Val Kilmer all the actors to have played Batman up to that point, he felt Kilmer had given the best interpretation. Film critic Leonard Maltin (who criticized the dark tone contained in "Batman Returns") complimented Kilmer's portrayal when he reviewed the film for his expanding collection of film reviews. Defenders of "Batman Forever" praised the film for portraying Batman as a more heroic, less ruthless, and more human character than in the Tim Burton films. The film also brought the film interpretation of Bruce Wayne more into line with his comic book counterpart, showing him as a socialite and a very public
Michael Keaton from a Protestant family. He attended Montour High School in Robinson Township, Pennsylvania, and studied speech for two years at Kent State University, where he appeared in plays, before dropping out and returning to Pennsylvania. Keaton first appeared on TV in the Pittsburgh public television programs "Where the Heart Is" and "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" (1975). For " Mister Rogers" he played one of the "Flying Zookeeni Brothers" and served as a full-time production assistant. (In 2004, after Fred Rogers' death, Keaton hosted a PBS memorial tribute, "".) Keaton also worked as an actor in Pittsburgh theatre; he played the role