Was George Clooney under-rated as Bruce Wayne?

[Wayne49]

I honestly have a hard time finding contempt for the suits since the basis of virtually every hero made in the past 50 years is to place them in form fitting tights over a perfectly athletic body illustrating every fiber of their being as a perfect specimen of the human anatomy. Add in the female heroines and the sexual implication goes through the roof. I think we as readers of comics from 'simpler times' tend to look at this product with rose colored glasses and pretend like there is no greater dynamic in play here.

I think there is a kind of prejudice that gets played on this film because the critics assume since the sexuality of the director is that of a homosexual, he is incapable of portraying them straight. None of that really clicks since throughout the film Bruce plays a playboy with a model around his arm while Dick Grayson very clearly checks out Barbara in the bike museum. Note this very much plays to the romantic interest displayed between Robin and Batgirl in comics throughout the 70's, (although many concluded Batgirl only flirted with him because she felt he was too young). Damn her conservative views. 

Also note in comic history when Robin chose to rename himself Nightwing he essentially stripped in front of his Teen Titan female members to illustrate the end of his Robin image. So this kind of pseudo-sexual undertone has always been present in comics. Unless you're getting into Disney comics and something as mundane as Super-Goof, the outfits worn have always been intended to elicit a certain degree of physical attraction, to denote their abilities to be superheroes. Where the artists have taken them and how the readers choose to interpret them, will always be subjective on some level. But for critics to point to these outfits as being somehow "inappropriate" is borderline daffy in my book. Has anyone checked out the latest Superman costume in Man of Steel? Talk about losing your shorts.

So I think the whole costume design versus intent is a bit over-the-top in terms of people looking for a hidden message in this movie. Take away that opening shot of them suiting up and no one is likely having this conversation. I sure didn't hear people complaining much after Forever, and that Batman had nipples on display everywhere. Ultimately I think when we really like movies, we tend to forgive their shortcomings as "charm", whereas when we don't like them we show a less measured response and go scrapping for every moment that disappointed us. I think it's a kind of psychological piling on. Batman & Robin may not play as sterile as the Super-friends, but compared to the content in comics, (especially those today), it might as well be a Disney production.

[johnnygobbs]

My personal opinion is that George Clooney is a great star and a fine actor, but that his persona was too big for a character like Batman/Bruce Wayne.  The best Batmen, and general CBM leads, are usually chameleonic character actors like Christian Bale or actors with relatively low-profile personas like Michael Keaton, otherwise the potential is for the star to overshadow the character.  Robert Downey Jr. can get away with it with Iron Man because Tony Stark is meant to be a flashy, arrogant little prick, but Batman/Bruce Wayne is a much lower-key character; even Bale arguably over-did it in some of the Bruce Wayne scenes.  Although Michael Keaton's version of Bruce Wayne was, for better or worse, a divergence from the comic-books (he's not many people's idea of a charming playboy), what he and Burton did get was that Wayne only truly comes to life when he's in the Batsuit, and that outside the costume he's uncomfortable in his own skin and practically a blank, personality-wise.

That said, I have high hopes for Ben Affleck because although he seemed far too starry and flashy as Daredevil/Matthew Murdoch, I do think he has, with time, improved as an actor and attained a type of world-weariness and gravitas that I don't think he possessed during his 'Beniffer' days (circa-early-mid 00s), and that type of persona suits the older, more grizzled, and much-battered Batman we are led to believe he will be playing in the upcoming 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'.

[Edd Grayson]

He actually reminds me of Adam West in certain moments of the film.