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Comments
I read your whole statement but murder remains murder.
I do understand that the Batman as a person goes out of his way NOT to kill, in the comics he never does kill the Joker even if he considers that this choice may have cost more folks their lives. But he does not want to become like his targets, the criminal part of society. Hence his choice of not taking lives.
Nolan runs some risks by Batman not saving people that do die as a result, lending Gordon his car who essentially blows up the monorail. And the deaths in the temple wherr Bruce gets his training are not on the conto of Batman but Bruce, who becomes the Batman.
I think the audience forgives the Bat for the baddies deserve to die, I find the cavalier attitude towards death in the recent Batmovies somewhat troubeling. But it is part of the identity of the trilogy so if you do not like it, do not watch it and wait for the next series or movie.
Which isn't to say that I want Batman to be some bloodthirsty killer, mind you- look at The Punisher for comparison. He goes out every night to kill, period. Batman is still out for justice, and that makes all the difference to me. It's why Batman is still considered a hero
We all know that Bruce Wayne disguises his voice as Batman to make it scary as well as to keep his identity secret. Works great in the Batman animated series, so why can’t Nolan give us a real crackling voice huh? In various media, Batman’s voice has been compared to “stepping on broken bottles”. In some comics, Batman literally uses his voice as a weapon to scare criminals into submission whenever he can.
And once again, Nolan turns Batman’s voice into a joke. You can barely understand squat of what he’s saying. It’s obvious that his voice is fake and put on.
Gotham
Gotham city is an integral part of Batman. It provides the setting, the atmosphere and sets the mood of the comics. It’s even called Gotham city for a reason. Because it’s gothic. Nolan’s Gotham is a ghastly departure from what Gotham should be. Where are the soaring cathedrals? Where are the gargoyles? Where is all the goth? He’s just gone and turned Batman’s city into Chicago! What the hell was he thinking?
Fake “Realism” in Nolan’s Movies
I’ve saved the worst for last. Nolan and many of his fans excuse all the above mistakes by saying that this is a “realistic” take on Batman and Gotham. I call bullshit on that claim. Because even as depicted, Batman is horribly unrealistic. You want realistic, get rid of the cape. It hinders you, can get caught on stuff, and you can trip over it. The marginal utility of being able to slow your descent and hide some stuff in it is heavily outweighed by the disadvantages. Even Nightwing has remarked that a cape cramps one’s style too much.
But yet we keep it. We have to keep it. Why? Because it’s about image. Because it makes Batman what he is. It’s about style. It’s about maintaining the atmosphere. Even Nolan can’t get rid of the cape without destroying Batman. Moral of the story – this is a comic book. Style and atmosphere trump realism. And I’m just scraping the surface here. Superman is in Batman’s universe as well! Talk about aliens and unrealistic in the same breath?
Spare me the junk realism please. Give me something that for once stays true to the comics. Two great movies I’ve seen that replicate the mood and the style of their respective comics perfectly are “Watchmen” and “Sin City”.
Can we please have a Batman version of “Sin City” for those of us who appreciate what Batman is really about? We’ll gladly leave the Christopher Nolan’s fans at the altar alone.
Neither set of films are perfect depictions. Burton’s take liberties and so does Nolan. Burton made a couple of films about Batman villains and kept Batman a cool thing to bounce off. Nolan made a trilogy about how much Batman wants to quit being Batman and even though that’s satisfying in an Elseworld story, Bruce Wayne essentially bullshitted his way out of being Batman in DKR and while I can accept that in Nolan’s trilogy and indeed his three part story, it ain’t the Batman I love.
Ghul, Joker, 8 years off, Bane, retired. I enjoy Nolan’s flicks a whole lot but any really hardcore Batfan has to get a little pissy over this short a career for the Batman, right?
TDKR was, quite frankly, a mess. I went to the midnight screening and to be honest it was a waste of time. What I didn’t like was the amount of dialogue. They just kept talking and talking. I could have gone to the bathroom half way through the film and by the time I came back Alfred would be reviewing what has been happening up to that point. What about the endings for Talia and Bane? Where was the climax? The man that broke the bat and we just forget about him. Or Talia, daughter to Ra’s al Ghul, and she dies in the car. I mean come on, really. I understand that Nolan wanted to kill them off but there could have been other, more dramatic ways to end such respected characters.
I think we can all agree that Keaten was a better Batman than Bale. Yes, he didn’t exactly have a similar appearance to the Bruce Wayne in the comics but he had the attitude and personality. Bale was boring, simply put. As the main character of the films all the attention needed to be on him, he needed to be the interesting and intense character but to be honest I wasn’t feeling it. He was boring.
The ‘Batcave’ is a no-brainer. Nolan’s doesn’t deserve to be called the Batcave, it’s just an underground bunker or basement or whatever.
I liked Burton’s Batsuit because it was simple and similar to the comics. Nolan, again trying to be ‘realistic’, made the mistake of making it too distracting with all the plates and everything. And what about the symbol?! It blended in!
