That's right ladies and gentleman, we are less than a week away from the conclusion of one of the most epic trilogies of our time. In honor of that I thought we could take the time to look back at the past two films and see what it was that made Christopher Nolan's Batman so great. Then next week you can check back here and see if it ended as well as it started or if... OK, sorry for the laugh, we all know there is no other option here. ;)
Batman Begins
When this movie first came out, I was but a wee lad of nineteen. I had grown up in a world where superheroes were cheesy, and no one really expected them to be believable or realistic. All of a sudden, I was watching a movie that convinced me that a rich guy on a vacation to China could miraculously turn into a superhero. Mister Nolan, "You've changed things, forever. There's no going back." You mark my words, in the future this movie will be brought up as one of the most influential movies of the twenty-first century. Add with this an incredible cast, an epic story line, and an incredible soundtrack and you've got entertainment galore.
I think what I liked most about this movie was Nolan's twist on the view of the hero. Bruce Wayne wasn't a perfect individual. At first Bruce's hate and fear almost leads him to become the evil that he fears and hates. Instead, all the tragedy he experienced set him on a course to fight against those things and help others. He really learns the lesson that people fall so that they can learn to pick themselves back up. Side note: take a second and think about that in relation to the fact that he ends up dressing like a bat--the thing he fears most. Now that your mind is blown, we move on.
You know how in comic movies most people complain when there is more than one villain. Well, have people stopped to realized that Batman Begins technically had three and everyone loved it? Not only did you have Liam Neeson's character--who was perfect for a start up villain--but you also have the mob boss Carmine Falcone and Scarecrow! And can I just say well done, Mister Nolan, for your choice of Scarecrow and make him... well, freaky! It literally felt like Batman was up against the entire city of Gotham. But the coolest part was that the person that creeped you out the most was Batman himself. Pretend you weren't a little startled the first time you saw the giant bat literally snatching people up at the docks, but I know you were. It's a strong lesson that those who do bad things have more to fear than those that do good.
The only thing that could possibly have made this movie any better would be if Nolan had cast Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as the guy that invents all of Batman's toys... wait, what? Chu gotta be kidding me! Now, granted it's a little rough to hear Christian Bale gargling marbles and the if I heard "if that train reaches the central hub, its gonna blow!" one more time I would have reached through the screen and punched the old man that said it, but those are easily forgotten. I mean, come on, he jumps down a whirlwind of bats and drives on buildings!! If you haven't heard, this movie is incredible. "Didn't you get the memo"?
The Dark Knight
Ladies and gentleman, this may be the perfect superhero movie. I'm not even gonna to address those people who only believe the movie was big because of Heath Ledger's death. The movie stands for itself and it's exceptional. True, the movie does owe a lot to Heath Ledger; however, his performance was so exquisite it was creepy. But let us not forget that it was the Nolan brother who gave him the words to say. Expect a post on this later, but I thoroughly believe that they created the best villain of all time with their interpretation of the Joker. I mean, come on, people, you were quoting his lines for years (you probably still are) even though he was a complete psychopath! For me, the reason that he is so scary is Alfred's explanation. The Joker really didn't really want anything but to watch the world burn.
Sadly, the evil character was written so well that we miss the amazing moral journey that Bruce Wayne goes through. I just got back from a weekend at a Church camp for youth and the biggest thing that struck me is that doing the right thing hasn't been "cool" for years. In this film we are taught that being the hero means... not always being the hero. Sometimes doing the right thing isn't popular and people will hate you for doing it. That is where Batman's true strength is shown; he wasn't being the hero, "he was being something more." Now that is an example that we can all look too!
I was actually sad that Katie Holmes didn't return because I liked her more as Rachel, and, yes, it does shock me to say that. However, I don't agree with some peoples criticism of Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent which I thought was perfectly adequate minus the whole face impossibility thing... why wasn't he the one talking as if he was gurgling marbles... that would make more sense. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, of course, are perfect in this film, and I think more so in this movie that Gary Oldman is just as perfect. To make it even better the action and tension were ramped up times ten for this film making it a sublime piece of entertainment. Mostly I just like that the Nolan's accentuate the good in people at the end rather then the negative, as is popular today.
In fact, I'll go so far as to say this isn't just a perfect superhero movie, it is a near perfect movie period. How can the Nolan's out do themselves with the next film? It's quite clear the action and tension will be even higher this time, but can the movie survive without an awe-inspiring villain like the Joker? I would like to say yes because I think that will gives us back the hero we deserve. Rather than focus on the bad guy we can focus on the good and all that he is willing to sacrifice for others. Let's also not forget that this is a trilogy. None of the movies are designed to stand on their own. The Dark Knight Rises will be great because of the last two movies success not despite it. I expect great things and I think it's safe to say you can too. Now... who wants to see a magic trick? ;)
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