What villain was best portrayed in the Bat-movies?

[Frank White]

My personal pick is Catwoman, I always felt she was the closest to her comic-book counterpart. The attraction to Batman, the stealth, it was all there. Close second would be the Joker.

[Mattashell]

I say, the Joker, although it was, in fact, a unique take on the character. I think Riddler is my second choice.

[Condiment King]

Wow, this is like picking the less of evils. :D ;)

I guess I could go with Catwoman.

Basically, I think that definately Bane, The Riddler, and Two-Face were not portrayed correctly by the live action Bat-movies.

The Penguin, The Joker, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Mr. Freeze were portrayed correctly to a degree, but surely not right on tee.

[ShadowWolf]

I'm going with Joker followed closely by Catwoman.

The worse one had to be Bane and Two-face

[Marc]

The Joker

He was the only Batman movie villain that I felt resembled his comic counterpart at all. And c'mon, Jack Nicholson defines crazy. This was the role he was born to play.

Penguin was creepy but I've always enjoyed Danny Devito's performances.

[AceOfKnaves]

Even though Catwoman's my favorite, I have to say that Joker was the closest to his comic book character...

[Jedigreedo]

I'd go with the Joker. Catwoman and Penguin come in as second and third but I'm not gonna say which is which. :D I think the Joker was quite true to character, if they had gone over it then the movie would've probably been too strong for just anybody to really get into. Catwoman and Penguin were also well developed, their back stories were well integrated into the movie.

Bane, Two-Face, Riddler, Ivy and Mr. Freeze were all way too...much. They were just roles that they thought were cool and they wanted to show them off in their own light, but it just didn't work compared to three villans in two movies with very dark and deep settings compared to a lightshow with bad lines.

[John6777]

I would go with The Joker but my second choice would have to be Catwoman i mean i liked the Catwoman in the movies way better then the one in the comics.

[zmanjz]

The ONLY good thing about Batman Forever was The Riddler.

Jim Carrey did a most excellent job on it.

[Meow]

Originally posted by zmanjz
The ONLY good thing about Batman Forever was The Riddler.

Jim Carrey did a most excellent job on it. Really? I always felt that he was way too over the top myself. Personally, I felt that Two-Face was the best thing about that movie...even if he was pretty out of character. I simply can't picture Two-Face playing battleships...I mean, sure it was funny, but that seems more like something The Joker would do. I don't blame Tommy Lee Jones for the "bad" portrayal of Two-Face though. He did the best he could with the material they gave him. I'm a pretty big Tommy Lee Jones fan, so I liked that movie simply because he was in it playing one of my favorite Bat-villians.

I'm biased, so sue me. :p

Anyways, Joker gets my vote. I agree with CaptainInfinity. Jack Nicholson was simply the best choice to play the Joker. He's a great actor and does such a fantastic job playing crazy people in movies. As far as I'm concerned, no actor was better suited for the role.

[Chris Sanders MSX]

I say it goes like this, Catwoman, Penguin, The Riddler.

Catwoman was protrayed almost exactly like her comic book counterpart only a bit more sultry.

Penguin... Well I just liked what they did with him. They did more than make him this aristocratic jerk. They made him a cunning, and sometimes child like monster.

The only reason I listed Riddler last is because honestly it felt like Jim Carey was doing a take on Mark Hamill's Joker character mixed with a little bit of Classic Riddler. I just didn't think he was playing the right character, If the Joker were to make a return I'd want him to play the role.

[The Penguin]

The Joker was pretty awesome. I had to cast my vote for the clown.

I really didn't like The Penguin in Returns. It was cool seeing my favorite villain in a movie, but I started as a fan of the 60s Penguin and I hated the change from dude with big nose to mutant with flippers.

[TimTwoFace]

I chose the Joker. He was awesome but in an understated way; he still didn't ever manage to let it all go like Mark Hamill did on the series, but a cold, calculating Joker works, too. He was still evil, darkly funny, clever, and acted wonderfully.

A close second would be Catwoman. She was sexy (mrow!) and, more importantly, still sympathetic and treated as an anti-hero of sorts.

The Riddler would round out the top three. Jim Carrey's over-the-top delivery worked wonderfully, and he's had the best comic timing and presence of ALL the actors that have ever been in a Bat-movie. And, of all the villains in the live-action movies, the Riddler is the only villain that can be uber-campy and still work.

The Penguin is #4. Yes, the Burton/DeVito creation was not the REAL Penguin, but it was definitely an interesting take on the character that, yes, DID work. And it's very rare that you feel so sorry for someone that's so bitter and evil inside.

After that, the list gets a lot...worse.

Two-Face is #5. There were flashes of brilliance in Tommy Lee Jones' performance, but whenever he was told to act as a cackling, mindless goon, forget it. He was trying to out-act and out-lunify Jim Carrey and it just isn't possible; it just turned out corny most of the time. I blame this mostly on Schumacher.

Uma's version of Poison Ivy. Very over-the-top and campy, and her character was used primarily for plot exposition. Nothing terribly redeeming here - she was just a very stereotypical femme fatale character. Booo. Hisss. And she didn't even LOOK that good for half the movie, either.