I have mixed feelings on the portrayals of the Joker. Burton’s portrayal was better in terms of being based more on the comic’s, however Nicholson’s size obviously made the difference. He had the personality and pretty much the full package. Nolan’s was definitely different. Ledger was less comedic however still did a good job. People are quick to come to the defence of Ledger’s representation because they have probably never read a Batman comic in their life, have only watched TDK and because they love Heath Ledger. I really liked Heath Ledger, yes he was a good actor, but was his representation true to the comics? No, it wasn’t. Where was the comedy? I’m just going to leave it as Nicholson was better at representing the Joker in the comics however Ledger still did a great job in his role.
Tim Burton’s was more memorable from the dialogue to the music, was more energetic and captivating, Nolan’s were boring and at some points very painful to watch (referring to the long fight scenes). Ra’s al Ghul was a big twist in BB, yes, but that’s it, that’s the twist. I didn’t like in Burton’s Batman how it was the Joker who was revealed to have killed Wayne’s parents, not Joe Chill, and that Batman left Joker to die. I think Eckhart did a good job as Harvey, however it was more the appearance that sort of steered me away from him. But that’s the same with Bale, too. The story of Harvey Dent and his tragic transformation into Two-Face from Batman Annual 14 and The Long Halloween will always be two of my favourite comics.
For those who don’t now-
Nolan’s Batman kills:
- A bunch of League of Shadows ninjas and the fake Ra’s
- Ra’s (“not saving him” counts to comics Batman)
- Harvey Dent (he doesn’t even attempt to save him)
- Bane (indirectly; he gave heavy weaponry to a woman known to use lethal force)
- Talia Ghul
And yet he spares the Joker, a mass-murderer.”
And saying Bane and Talia's deaths were anti-climactic would be an understatement (and people complain about the villain's fate in Skyfall!!)
I think it had potential, but they were just trying too hard to fit too many things in, which is probably why the editing is so choppy too.
Batman Begins remains my favorite of the three, but I can understand why most people like TDK the best.
What I liked about Batman Begins is the look of Gotham It looks almost like in the comics but in the TDK and TDKR it looks like Chicago or NY.
You people and your "kill" theories are jokes. Bruce DID NOT kill the fake Ra's. They had a fight and the man didn't look where the hell he was, and a roof fell on him. He didn't "mind his surroundings"! And the comics Batman you are referring to is the Kane Batman, who he probably had little involvement in anyway and just took credit (as he did many times before)? Batman didn't have to save Ra's. He was evil and went on the train with the intent to kill all of Gotham (ALL OF GOTHAM) with vaporized toxin (that isn't big/intense enough for you?). Obviously Ra's couldn't use all these methods he learned over his many centuries of training because HE DIDN'T. This is realistic here, so Ra's is a normal man with no Lazarus pits. Batman couldn't attempt to save Harvey. He had a gun trained on them and Gordon's boy and Batman acted, tackling him when Dent though he was down so innocent people didn't have to die. It is a mystery (bad editing) of what happens in that moment, but Batman got Gordon's kid, and that is what is important. Harvey lived too long, becoming the villain he once stated. Batman definitely didn't kill Bane, and anyone that thinks so is on something. SELINA did that. Just because it is Batman's cycle doesn't mean that he is responsible for what someone else does with it. She shot Bane, not him. And he didn't kill Talia either. He shot explosives near he truck to stop her movement away from him (the farther she got the least chance he had of getting the reactor). She is the one that doesn't mind the road and crashes through the barrier. She was ready to die for her cause like her father, and that is what happened. If you don't understand why he doesn't kill the Joker, I don't think you got what the film was saying. Joker's crimes were random and unpredictable, at first meant to draw out Batman, then to draw him in. Batman knows that he isn't the greatest threat. Joker's master plan was making Dent into the monster he dies being. Batman goes after Harvey (a man with an actual motive and ability) and leaves Joker to the SWAT team. Joker is all about chaos. No matter what he does, from killing officials to blowing up hospitals, is him "watching the world burn". He has no care, no ideals to follow. Batman sees that and takes care of greater threats like Dent. As Dent says, Joker is just the dog off his chain. Harvey is the one that had the motive to strike back (Rachel's death) and kill.
Only four are needed: Burton's Batman was better.
Mate, that's 5 words... :-/
Those five are jive; my four told the score.
Keaton's Bruce got stale, Bale can never fail.
;) Very nice.
If we teamed up, wrote a few kids books, and toured the world doing a few book signings, people would say "Dr. Seuss? Who's that?"
Others love Keaton,
Oh please tell me why,
there must be a reason!
The Bat! The Bat!
No wackier symbol!
The depth of its depth
is as deep as a thimble!
Nolan's Joker isn't joking
Dude what is he smoking?
I don't get why he's sullen
Nichol-son was so stokin'!
