Happy Batman Day! Over the last few days I’ve looked into the nine films that have been made and ranked them from my least favorite to the one that captures Batman the best. For this final entry, lets look at numbers 3 through 1 also known as the Nolan Trilogy!
NO. 3 – THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012)
The Nolan trilogy ends with a bang. Despite its flaws The Dark Knight Rises is still one of the most enjoyable Batman films made. Part of the flaws is ironically the lack of Batman. But when he does appear, he reminds you why he’s the best.
TDKR takes place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight and eight years after the Batman goes into hiding for taking the fall for D.A. Harvey Dent’s death. An act that both he and Commissioner Gordon thought was best for the greater good of Gotham City. Now, the city is under siege by a masked terrorist named Bane played by Tom Hardy. Also entering the mix is a cat burglar with a past and an agenda played by Anne Hathaway.
It’s hard to compare Hardy’s Bane to Ledger’s Joker of the previous film but Hardy gives a solid performance and is a worthy adversary to Bale’s Batman. As for as Hathaway, I believe she makes a better overall Selina Kyle/Catwoman than Michelle Pfeiffer did in Batman Returns.
To its credit, TDKR despite falling slightly short of its predecessors is a compelling and satisfying end to a story arc that began seven years earlier. It’s also a testimony to Christopher Nolan and his vision of who and what Batman represents.
**** (out of 5 stars)
NO. 2 – BATMAN BEGINS (2005)
With the exception of the animated Mask of the Phantasm, Batman Begins is a true origins film. This film is as much about Bruce Wayne as it is about Batman and maybe even more so. Gone are the days of the Bat nipples and the stain of the Schumacher years. Batman Begins is a clean slate with Chris Nolan at the helm and Christian Bale taking up the cowl and cape.
After the murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne grows into a young man hell bent on revenge. When his childhood friend Rachel Dawes encourages him to seek another means of retribution, Wayne flees to the Far East. It is there that the birth of Batman comes to life. It is here where Wayne meets Henri Ducard played by Liam Neeson and gets involved with the League of Shadows who’s leader is Ra’s al Ghul.
Within the League, Bruce learns about self-disciple and martial arts. He learns about what it takes to fight injustice. When he returns to Gotham after seven years of being away, his city is still overrun by crime bosses, crooked cops and a psychiatrist (Cillian Murphy) who uses a device to trigger someone’s greatest fears and use it against them.
Batman Begins is one of the very best comic book films ever and one of the best origin films to date.
**** (out of 5 stars)
NO. 1 – THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)
And so here we are. In my opinion, The Dark Knight is the very best Batman film. Much like this past springs Captain America: The Winter Soldier; TDK is rooted more in “reality” than what is often displayed in comics. Personally, I’m okay with that. I’m accepting of both because if done right, the results can be spectacular.
From the intense opening scene to its climatic ending that turned Batman from hero to “villain”, TDK set the bar on what comic book films could be. It even changed the way best picture nominees are selected by the Academy come Oscar time. That’s an impact that transcends the way movies are looked at. Much of this credit obviously goes to director Christopher Nolan, who in my mind is one of the very best storytellers of this generation.
This sequel pits Batman against his greatest nemesis, The Joker played brilliantly by the late Heath Ledger whom would posthumously win an Oscar for this role. As the legend of the Dark Knight continues to grow, Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and an ambitious D.A. named Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) fight an endless battle against corruption that plagues Gotham. To make matters worse, enter the Joker. His only ambition is to bring the Batman out into the open and bring chaos to his precious Gotham.
Much of this films success is given to Ledger and understandably so. However, in this post 9-11 world to have someone like the Joker bring a city to its knees far more effectively and with a greater sense of fear than Bane would do in Rises, makes TDK its antagonist one of the most chilling looks into our society in a very long time. That’s the magic of Nolan who took a serious approach to comic books that hadn’t been tried before. Christopher Nolan is a visionary director and his trilogy and his personal take on the Batman mythology is the best I’ve seen.
****1/2 (out of 5 stars)
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