#7, our good ol' pal Mr. Freeze. Arnold...need I say more? Yes, the script was terrible and what killed his character was his verbose dialogue clogged with one-liners, but Arnold can't act, either. Watching his performance in theatres was an absolute embarassment.

#8...Bane. He was just a body on screen. Totally wasted.

-Tim

[Robin2099]

The best would have to be The Joker, Catwoman, and The Riddler. The rest of the villians were written incredibly awful mostly for camp value.

[EinBebop]

I really liked Tommy Lee Jones' Two Face. It's a shame he got overshadowed by Jim Carrey.

[James]

Catwoman. Not that in sense, that she was the best, but certainly the most unique portrayal.

I love Nicholson's Joker, but firstly there was a little too much of Nicholson in there and if you took that out what was left never felt dissimilar to Ceasr's 60's version.

Add the chemistry between MK and MP, the great suit and that lovely touch of insanity, and I think she is certainly the most under-rated villain/antihero.

[mbaker]

I would pick Joker, and Catwoman. Jack Nicholson, and Michelle Phifer came pretty close to the characters they portrayed in the movies (Although Mark Hamill will always by my favorite Joker.) The Catwoman costum could've been better in my opinion. I heard that Michelle Phifer didn't like wearing it, and was unable to take bathroom breaks. Still, it's A minor setback. Everyone else left much to be desired.

[Justice League 2000]

I would vote for jack as the joker he a good actor. and I like catwoman suit in batman returns the suit looks like the animated cat suit in BTAS. michelle phifer did a good job as catwoman. and the rest was good. :)

[James]

Originally posted by mbaker
The Catwoman costum could've been better in my opinion. I heard that Michelle Phifer didn't like wearing it, and was unable to take bathroom breaks. Still, it's A minor setback. Everyone else left much to be desired.

I'd imagine if chaffed very badly too - in fact, I think I recall that being mentioned. Unlike the Bat costumes, you can't wear much padding in that thing!

[Outlander00]

I have to go with the original. Joker was written rather well and Jack Nocholson played our favorite psychopath to a T.

The others, I feel, follow as performances:

Riddler
Penguin
Catwoman (Too melodramtic)
Two-Face (they did not do him enough justice)
Poison Ivy (TERRIBLE!!)
Mr. Freeze (EVEN WORSE!!!!)
Bane ( :rolleyes: )

[Barb Gordon]

I have to go with Joker. They stayed pretty close to his comic counterpart, even if Jack didn't look that much like him, he stay came off scary and insane as heck. All the others just got more lousy with the movies. Penguin seemed like a joke, as did Catwoman, but nowhere near as bad as what they did with Bane, Freeze and Ivy. Carrey may have been a bit much, but he did good with the Riddler and in some areas Jones was a good Two-Face.

~Barb

[John6777]

Hey i think Uma would have done a good Poison Ivy just the script sucked also maybe Kathleen Robertson would have made a better ivy.

[Mercurial206]

Originally posted by John6777
Hey i think Uma would have done a good Poison Ivy just the script sucked also maybe Kathleen Robertson would have made a better ivy.

Kathleen Robertson -- eww. No offense, but I find that girl terribly unattractive...she wears waaay too much makeup and always looks cross-eyed. She was okay in "90210", but Poison Ivy she aint.

Uma Thurman will always be my first and only choice to don those leafy greens. I know a lot of people consider Uma's portrayal of Poison Ivy to be campy, and over-the-top...but that's what "they" asked for, and she delivered. Well, at least she looked good, and unlike Michelle Pfieffer (Catwoman) -- Uma didn't need padding to "fill out" her costumes. :p

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Must...fight...impulse to...vote for...Bane! :p

[TimTwoFace]

Yeah, just who the hell DID vote for Bane? *GETS THE GUNS*
I'ma gonna hafta smack you up.

-Tim

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

It wasn't me, I swear! *GETS ANTI-GUN...GUN*

(seriously, though, I voted for Catwoman. Why? Why not?)

[Beat]

The Joker was the best done. Jack Nickolson won an Oscar for that role. An Oscar! Plus he kicked ass.

Michelle Pheifer as Catwoman comes in a close second, for most loyal to the comics.

[Frank White]

GASP!

Somebody really did vote for Bane.

[TimTwoFace]

Originally posted by Beatdigga
The Joker was the best done. Jack Nickolson won an Oscar for that role. An Oscar! Plus he kicked ass.


...actually he didn't. The only Oscar won for the first BATMAN movie (or any for that matter) was Anton Furst on Art Direction. (RETURNS and FOREVER had two and three Oscar nods respectively, but never won them).

Nicholson DID win a Golden Globe and a People's Choice award for the role, though.

-Tim

[DarkAngel]

Originally posted by Chris Sanders MSX
Catwoman was protrayed almost exactly like her comic book counterpart only a bit more sultry.


I don't understand why so many think the Catwoman performance was like the comics. Catwoman was never so out of it in any comic book I remember. I would hardly call her normal in "Batman Returns", so I just don't see it.