It boils down to taste
the love of absurd,
and the need not to call
our not-favourites a turd.
Why do that when we have Kevin Conroy? Doesn't get better than that.
Just listening to him speak makes me feel like a man. His voice is extremely masculine, perfect for Bruce/Batman.
Everyone here knows I love the Nolan Batman/Bale as Batman, but I agree. The voice is in fact one of the criticisms I can give to the trilogy. At times it is just gut wrenching, and embarrassing. I watched a little of Batman Begins today and there are moments where Bale's Batman voice is rough yet more subtle, not the husky growl it could grow into. I would have much rather had the latter instead of what we got, a very bad decision made by either Nolan or Christian. Keaton had much better control on his voice in the role. The plus side: We got some great memes from it all. :D
I agree and in Batman Begins his voice wasn't bad at all but in TDK they changed it and sometimes it's just over the top.
But I like this scene :
First up is Batman. There’s no denying that Tim Burton deserves credit for what he manages to do here. Before this film, the main impression non-comic fans had of Batman was the BAM. ZING. POW 60s television show. Creating a darker, grittier, truer Gotham and making Batman a conflicted and brooding hero had the fans overjoyed and the buzz generated by the film drew in a whole new crowd. Working on only his third feature film, Burton was working with the biggest budget of any movie at the time, and creates a cooky, grand, alternate world that you’re happy to spend a couple of hours immersing yourself in.
Jack Nicholson has first billing (apparently he demanded it) and this really is more of a Joker movie than a Batman one. He certainly has a lot more screen time. We even get the Joker’s origin, but none of Batman’s (expect for a flashback to when his parents were killed). Nicholson does what Nicholson does and has enormous fun as the Joker, and as a result, he’s fun to watch. A psychopath to the extreme, you never know what he’s going to do and as a result there’s a pretty high body count in Batman. Dropped into a vat of toxic waste by Batman, the Joker is on a mission of revenge to kill the Dark Knight and wreaks havoc on Gotham and Vicky Vale, a photo journalist who catches the eye of both Batman and the Joker. That’s pretty much the whole plot. The Joker is after Batman. Batman is after the Joker. Vicky is after Batman. Bruce is after Vicky. But with no other grand scheme other than to kill Batman, there sometimes seems to be a lack of real menace to the Joker’s plans. It’s lucky Nicholson is so damn entertaining, because a good portion of the movie is him running around having a whale of a time, laughing it up, and killing random people of his quest to kill Batman.
I’m a fan of Michael Keaton’s Batman and Bruce Wayne. I think he does an admirable job of both with the amount of time he has to develop two characters here. I love how at the start of this movie nobody seems to know who Bruce Wayne is. WTF?? You’re at a huge party at his house! The guy is obviously loaded and a society figure but the reporters don’t even have a photo of him!? It’s hilarious. Wayne Enterprises also doesn’t seem to exist, or at least is never mentioned from what I remember. It’s like this rich guy who also happens to be a well equipped (in the cool gadgets sense for any dirty thinkers) superhero has just moved to town…except he’s lived there his whole life! Anyway, Keaton does well in the suit (that would have had to have been shit to work in). He also gets some pretty cool toys to clip on to his utility belt and drive the Batmobile (a simple, sleek, effective design)!
While I don’t quite buy Kim Basinger as a photographer in war zones, she’s otherwise convincing as the necessary love interest and damsel-often-in-distress. She gives it up to Wayne pretty easily I guess, but he is a millionaire so I’d obviously do the same thing.
While some of the effects look a little bit dodgy these days, and some of the gadgets might not be as high-tech for what we see today, they’re great for their time and still (mostly) convince that this man is able to dress as a bat and roam the rooftops fighting crime. You’ve also got Jack Nicolson chewing the scenery in the greatest possible way and Tim Burton creating a world where we believe all this could take place.
Batman Returns
I’ve always enjoyed Batman Returns a little bit more than Batman. Michelle Pheiffer and Danny DeVito are both excellent as Catwoman and Penguin, the action kicks in a little more quickly and there’s more of it, Michael Keaton still doesn’t get a lot of time as either Batman or Bruce Wayne, but he still captures both persona’s convincingly (I especially like him towards the end during his struggle with finding out Catwoman’s true identity), and there’s a little more purpose to the villains, and therefore the whole plot.
I like the trend that began here of having two bad guys. Sometimes, one just isn’t enough, especially if it’s a bad villain, and Catwoman and Penguin make a great team. Not only are they after Batman, but Penguin has a diabolical plan to become Mayor of Gotham and kidnap all the first-born sons of it’s citizens. I enjoy his take over of the city, a freak earing the trust and love of the citizens. Catwoman is a schizophrenic secretary who’s craziness is a result of being tossed out of a window by her conniving boss Max Shreck (Christopher Walken, playing Christpher Walken brilliantly). Michelle Phieffer does an outstanding job as both Selina Kyle and Catwoman, bringing innocence, sexiness and viciousness to the role. And girlfriend can crack that whip. Danny DeVito seems to have been born to play Penguin. Both seem to have more depth than the Joker ever managed.
