Re: Kevin Smith: I love the guy and a lot of his work, but I don't think he's the right kind of director for a really good superhero film, and I think he thinks that as well. He did a pretty good job on his episode of The Flash, but that was stepping into an open spot in a well-oiled machine that's been running smoothly for years. I look forward to his upcoming episode of Supergirl, though I haven't watched a single episode of the show.
Re: Michael Keaton Batman: loved Keaton, wasn't a fan of Nicholson's Joker (except for a few moments).
I agree, the worst part of Bale's Batman was the voice. I pretty much dug everything else about it. The "voice changer effect" from BvS handled it much better.
I like the crap out of Affleck's Batman, even though he got a little torture/kill happy there for a while. But the Alfred quote -- "That's how it starts, sir. The fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men... cruel." -- explains for the audience why he became like that.
And though the "Wait, your mom was named Martha too?" bit was silly, if you accept the conceit -- that he saw Supes as an unknowable, uncontrollable alien god from the skies ... until he found out that he was a son who loved his mother and whose mother loved him -- it explains his near-instant change of heart. And by the end of the film, he's a changed man. I understand the problems lots of people had with it; I didn't have those problems because I don't go into films looking for things to ruin my own enjoyment. I'm a forgiving consumer of entertainment with a strong suspension of disbelief.
But, Affleck's Batman in battle is the best action-Batman ever. It just looks so right and so much how I've pictured him in my head for 40+ years.
Re: the Routh Superman. It was inoffensive, but Routh, as much as I like his portrayal of Ray Palmer/The Atom, just didn't have the charisma to really pull off Superman. He made a fine Clark Kent, though.
