It has been around 10 years since The Dark Knight Rises released, concluding Batman's
epic journey in the now iconic Dark Knight trilogy.
We've seen superhero movies expand into the cinematic universes that form that of the
MCU and DCEU, and countless others have found their way onto the big screen.
And while some of them present us with thrilling storylines,
evolving characters with heroes taking part in their own solo films or crossovers, it's
hard to think of a long list which have mached what Christopher Nolan did with his depiction
of Batman.
He told the story of Bruce Wayne and his more realistic Gotham in three unique films, one
being a neo-noir origin story, the other being a heightened crime drama and the third
being an emotional war film.
They all encapsulate what a superhero movie should have and what many have achieved, but
go beyond that to bring us filmmaking that transcends it past just
being a comic book film.
They all felt like oscar worthy entries and ultimately did pick up multiple oscars, and
to this day, we constantly ask the question, is a new superhero movie
as good as The Dark Knight.
That tells you all you need to know about the legacy that Nolan's movies have stapled
and it get's me wondering whether this new Batman film and trilogy
from Matt Reeves can reach or surpass that mark.
Obviously we need time to see if that is the case, even the film is incredibly good, but
regardless, I thought it would be interesting to look back at this incredible trilogy to
add to the conversation of what makes a successful set of Batman films.
This video essay continues my Road to The Batman series, where I of
course create content on the previous adaptations, Matt Reeves's filmography and topical videos
surrounding his upcoming 2022 film.
During the build-up, I will also be covering any
news and information surrounding the director's latest project.
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But without further a do, lets dive into my video essay on The Dark Knight Trilogy, and
why I think Christopher Nolan made the perfect trilogy.
So when Batman Begins released in 2005, the superhero film landscape was never the same.
Not only did it relaunch and revamp a character with a more grounded and realistic portrayal,
it proved that superhero films could bring a much deeper conversation than say than just
being purely comical and action driven.
Now there are great comical films that base their
structure being just that and I'm just not trying to be pretentious or overlooking of
that kind of film.
And even The Dark Knight Trilogy has it's fair share of action and brief comedy
from Alfred and it's central villains.
But there are a lot more emotional complexities to these characters that created a more engaging
viewing experience that just wasn't present in
past Batman and superhero films as a whole.
Nolan create a set of films that had everything.
They had all the thrilling elements you want from a superhero film but then it also
challenged you adn made you think deeper about the symbol that superhero can leave and what
it means to truly be one.
Audiences were left caring more about the man under the cape and
cowl and the relationships he had with the those closest to him.
After the unique and classic classic otigin story of Begins, 2008's Oscar-winning The
Dark Knight would continue that momentum, ultimately changing things forever.
In a post-9/11 crime drama, Nolan gave us an unforgettable sequel in The Dark Knight,
largely due to Heath Ledger's oscar winning portrayal as the Joker.
And then to conclude things in the perfect way, 2012's The Dark Knight Rises wrapped
the series up on an emotional high note.
With over 20 entries in the MCU, multiple in the recent DCEU and other brands
filling the void, in my opinion, a majority of these films still don't compare to The
Dark Knight Trilogy due to these primary reasons.
To begin, as hinted at before, Christopher Nolan made 3 specific genre films.
While at times it's exciting to watch different superheroes interact through shared universes,
it can also effect the storytelling.
The universes weve seen play out over the last 10+ years continue to expand and introduce
sequels that tie in new heroes, but it can feel like these
films are acting more as filler for upcoming projects that the studios push as the new
exciting thing to look forward to.
It's product focussed and almost aims at capturing more of the
essence of television rather than true filmmaking.
It can strip any feeling of the suspense away making us more aware of the films that are
being setup, focussing on what's to come rather than telling a complete story and making
an individual film the best version of that story that can be brought to screen.
Again, I don't mind when this is done right and at
times the MCU and DCEU for instance, can make the individual unique qualities of that film
shine through or put a bigger emphasis on the characters over ones to come.
But it can also get lost with it's own universe and that continuous
storytelling can take over.
This type of filmmaking can be great, but for me personally, I find the trilogy or individual
storytelling approach much more compelling, because you get a full unique packagae that
can last and be talked about on it's own merits for many years to come.
What The Dark Knight trilogy did so well is telling this story
in a contained universe about one man or hero's journey, and it feels much more impactful
and emotional when you are taken on one with this
character through many different points in his life rather than jumping from one hero
to another and focussing more on where all that is going.
The product is still there but it's utilised much better, and through this, Bruce
Wayne feels fleshed out, having a clear beginning, middle, and end.
It makes it that much more satisfying and the types of films and
intricate filmmaking on display only elevated this to greater heights.
And then the next aspect that makes these films go that much further than a lot of the
rest is how they brought a different sense of threat with each individual villain.
There's the saying that a film is only as good as its
main antagonist and that is especially true when looking at Nolan's trilogy and the MCU
films.
A problem witha lot of superhero films today is
not in the heroes they portray or challenge, but in the villains they tackle.
Most of them tend to be weak with no belieable motivation, disposable characters that only
service the plot and to create any threat that the filmmaker
thinks they will serve in a particular moment.
They are normally there for the hero to defeat them.
Still, in your more traditional superhero fair like Avengers: Infinity war
for instance, you of course can still get the villain that does have a greater motivation
and one that is made more believable.
It's just in a mjority of them it tends to be the opposite.
This trend has become way too repetitive and it almost nails the thing I said before about
these films simply serving to setup whats coming and the product they want to sell.
In The Dark Knight trilogy, the villains are explored in much greater depth, sometimes
more than even Batman's character.
But this really helps elevate his character because it shows
us the extreme level of threat that the caped crusader has to overcome and how they can
change his ideology in continuously different ways.