Michael Gough he’s just the perfect Alfred (And I was especially appreciative of the line they throw in to explain his letting Vicky Vale into the Bat Cave in the earlier film).
The effects here are a littler better than in Batman (at least ,that’s to say, there aren’t as many LOL moments where there shouldn’t be), I like the script a little better (it finds a better balance between the darker style of Burton and the fun you have to allow for with a giant Bat, Cat and Penguin), and it feels more like an ensemble movie (rather than The Jack Nicholson Show), making Batman Returns a worthy sequel, either equal to or better than, the original.
Many fans didn't like that Batman was killing people in these films perhaps it could be argued that this is the character arc for Batman in this films. He’s disillusioned with his mission and has taken to dispatching criminals permanently when the mood takes him. He meets Selina, sees her plight and how revenge is destroying her and thus receives a wake-up call. Nice idea, but there isn’t any kind of scene that could be provided as evidence for this.
Overall Batman Returns is a very entertaining movie if you like Tim Burton’s style.
Batman Begins:
After the cinematic failure that was Batman and Robin, the Batman franchise remained in a state of suspension for a number of years. Rumours spread of various different Batman projects, and even today news still comes to light of proposed ideas to continue the franchise. Before Batman and Robin’s release, Warner Bros. wanted Schumacher to return. The plan was for him to direct a film called “Batman Trumphant”, which would feature Scarecrow using his fear toxin on Batman and Batman’s fear would be the return of The Joker. Harley Quinn was also set to appear, written as The Joker’s daughter. Needless to say, after Batman and Robin came out, the studio changed plans. Other rumours included a Batman vs. Superman film, a Batman Beyond adaptation, and a prequel to the Burton/Schumacher series based on Frank Miller’s “Batman: Year One” to be directed by Darren Aronofosky. But none of these projects would come to be. Instead, young director Christopher Nolan, known for his acclaimed thriller Memento, would be the one to bring Batman back to the big screen in 2005, eight years after the last Batman film, with Batman Begins.
As you can probably guess from the title, Batman Begins takes the series back to the early years in Bruce Wayne’s childhood. The film shows Bruce as a child as he experiences the murder of his parents. The film then cuts to Bruce as a young man (Christian Bale) and shows the effect the murder of his parents has had on him. He’s angry, confused, frustrated, and seeking vengeance. Unsure of his path in life, Bruce travels the world to learn about criminals. Through his travels, he meets Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson). Ducard is part of an organization known as The League of Shadows, who specialize in the fighting of crime. Ducard takes Bruce in and trains him in their ways. Bruce excels in the training and becomes accepted as a member. However, Bruce realizes their methods are two extreme, so he ops to leave. This does not go over well with The League, so Bruce needs to fight his way out. Ultimately, Bruce his successful and returns to Gotham City with a mission; to fight crime and reclaim the city for the good citizens. His faithful butler Alfred (Michael Caine) supports him, but has differing thoughts on the idea of Bruce fighting crime. After a trial run, Bruce decides to adopt the imagery of bats, which scare him, and use it against his enemies by becoming Batman. Though he faces opposition from mob boss Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) and corrupt psychiatrist Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), Batman also inspires good in the form of Sergeant James Gordon (Gary Oldman), one of the few good cops in Gotham, and Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes), a young district attorney as well as one of Bruce’s childhood friends.
One of the key areas where Batman Begins excels is in the origin of Batman. The main reason is because the story from Bruce Wayne to Batman does not simply feel like an excuse to put Bruce in the batsuit. Instead, the change feels like a very real character development. The origin is there to reinforce why someone would take up a life of crime fighting and to allow the audience to understand Bruce’s mindset. It should also be said that exploring Bruce’s origins are very interesting and entertaining. Some have argued that there was no need for a film to extensively analyze Batman’s back story, but I disagree. Spending so much time with Bruce before he becomes Batman helps show the depth of his character, not to mention Batman has one of the best back stories in comics. Most of the first half of the film is dedicated to Batman’s origin, and the second half looks at his efforts to clean up Gotham. This second half is just as engaging as the first. The plot takes a lot of twists and turns, and the story also works as a thrilling crime drama. All of the characters are related in interesting ways, and everything blends together nicely. Everything builds to an exciting climax where The League of Shadows attempts to use Crane’s fear toxin to destroy Gotham.
Of course, an examination of Batman’s origins would have been wasted if the man behind the cowl was unable to make it all work. Thankfully, this isn’t the case with Christian Bale. Despite the jokes people make about his Batman voice, Bale plays an incredible Batman, bringing a lot of pain, frustration, and obsession to the screen and is able to really loose himself in the part. One of the great things about Bale’s work is the way he’s able to play three distinct aspects of Bruce’s personality. He plays a great Batman, he plays a great Bruce Wayne publically, and he plays a great Bruce Wayne privately. To this day, Bale is the only actor to nail all three of these aspects perfectly. A testament to Bale’s craft is that he does not become Batman until over an hour into the film, and never once does the audience find themselves wishing he’d just become Batman already. Bale’s performance is so strong that it doesn’t matter if he’s in the suit or not, what matters is the character himself. In a superhero film, that can be rare.
