The Dark Knight Trilogy
When Batman Begins hit theaters back in 2005, I was anything but a Batman scholar. Outside of my thirteen-year-old infatuation of Burton's 1989 Batman, I really didn't know much more than the basics. Since then, my knowledge of "The Caped Crusader" has expanded by leaps and bounds, absorbing the tales told by Frank Miller and Jeph Loeb to name a few.
So when 2012 brought us Christopher Nolan's final installment of his Dark Knight Trilogy, I felt it necessary -- especially in respect to the material he has adapted into the most realistic interpretation of "The World's Greatest Detective" -- to review all three films below.
Batman Begins
"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."
Everyone knows the story of Billionaire Bruce Wayne and the tragic death of his parents. And everyone knows about the masked avenger who stalks criminals from the shadows of Gotham City. However, outside of the comic world, no one had really told the story of how Bruce Wayne became Batman. By placing Batman's origin story into the hands of the a great storyteller, Christopher Nolan has replaced the campy 1960's Adam West television show and Tim Burton's surreal Gothic-induced Batman, and has created an earnest film firmly grounded in a gritty real world setting.
There's not much to dislike about Batman Begins. Nolan's skill behind the camera slowly unfolds a wonderful story of redemption of how a boy, who is paralyzed by fear and violence, learns how to harness that fear and channel it into doing something good for the city of Gotham. You feel the pain and loss of Bruce Wayne when his parent’s are gunned down in the streets. You understand why he disappears for a great length of time. You see Bruce Wayne’s character truly defined when he chooses not to become an “executioner” knowing that there are some, if not many, still worth saving. The believability of Batman and his “wonderful toys” seems to make that much more sense once you know how he went about acquiring them.
Christian Bale perfectly embodies Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy and Batman, slightly psychotic vigilante madman out to clean up the streets. Gary Oldman brilliantly portrays Lieutenant James Gordon and is incredibly reminiscent of Gordon in Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One. These two play well together. They’re unlikely allies in a city full of corruption from down in the streets all the way up to city hall. The film is dark, menacing and disturbing… and every bit of it is enjoyable. Batman Begins successfully reboots the once mistreated franchise by giving the story and characters the respect they deserve. “Gotham isn't beyond saving,” Bruce Wayne said. Nolan took the franchise by the horns and made a similar statement: “Batman isn’t beyond saving.” I would have to agree with him.
The Dark Knight
"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
The Dark Knight opens firing on all cylinders with a highly organized bank heist, reminiscent of Michael Mann's 1995 film, Heat. The Joker -- who was briefly mentioned by Gordon at the end of Batman Begins -- rises to the surface from Gotham City's seedy underbelly in an attempt to put out a contract on Batman's head and for the mob to return to business as usual. The end result is anything but expected, where the Joker's showmanship is brought into full effect, and where the "unstoppable force meets an immovable object."
There's even less to dislike with Nolan's Batman sequel (my only quibble was how much raspier Batman's voice was in this film). Considered to be "The Godfather of Superhero Movies" by both film and comic book fans alike, The Dark Knight has become the defining standard -- a comic book masterpiece, if you will -- in which all other superhero movies are now measured. Heath Ledger's twisted take on "The Clown Prince of Crime" -- while not as theatrical as Jack Nicholson or maniacal as Mark Hamill -- ingeniously depicts a true agent of chaos and in my opinion firmly places his performance on top of the Joker mantle, becoming the "Hannibal Lecter of Comic Book Movie Villains."
While Burton's Batman films got sillier with each following sequel (whether as director or just producer), Christopher Nolan drives a more realistic Batman down a much darker and narrower path. The Dark Knight is primarily a superhero movie, but it's so much more. It's also extremely intense and suspenseful crime thriller, bursting at the seams with visually and mentally disturbing sequences; one specifically involving a cell phone, a bomb, and a human body. And it's also a clever character study about consequences as a result of the choices people make.
While I originally had doubts when learning of the casting of Heath Ledger, the end product greatly exceeded my expectations on every level. It had a far superior story-line without rehashing Batman's origin story, it didn't overload the film with over-the-top villains, and it reinvigorated one of the greatest villains, demonstrating that the Joker was -- on every level -- an equal adversary to Batman. The character summed up their relationship best during his capture: "You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever." This film has become the Empire installment of the trilogy. It will forever be known as the crowning jewel in the DC Universe.