And who picked Bane in the poll? That has to be one of the worst things I've ever seen in a movie.

[DisneyBoy]

Ok, Joker rocked...but Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Mark Hamill's interpretation of him obviously rivals the Jack Nicholson version...so the prize goes to Catwoman...who has never looked, sounded or behaved quite as purrrfectly since :D

[mbaker]

I agree with you, Disneyboy. Jack Nickolson did make the first movie A hit, but he'll never hold A candle to Mark Hamill.

[Blight]

I'm definitely going with The Joker. His portrayal fit the comics perfectly. Plus, Jack Nicholson was fantastic, no one could have played The Joker better than him. He definitely deserved that Golden Globe win. He should have won the Oscar too.

Catwoman is second. Her portrayal was pretty close to the comics, except the comic version doesn't have quite as many loose screws as the Batman Returns version.

The Riddler comes in third. Jim Carrey was great, a little over the top at times, but still great.

The Penguin is fourth. He is actually nothing like his comic book counterpart, but as TimTwoFace said, it was still a very interesting take on the character, despite the fact that he went went from being a witty bird-like criminal, to a mutated freak.

Two-Face comes in fifth. It's a shame, because he's such a great character, and Tommy Lee Jones is a great actor, but the writing for Two-Face was so poor and out of character, it became a disaster. I do not blame Tommy Lee Jones for this. It is the script's huge error, not his.

Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Bane are all tied for worst. Again, it wasn't the actor's faults, (well, except in Bane's case :D) but the script so horrible the characters became almost unrecognisable. If I didn't know any better, it's a safe bet that I wouldn't realize that those "things" were supposed to Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy!

And yeah, who did vote for Bane? Whoever did has got to be completely out of their minds. Bane is definitely the most shallow character in any of the Batman flicks. I think I'll go get the guns too. :D

See ya!
Blight

[cross blues]

Originally posted by zmanjz
The ONLY good thing about Batman Forever was The Riddler.

Jim Carrey did a most excellent job on it.

I happen to think that was a great movie. If you want to talk trash about Batman, I think Batman and Robin was much worse...

as for the thread, I think the Joker was best portrayed. the Riddler and Penguin were a little different but they were both great

[Joker85]

The Joker without a doubt!! He was the closest to the comics character, he was the most developed I think(except maybe for Catwoman) and he had an awesome actor playing him! Catwoman would be a real close second though. Course, honestyl, can anyone ever beat the Joker?? ;)

[justicefan61]

The Joker was the best .. but in my opinion, Batman himself was never portrayed well. I think the catwoman was good also, and even Arnold himself as mr. freeze wasn't all bad.. but the animated series is all batman should be and more.. now, mark hamell is the joker and kevin conroy is Batman. I would like to see a live action movie starring the voice actors as the lead characters themselves.. why not, mark hamel is old enough now to be the joker with special effects and kevin conroy is a actor with the proper make up and hair style, could be bruce wayne. the catwoman should be her TV daughter, ashley scott /the huntress and instead of robin, have nightwing also in the movie..sorry, for getting off track, but that's my ideal Batman movie..

[sKorpia]

Joker/Catwoman (tie)
Riddler
Penguin
Ivy
Two-Face/Freeze (tie)
Bane

While I personally like Mark Hamill's insane Joker better, Jack Nicholson really nailed the sadistic Joker of the comics. I just wish the relationship dynamic between the two could have been deepened before they killed off Joker. (Btw, they shouldn't have killed him. How're we gonna get to see Harley if he's dead?!)

However, I put Catwoman as a tie because, aside from the fact that she's super-hot, I liked the portrayal in the movie. It may not have been following her character exactly from the comics but I enjoyed seeing the dynamic between Bats and Cats. It brought a completely different feel to their relationship. In terms of live-action movies, she's definitely the best match for Batman and his only lost-love.

Riddler comes in third because I think Jim Carrey did an excellent job with the Riddler's characteristic "can't let things go without giving myself away". But it only lasts for about 2 costume changes. That last costume was horrible and that's when the character went way over the top.

Penguin is fourth only because I don't think they played up his paradoxical longing to join aristocratic society while simultaneously despising it. They only focused on the latter aspect of his villany.

Ivy was just . . . what exactly was she there for? Uma hit the sultry mark (even though I don't think she's pretty enough to be Ivy) but her character left much to be desired. She was basically a player. Where was her obsessive love with the plants, her cunning, her other emotions? I guess her chracterization just goes to show that beauty truly is only skin-deep.

Two-Face and Freeze are tied because their characters were messed up the same way. There was NO Two-Face in that movie. There was only Big Bad Harv. It was sad. There was no internal conflict and they reduced the coin to a joke. As for Freeze, they ruined him. A picture of pathos reduced to cheesy one-liners in a 50 lb. suit. In short, I felt no sympathy for either of the movie characterizations. Two of the most tragic villains in the Batman mythos . . . wasted.

Bane . . . I think we all know what's wrong with him. Yeech!