Nolan and writer David S. Goyer took a huge risk with their approach on the villains. Instead of choosing the most iconic villains, the two went with the villains who would best serve the story, eventually going with mob boss Carmine Falcone, Ra’s al Ghul, and The Scarecrow. All three villains are handled very well. While in theory a mob boss seems like they might be a boring villain in a super hero film, Falcone works very well, in large part because he lends himself to the realistic tone Nolan took. Mobsters have always played a large role in the Batman universe, and I like seeing the live-action films dive head first into that. Not to mention Tom Wilkinson gives a strong performance and brings a lot of personality to Falcone. Cillian Murphy plays a great Scarecrow. He’s creepy and unnerving, and his fear toxin makes for a good obstacle for Batman to overcome. My only complaint with Scarecrow is that instead of having a final confrontation with Batman, he’s just zapped by Rachel’s tazer and then he’s done. That’s extremely lame. Oh well, Murphy still gives a very good performance as Scarecrow. Finally, there’s Liam Neeson as Ra’s al Ghul. Though he poses as Ducard, it is revealed in the third act that he’s really Ra’s. The idea of Ra’s training Batman is brilliant, and Neeson plays this well. He makes for a good teacher, being challenging and authoritative, but also having a certain fatherly warmth to him. It feels like he genuinely cares about Bruce. But in the third act, when Ra’s goes full on villain, Neeson makes him extremely intimidating. The cold sense of control in Neeson’s voice and manner is perfect for the role. Despite having three main villains, the film never becomes messy. They all blend together well and feel seamless. I will say, none of these villains have the same mesmerizing effect as Jack Nicholson’s Joker or Michelle Pfieffer’s Catwoman, but that’s also kind of the point. The film never wants you to forget that the film is very much Batman’s story.
Batman Begins was also the first Batman film that not only carefully casted the hero and villain roles, but also carefully casted the supporting roles. Bruce’s faithful butler and friend Alfred is played by Michael Caine. I may have enjoyed Michael Gough’s work as Alfred, I feel Caine blows him out of the water. Michael Caine brings a great presence to Alfred, and I like that he actually challenges Bruce throughout. Despite this, Caine also brings the appropriate warmth to Alfred and you can tell he really loves Bruce. Brilliant actor Morgan Freeman also has a small role as Lucius Fox, a Wayne Enterprises employee and the man who creates Batman’s gadgets, effectively becoming Batman’s “Q”. It’s a very small role, but Freeman brings a lot of personality and charisma to the part and in effect becomes extremely likable. For me though, my favourite supporting cast decision is Gary Oldman as James Gordon. After five movies of Gordon being about as useful as a lighter is to a firefighter, they finally got Gordon right. Jim Gordon is smart and resourceful, and plays a large part in the movie. Oldman plays him perfectly. He has a subtle determination that I find admirable. Subtle is actually a very good word to describe Oldman’s work. Though you can see the distinct changes his character goes through, it also isn’t what would be called a “showy” performance. This subtlety is extremely appropriate for Gordon. Bottom line, Oldman is phenomenal and easily the best Gordon to hit the big screen. The only exception to this exceptional casting is Katie Holmes as love interest Rachel Dawes. Despite the positive reception Batman Begins received, the one thing that nearly everyone considered universally bad was Katie Holmes performance, she was even nominated for a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress. Now I will say, I don’t find Holmes to be that bad, or even bad at all. She’s okay, the problem is she just isn’t the level of her co-stars. In scenes where she’s supposed to act alongside Christian Bale, or Michael Caine, or Gary Oldman, she’s completely over shadowed. It doesn’t help that she’s probably the least interesting character in the film, who mostly just lectures Bruce. That said, I still like her more than Vicky Vale in Batman. At least Rachel has some personality. On the whole though, it’s a great supporting cast. Plus Rutger Hauer (Roy Batty in Blade Runner) is in it, and that is pretty damn cool.
One of the most interesting elements about Batman Begins was the more grounded and realistic approach the series took. While the film does still have elements that aren’t entirely realistic, the film still feels believable at all times. This is why I say the film works just as well as a crime drama. This realistic tone is enhanced by Nolan’s take on Gotham City. Instead of creating a fantastic, other-worldly gothic playground, Nolan instead makes Gotham City feel like a real American city by filming in a real American City; Chicago. Now, some have complained that the city feels too much like Chicago, but I disagree. This version of Gotham may feel drastically different than most incarnations, but that is by design. This less gothic atmosphere gives the film that realistic feel. Gotham City is very much a character in the film though, and I do really like the depiction of the city. Specifically how hopeless and depressing the city feels. Gotham truly feels like the worst American city in the world and you can understand why Ra’s would want to destroy it.
