7 Most Overrated Comic Book Movie Performances
1. Christian Bale - Batman - The Dark Knight Trilogy
If asked what your favourite part of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies happened to be, chances are you'd end up saying something like Heath Ledger's Joker, or the dark aesthetic, or the Batman Begins training sequence, or - why not? - Michael Caine's Alfred Pennyworth. Rarely, though, would you find a response to this question to be: "Christian Bale as Batman."
And yet Christian Bale has often himself pegged as "the best Batman" on account of his involvement in what are without a doubt the best Batman movies to date. Fans often deem him to be the Dark Knight incarnate because he happens to be the main character in three rather excellent films. In a way, that makes sense.
But he's not really the person who springs to mind when you you think about The Dark Knight trilogy, is he? And there's a scientific reason for that. Okay, it's not really a scientific reason, but it might as well be: as a performer, Bale doesn't really bring anything memorable or interesting to the table as the Caped Crusader.
We have come to think of him as the definitive Batman, but for all the wrong reasons; through his association with Christopher Nolan, and because the competition - Val Kilmer, George Clooney, to name but two previously erroneous Batmen - had been mostly unsuccessful in their attempts.
In reality, Christian Bale is a rather a plain and generic rendering of the iconic superhero; Bale gives one of his least interesting performances in the role, and has even admitted to being disappointed with his own achievements as the iconic superhero (especially when compared to what Heath Ledger did with the Joker in The Dark Knight).
When you think of Batman v Superman, you think about Ben Affleck. For all that film's flaws, you still come away from Zack Snyder's overtly bombastic film with Affleck's version of the character heavy on your mind. Christian Bale never managed that across three movies. As such, it only makes sense that we stop with these empty declarations, praising him as "the best Batman." He isn't.
Oh, and his Batgrowl was plainly silly.
Which other comic book movie performances do you think are over-rated? Share your picks below in the comments thread.