The Dark Knight Rises
"A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy's shoulder to let him know that the world hadn't ended."
Among the opinion of most moviegoers, the third film is where the wheels fall off. The filmmakers become too self-confident, fall into the trap and eventually the expectation is too much to overcome. The success rate is even smaller when it comes to superhero movies. Ratner grabbed the reigns of X-Men: Last Stand and veered a great franchise right off the cliff. Raimi's Spider-Man 3 horribly derailed in 2007. So you could only imagine the serious pressure Nolan might have been feeling for the past couple of years.
The Dark Knight Rises story opens eight years later. The streets of Gotham City -- once held tight within the clutches of violence and crime -- are now clean. And while the city thrives, Batman has all but vanished, assuming blame for Harvey Dent's murders so his legacy stays untarnished. Bruce Wayne has become a recluse, consumed by the death of his only true love, Rachel Dawes. All the while a storm is on the horizon, carrying with it Bane and his army of mercenaries, who are hell bent of destroying Gotham along with the "Caped Crusader" himself.
Outside of a few minor flaws, The Dark Knight Rises delivers. The glue that holds this film together -- more than the brilliance and brutality of Bane, more than Selina Kyle's thievery and criminal antics, even more so than Alfred's desperation and fear of failure to the Wayne family -- is Bruce Wayne's story of self sacrifice. He suffers for the city that he loves and it shows. And while he's conflicted over Alfred's desire to keep him safe, he can't stop the deep-seeded desire to carry on his father's wishes to take care of the city that first took care of them (even if it's in a Kevlar body suit with carbon-fiber reinforcements and a custom graphite bat-like cowl).
The Dark Knight Rises isn't as perfectly structured as its predecessor, but what it lacks in structure, it makes up for in epic scale. The aerial shots of Gotham City are breathtaking, giving size and scope to a fictional metropolitan city we've never seen before. And while it may at times seem like it's try to bite off more than it chew, the film is heavily peppered with fantastic individual scenes. Some of the best include the breaking of Batman, Alfred sharing his dreams of Bruce living a life outside of Gotham (very reminiscent of Chuckie in Good Will Hunting), the trapping of Gotham City within itself, and Miranda Tate's reveal, just to name a few. Rises is a fitting conclusion to what initially seemed impossible: rebooting a mistreated movie franchise about a character hidden in the shadows; a man who continually walked the tight rope between hero and vigilante.
Film Geek Footnotes:
Batman Begins
"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."
Everyone knows the story of Billionaire Bruce Wayne and the tragic death of his parents. And everyone knows about the masked avenger who stalks criminals from the shadows of Gotham City. However, outside of the comic world, no one had really told the story of how Bruce Wayne became Batman. By placing Batman's origin story into the hands of the a great storyteller, Christopher Nolan has replaced the campy 1960's Adam West television show and Tim Burton's surreal Gothic-induced Batman, and has created an earnest film firmly grounded in a gritty real world setting.
Christian Bale perfectly embodies Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy and Batman, slightly psychotic vigilante madman out to clean up the streets. Gary Oldman brilliantly portrays Lieutenant James Gordon and is incredibly reminiscent of Gordon in Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One. These two play well together. They’re unlikely allies in a city full of corruption from down in the streets all the way up to city hall. The film is dark, menacing and disturbing… and every bit of it is enjoyable. Batman Begins successfully reboots the once mistreated franchise by giving the story and characters the respect they deserve. “Gotham isn't beyond saving,” Bruce Wayne said. Nolan took the franchise by the horns and made a similar statement: “Batman isn’t beyond saving.” I would have to agree with him.
The Dark Knight
"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
The Dark Knight opens firing on all cylinders with a highly organized bank heist, reminiscent of Michael Mann's 1995 film, Heat. The Joker -- who was briefly mentioned by Gordon at the end of Batman Begins -- rises to the surface from Gotham City's seedy underbelly in an attempt to put out a contract on Batman's head and for the mob to return to business as usual. The end result is anything but expected, where the Joker's showmanship is brought into full effect, and where the "unstoppable force meets an immovable object."