Batman Begins also raises the action standards of the series, but only slightly. The fight scenes aren’t very good mind you, though the series has never excelled in fight scenes. The fights are shot too close and the ending has a tendency to become a jumbled mess. I will say there’s a certain brutality to these action scenes that was lacking in previous films, but they still on the whole are not very good. There are however, some great action set pieces. This includes a great chase with the tumbler (the new Batmobile), the scenes where Batman picks off goons from the dark, and a great nod to “Batman: Year One”.
Batman Begins is not a perfect movie, but it does a lot right. It portrays all the characters in a dignified and respectful way, it’s an exciting film, an engaging story, and very dramatic. Batman Begins is a movie that can be enjoyed by both comic book fans, as well as regular film fans on an equal level, which can be rare in the genre. The film, like Burton’s original, was a game changer. After Batman Begins, several comic book films tried to take the more realistic/darker route with their characters, and that influence has even spread to non-comic book adaptations. Batman Begins also revived the Batman series, and had an ending that left fans eagerly awaiting the inevitable sequel. They would not be disappointed.
The Dark Knight :
After an exciting and epic adventure, Batman Begins would conclude with a rooftop meeting where Gordon hands Batman a joker card and fans around the world knew what was coming. Given that Batman Begins was a film loved by everyone from hardcore geeks, to critics, to the casual moviegoer, a sequel was indeed inevitable. That sequel would finally come in 2008, titled The Dark Knight. The hype and anticipation for the film was insanely high, to the point that it felt like no film could meet such expectations. But when The Dark Knight finally came out, nearly everyone unanimously fell in love with the film. The film grossed over 1 billion dollars world wide while still getting rave reviews to the point where several people, fans and critics alike, argued the film deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. I loved The Dark Knight back in 2008, and it still holds up today.
Batman (Christian Bale) has been a prominent force in Gotham City for about a year. His presence has led to a lot of good; James Gordon (Gary Oldman) is doing a lot of good in the war against crime and has his own task force, the criminals of the city have far less power than before, and a new charismatic D.A named Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) has emerged as Gotham’s White Knight, inspiring the citizens to seize their city back from the criminals. Even Batman sees the hope of Gotham lies with Dent. But Batman’s presence has also inspired The Joker (Heath Ledger), a crazed terrorist bent on anarchy and destruction. The Joker purposes that if the mob were to kill Batman, everything would go back to the way things were before. The mob, in their desperation, decides to hire The Joker to kill Batman. What follows is a city wide epic struggle between Batman and The Joker.
Many of the elements that made Batman Begins great return here as well, including the cast. Christian Bale still makes for an excellent Batman, and everything he pulled off in Batman Begins he pulls off in The Dark Knight too. Bale also takes the character further in this film. Batman is truly tested and pushed to his limits by The Joker and Bale does a great job bringing Batman to his edge. It’s a very multi-faceted performance, and in my opinion the best lead performance in any superhero film. Most of the supporting cast from Batman Begins are back too. Gary Oldman is even more of a badass as Gordon and is given a lot more to do here, including becoming Commissioner. Michael Caine is still a great Alfred, whether providing comedic relief, loving warmth, or insight and advice to Batman, Caine is constantly able to deliver. Morgan Freeman is also back as Lucius Fox and he’s still a very fun character. Not returning is Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, instead replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal. While Rachel’s role isn’t nearly as prominent as it was in Batman Begins, I’m glad she was recast since Gyllenhaal brings a maturity and sophistication that Holmes doesn’t have.
Of course the performance that everyone raves about is Heath Ledger’s Oscar winning turn as The Joker. When The Dark Knight first came out, everyone was blown away with Ledger’s performance. Several people described him as the best Joker to ever grace the big screen and one of the greatest villains in film history. These people were right. While he may not be my favourite Joker (gotta go Batman: The Animated Series), Ledger delivers an outstanding performance. Everything Ledger does, from his movement to his voice to his speech pattern, is mesmerising. Ledger’s Joker has become an iconic film villain, and even The Dark Knight’s harshest critics admit that Ledger was great. What I personally love about this Joker is that he’s the perfect mix of being scary, funny, and interesting. What he does is horrifying, but he does have a morbid sense of humour which can be very funny. More than anything though, The Joker is a fascinating character who spending time with is a treat. Ledger deserves all the credit he gets, as do Christopher and Jonathan Nolan who wrote Joker’s incredible dialogue (Goyer only helped create the story). Lines like “Why so serious?” and “You wanna know how I got these scars?” are great, but Joker’s dialogue is great throughout, particularly in the interrogation scene, hospital scene, and in his final scene with Batman.
