almost exactly like Brosnan.  Something about Connery was just kind of oafish...  no, not really oafish, but he seemed like too much of a "regular guy."  Moore runs third, not good, but he reminds me of the campy late 70s/early 80s and he was in Cannonball Run which I thought was the funniest movie ever when I was ten.  After the first Dalton movie, I swore off Bond movies.  I think he made a second one, but I never saw it.

[Flangepart]

Brosnan is good. Smooth enough, and able to kick supervillan butt. Still love Connery, though.
Batman : Clooney had the looks, Keaton had the best batsuit attitude, but none of them did an adiquate Wayne.
....But, thats just me.

[Neville]

I hated the first Brosnan film, "Goldeneye", but he was OK, and as more movies have been produced I have learnt to apreciate his Bond portrait. I really enjoyed "The world is not enough". Stupid action apart (whoever thought of the caviar factory scene should be ashamed), it rocked, and Brosnan was allowed to play a more human Bond: When he is betrayed by Electra his reaction is quite passional: cold blood murder. And the villain was great.

About Keaton, I agree, he was very good indeed as Batman.

[Fearless Freep]

I just couldn't put Mr. Mom out of my head in his Bruce Wayne scenes...

In similar fashion, when Kilmer was Batman, I kept expecting him to tell the villian that he'd just put his name on the Montgomery Ward mailing list and break into a chorus of "Skeet Surfing"

As to Bond, I think each actor has done well. Bond the character has existsed over a long time and both political and social environments have gone through a lot of changes and James Bond has has to be a character that made sense in that environment.  I think each actor has been good for who the character was at that time.  

However, I think Roger Moore should've been retired earlier.   He just looked a bit too old in the later movies he was in and did not age quite as gracefully as Connery

[Tommy]

Yes, I agree... Brosnan is the best Bond ever.  He should have assumed the role at tad bit earlier which would have given him more time and youth to do more films in Bond fashion.  He just looks really old in the new movie.

The Batman topic is debatable.  Most argue that Keaton was the best Batman, Kilmer the best Bruce Wayne and Clooney had the best chin.  I thought Keaton's Batman lacked super-hero persona, although he was the best Batman.  Kilmer was a very weak Batman and Clooney just made the role really cheesy.  "Batman and Robin" was by far the worst Batman installment.

[Fearless Freep]

Yes, I agree... Brosnan is the best Bond ever. He should have assumed the role at tad bit earlier which would have given him more time and youth to do more films in Bond fashion. He just looks really old in the new movie.

That was the plan but he couldn't get out of "Remington Steele" commitments.

[Jim H]

What flaws does James Bond have?  I guess recently they've hinted at emotional problems, but other then that...