While Burton's Batman films got sillier with each following sequel (whether as director or just producer), Christopher Nolan drives a more realistic Batman down a much darker and narrower path. The Dark Knight is primarily a superhero movie, but it's so much more. It's also extremely intense and suspenseful crime thriller, bursting at the seams with visually and mentally disturbing sequences; one specifically involving a cell phone, a bomb, and a human body. And it's also a clever character study about consequences as a result of the choices people make.
While I originally had doubts when learning of the casting of Heath Ledger, the end product greatly exceeded my expectations on every level. It had a far superior story-line without rehashing Batman's origin story, it didn't overload the film with over-the-top villains, and it reinvigorated one of the greatest villains, demonstrating that the Joker was -- on every level -- an equal adversary to Batman. The character summed up their relationship best during his capture: "You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever." This film has become the Empire installment of the trilogy. It will forever be known as the crowning jewel in the DC Universe.
The Dark Knight Rises
"A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy's shoulder to let him know that the world hadn't ended."
Among the opinion of most moviegoers, the third film is where the wheels fall off. The filmmakers become too self-confident, fall into the trap and eventually the expectation is too much to overcome. The success rate is even smaller when it comes to superhero movies. Ratner grabbed the reigns of X-Men: Last Stand and veered a great franchise right off the cliff. Raimi's Spider-Man 3 horribly derailed in 2007. So you could only imagine the serious pressure Nolan might have been feeling for the past couple of years.
Outside of a few minor flaws, The Dark Knight Rises delivers. The glue that holds this film together -- more than the brilliance and brutality of Bane, more than Selina Kyle's thievery and criminal antics, even more so than Alfred's desperation and fear of failure to the Wayne family -- is Bruce Wayne's story of self sacrifice. He suffers for the city that he loves and it shows. And while he's conflicted over Alfred's desire to keep him safe, he can't stop the deep-seeded desire to carry on his father's wishes to take care of the city that first took care of them (even if it's in a Kevlar body suit with carbon-fiber reinforcements and a custom graphite bat-like cowl).
The Dark Knight Rises isn't as perfectly structured as its predecessor, but what it lacks in structure, it makes up for in epic scale. The aerial shots of Gotham City are breathtaking, giving size and scope to a fictional metropolitan city we've never seen before. And while it may at times seem like it's try to bite off more than it chew, the film is heavily peppered with fantastic individual scenes. Some of the best include the breaking of Batman, Alfred sharing his dreams of Bruce living a life outside of Gotham (very reminiscent of Chuckie in Good Will Hunting), the trapping of Gotham City within itself, and Miranda Tate's reveal, just to name a few. Rises is a fitting conclusion to what initially seemed impossible: rebooting a mistreated movie franchise about a character hidden in the shadows; a man who continually walked the tight rope between hero and vigilante.
Film Geek Footnotes:
- Much of Batman's gear and apparel, including his cape and suit, is based on actual military technology.
- Christian Bale lost his voice three times during the filming of Batman Begins after altering his voice while playing Batman. (I can only imagine how many more times he lost it during the production of The Dark Knight.)
- Despite endless speculation on which actor had been chosen to portray The Joker, Heath Ledger had always been Christopher Nolan's one and only choice for the role. When asked the reason for this unexpected casting, Nolan simply replied, "Because he's fearless." He later said that the two had met up to discuss it before there was even a script for the film.
- On Thanksgiving weekend, 2007, fake four-page tabloid-size Gotham Times newspapers were distributed at various public events. Headlined City at War - Batman Saves Entire Family, every article teased events in the film, and everything in the handout was geared toward the film, including the weather ("Gloomy and overcast...") and advertisements for Gotham National Bank, the Gotham Girl Guides and recruitment for the Gotham Police Department.
- According to producer Emma Thomas, the filmmakers elected to shoot The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh to emphasize Gotham's immense size and scope and because "they literally shot every inch" in Chicago, where the previous two films were shot.
- The Pit Prison where Bruce Wayne is imprisoned after his initial encounter with Bane is stated to have originally been a place where plague victims were sent to avoid contaminating the population. In ancient times, such places were known as Lazarettes, referring to the famous Biblical leper Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. This is a literalization of the Lazarus Pit, which in the original Batman comics is where Ra's Al Ghul bathes to keep his also literal immortality. Thus, when characters escape the Pit Prison in the film, they are said to have "risen."
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