One cast member who I find is all too often overlooked is Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. After the complete insult that was Batman Forever, I was aching for a good Harvey Dent, and Aaron Eckhart delivered. Of all the characters in The Dark Knight, it’s Harvey that changes the most. Through most of the film, Harvey is a noble person and someone willing to do damn near anything to make Gotham a better place. But as the film progresses, Harvey is pushed by The Joker and brought closer to madness. Joker eventually has Rachel killed and half of Harvey’s face is burnt. Though he physically has become Two-Face, it isn’t until The Joker convinces him that chance is the only real factor in life that Harvey truly becomes Two-Face. What I love about this iteration of Two-Face is that he does feel like a tragic figure. Even when he does villainous things in the film’s third act, he’s still sympathetic and I always acknowledged he was a victim too. Eckhart and the Nolan brothers also nailed Two-Face’s nihilistic view of the world. As Two-Face says himself, “The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance: unbiased, unprejudiced, fair.” Some people complain that Two-Face should not have died at the end of the film and that more could have been done with Two-Face in the sequel. I felt that way at first, but as time has gone by, I’ve realized that the way he dies in The Dark Knight is the perfect way for that character to go within the confines of the Nolanverse. Two-Face probably could have returned later on, but it may have watered the character down. Really, him dying served the character and story best. Bottom line, Aaron Eckhart made for both a great Harvey Dent and a great Two-Face, bringing the emotion and tragedy that I had always wanted to the screen flawlessly.
The story here is awesome. While Batman Begins was a relatively small-scale film (until the climax), The Dark Knight is a huge epic in the vein of something like Heat. It’s a battle for the soul of Gotham City between Batman and The Joker. It’s an engaging story, with plenty of twists and turns throughout. One of the great pleasures of The Dark Knight is just experiencing the story. Whether you’re watching Batman, Gordon, and Dent together trying to take down crime, or watching The Joker cause anarchy and destruction, the plot is constantly interesting. It’s also clear that a lot of effort was put into crafting an intricate story and if one were to not pay attention, they’d lose a lot of the film’s appeal. A big part of what makes the plot so thrilling is that the script never falls into the conventional storytelling of other superhero films. Instead, The Dark Knight challenges its audience to keep up with the plot. However this doesn’t feel like a chore given how carefully put together the film is. Now, there are some little holes with the story, such as the improbability that Bruce would be able to set up so many of the phones as sonar devices, but I can let these things slide given how invested I find myself getting in the story. Overall, The Dark Knight is a dramatic tale that for fans can also be quite the emotional ringer.
The Dark Knight also touches upon some major themes. The most obvious one is how terror is dealt with in a post 9/11 world. The film frequently refers to The Joker as a terrorist, and his plans involve blowing up buildings and creating anarchy. Batman frequently has to consider how far he needs to go to stop The Joker and how far is too far. Batman using the sonar cell phones, which give information at the expense of the privacy of others, can be easily compared to the privacy invading Patriot Act. The Dark Knight seems to argue that sometimes extreme measures are necessary. I don’t want to get into a political debate here, and I’m not saying that Nolan’s true intentions with The Dark Knight were to argue the merits of George Bush’s presidency, but themes regarding the war on terror are certainly there. The film also looks at whether human beings are inherently good or evil, and uses the ideologies of Batman and The Joker to ask this. Overall, the film concludes that human beings are inherently good (the people on the boats decide not to blow up the other for their own survival) but that even the noblest human being can become evil under certain circumstances (Harvey Dent’s descent into Two-Face).
One of my few criticisms with Batman Begins was the fight scenes, which I found fairly poor. Nolan completely fixes this in The Dark Knight. Nolan pulls the camera back during the fight scenes and does not cut away as much. This leads to far more fluid and exciting fight scenes. In fact, I’d say these are the best fight scenes in any live action Batman film. Of course, none of the Batman films had exceptionally good fight scenes, but even so. There’s also a ton of great action set pieces, including an exciting SWAT raid on a construction building, several fight scenes, and one of the greatest car chases ever put on film. The Dark Knight is also aided by some great cinematography by Wally Pfister and tight editing by Lee Smith. I also really like the score from Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. It doesn’t have the same fantastical quality that the Danny Elfman scores for Batman and Batman Returns had, but the music is still very effective and memorable.
Overall, The Dark Knight is a brilliant film from a master filmmaker. It’s a film that can be appreciated on multiple levels. It works as an action film, a Batman film, a crime drama, an analysis on the war on terror, and as a study on the human spirit. I am biased, being a big Batman fan, but I do sincerely believe that The Dark Knight is a great film and one of my favourite films of all time. It’s the quality of Batman film I had waited my whole life for. Not only is it the pinnacle of Batman films, but it is still the pinnacle of superhero films and comic book adaptations. Great acting, great writing, great direction, great effects, The Dark Knight has it all. A must-see, interest in comic books not required.
The Dark Knight Rises :
Cinematic stunner Christopher Nolan's latest is of course, "The Dark Knight Rises", distinctly the most anticipated film of 2012, and the final entry in his "Dark Knight" trilogy. And what a conclusion it is. As with it's predecessor, The Dark Knight Rises shrouds the Batman legend in tonal darkness, and could well be Nolan's most outstanding work since "Memento". Nolan is clearly at his most gleefully unrestrained, viscerally directing a marvellous conclusion to his much-praised franchise. For me, "Rises" overshadows it's predecessors. There is no excessive, unwanted humour and kiddish dialogue like in "Begins", no cumbrous changes of tone like in "The Dark Knight" (which is nonetheless still quite brilliant), it is pure, riveting filmmaking, completely devoid of the niggling flaws that stained Nolan's previous excursions into Batmanhood. It is a bold cinematic maneuver.
Set 8 years after the dramatic events of The Dark Knight, TDKR opens with one of the most extraordinary curtain-raisers in quite some time. A CIA plane is terrifyingly hijacked in mid-air by masked terrorist Bane, all while ominous chanting (sensationally sourced from 10 000 online participants), drones in the background. We then cut to Gotham City, where the Dent Act has largely abolished organized crime in the city. Bruce Wayne is not in good shape, he is crippled, and not in good health. He must however, stop Bane, who has returned to Gotham to attempt to destroy it. Another player in the game is mysterious cat burglar Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman, played by Anne Hathaway.
TDKR is a colossal cinematic display, and I believe, a masterpiece. I also think that given the remarkable storytelling and sheer technical scope of the thing, that it is a milestone in modern cinema. This could well be an important step in the evolution of film, the cinematography and visual effects are pretty much beyond astonishing. Imagine what they could inspire. Nolan has stated that the film is probably the biggest thing that anyone in the history of film has attempted to do. He's probably right. This is an enormous project, one that few directors would comfortably pull off. Nolan does, sensationally.
As always with Nolan films, one of the film's many strengths is its mesmerizing character creation and development. Bale gives a series-best performance, taking complete emotional control of a role in which he previously felt distant. But here, it is Tom Hardy who dominates the film , playing psychopathic terrorist, internet meme, and all-round cinematic bad-ass Bane with menacing, terrifying realism. Bane's voice is a mechanical rumble, and wears a black mask that comes down the middle of his face which allows him to inhale a gas that "keeps the pain at bay", from a brutal previous injury.
An excommunicated member of the League Of Shadows, Bane's plan is to blow up Gotham City, which he believes will be for the greater good of civilisation. Bane's politics, which have been a topic of much recent discussion, revolve around I suppose what could be referred to as an extreme form of Stalinism. His "revolution", which promises to give people their "freedom" and equality is quick to turn into brutal totalitarianism. The wealthy are given kangaroo courts where the "convicted" die no matter the sentence, mitiliaristic executions take place as do violent lootings. Surely he must be amongst the most memorable villains of all time.
TDKR glides on Nolan's direction. Multiple scenes have mesmerizing amounts of substance, visual and emotional. It would be wonderful to see Nolan receiving a nod for best director at the next Oscars, because Nolan appears to be in complete control of the staging of every single scene. TDKR is an extraordinary film, largely because of its ability to overpower any mosquito-sized flaws that might befall it. The film is so potent and energetic, the effects so masterful and Zimmer's score so hypotonic, that it seems nothing can stop it, not a few twinges in it's script, not 1 or 2 poor lines of delivery. TDKR plows on through it's 164 minute running time with so much vibrant energy that all you want to do afterwards is see it again. Top commends go to the all-star cast, which introduces Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in supporting roles. Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine reprise their roles, with Caine a particular stand out, showing a deeper, more emotional side to Alfred that was not evident in the first two films. This must have the best cast of any film this year by a fair margin. The same applies to its cinematography, which sees Wally Pfister returning to the amazing visual tricks utilized in Nolan's previous films.
"The Dark Knight Rises" is not disappointing in the slightest, the four year wait for "Batman 3" has paid off perfectly. It is a monumental work, and one that remains amongst Nolan's best. It succeeds not only as a consistently, highly entertaining summer blockbuster, but as an intelligent, philosophically rich look at extremist ideologies. It is pristine filmmaking by any standard. Taking the Batman legend to a much higher level indeed, The Dark Knight Rises could well be the best superhero film ever made, and reassures us of Batman's position as one of the greatest fictional characters ever conceived, and the thing is, we already knew that. But never like this.
probably my favourite Christmas film. It is one of the best of those Christmas-set, Christmas-themed flicks which transcend the month of December and, as such, does not have the baggage of the Holidays schmaltzing it up.
I tell you the experience of watching this movie at those precise hours on christmas eve, is like feeling your part of the movie itself.
It was gruff and growly, without going 'too far' like Bale arguably did
I have a question that (unless I missed it) wasn't addressed in the movie or comic:
In the beginning they mention that it's been 10 years since the last sighting of Batman, but did they ever actually go into exactly what happened to make him quit in the first place?