Whether it’s Liam Neeson's morally challenging Ra's Al Ghul, Heath Ledger's psychologically
challenging Joker, or Tom hardy's physically challenging Bane, each villain is driven by
some sort of philosophy.
For instance, In The Dark Knight, the Joker is Batman's ultimate antagonist, putting him
in situations that test his morality, psychology and force him to
make huge decisions.
The Joker's manipulation and changing reasons makes the film as unpredictable as it was
on first watch and as interesting as it has become on many watches since.
It tackled the larger themes of terorism and how certain circumstances can make someone
give up everything they stand for.
Essentially, each of the villains in The Dark Knight trilogy
have managed to test Batman in a new way without just introducing one who has the complete
opposite personality with similar powers.
The trend is getting quite overused and since The
Dark Knight it's a shock that they still use it so much.
But I guess they do it because they want to sell merchandise.
And Then we come to the reason that I think make The Dark Knight Trilogy a step above
a lot of them, and that comes through the high quality of filmmaking that nolan infushed
into the comic book genre.
Starting with the tone, Christopher Nolan managed to portray Batman in a dark and realistic
setting, which would not work with many heroes.
The one thing that distinguishes him from the others is his lack
of superpowers.
We picture him as a figure living in real life and by filming every film through as
real of a lens as you can, you are only helping the audience to really project
themselves only who they are watching.
Couple this with Blader Runner inspired noirish tone, and you are only going to elevate the
world of Gotham that these stories take place in.
The cinematography is grand when it comes to capturing this but you still feel the grit
on every street corner, through the dingy colour
palette, blue and muddy in tone, that fully execute the vision that Christopher Nolan
brought with this film.
Then there's the idea of a hero's arc and how the scripts of each film
perfectly laid out what kind of journey Batman would be taking.
This is something that many superhero movies have managed to capture right and Nolan's
Batman was a huge marker for that kind of telling.
The hero’s arc is the most important part of the movie, with this genre in it's very
nature striving to teach the audience something through the eyes of the hero,
which would not work if the hero had no flaws.
In Batman Begins we discover a lot of those flaws and even as the trilogy progressed we
get even deeper into them.
The Dark Knight Rises for instance, which I think get's a lot of
undeserved hate, is a film that ends Bruce's run challenging his right to be a symbol that
the people of Gotham live up to.
At the same time he barely even manages to become Batman once
more after the city and Harvey Dent's fall in the Dark Knight.
Him and even Gordon feel that extreme guilt that Bruce himself faced many
years ago, post his parents death.
He feels lifeless and unable to fit back into that hero structure making The Dark Knight
rises the very film which emotionally critiques the idea of
a superhero being a symbol and someone we can put our faith in.
Nolan's captures this to the fullest, making the film almost a physically draining war
film that involves Bruce spending a lot of time picking himself back up in the
pit Bane him in, but more importantly, it's a metaphor for The Dark Knight himself to
rise once again from the fear of failing.
I'd really recommend going back and giving it another
go and while I still think there's weaknesses with it, like some of the dialogue for instance,
I still think a top tier comic book film, that
once again goes beyond just being a traditional movie in that genre.
I cannot end this video by also referencing the epic music by Hans Zimmer and James Newton
Howard, who managed to create such a distinct theme that echoes who
Batman truly is.
The original theme that grows throughout begins, the chaotic strings of the Joker haunting
the Dark Knight and Bruce rising from the pit to the most epic version
of his stablished score, are just a few of countless examples, where the music becomes
its own character and a use of creating the tone of
the story.
And then there's finally the deeper messages that Christopher Nolan filled his trilogy
with, ones about society and our own moralities.
It's more than just another action flick, and while the action can at times be
great and bad in moments, the drama that is expertly crafted helps intensify the conflict
that's going on and keeps us focussed rather than
becoming distracted.
The Dark Knight trilogy has kept us talking about it for over a decade and I'm sure it
will continue to do that long into the future.
Overall, Christopher Nolan's grounded and realistic interpretation of this world allows
us to have a deeper connection with what happens and instead of over-using CGI and predictable
comic book traits, the filmmaker, his crew and cast really tried to make most of the
trilogy feel as if it could really happen in today's world.
This unique style of storytelling and filmmaking makes it much more personal and
relatable, developing 3-dimensional characters that build off of their relationships with
one another.
That's why The Dark Knight Trilogy has become as ever-lasting as it has.
But that was my video discussing Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy and why I
believe he built a perfect structured telling of Bruce Wayne's story.
There's of course is still plenty of room to take the character in new
directions with different styles of films and Matt Reeves seems to be bringing his version
of the caped crusader to the big screen in hopefully flying colours.
Like I said, I personally love how Nolan was able to give us three unique genre films,
while keeping the realistic tone he established in Batman Begins and
The Dark Knight.
Each film progressed on the previous one and while I personally prefer The Dark Knight
more than the other two, I can't deny that each of them gave us something
important for the story.
Batman Begins gave us the perfect take on Batman's origin, The Dark Knight took that
character and propelled him into the heightened chaos of Joker's Gotham
and The Dark Knight Rises gave us all the emotion, war and physical struggles that formed
Bruce Wayne's conclusion.
Of course, it's all subjective and I know there's a few people who
consider certain films more than others, but I think I speak for the majority when most
of us consider this trilogy iconic for the character of Batman and his world, being films
that were made not just for comic book fans, but
also pure film lovers too.
Nolan got that, making films that last in the comic book genre.
And today all we hear from critics and comic book fans, is whether a modern comic book
film has reached the mark that the Dark Knight evolved.
And clearly, we keep bringing that conversation up, just showing the immense impact
that it clearly had.
But the whole trilogy in my opinion doesn't do just the same thing, and every film adds
to the story Nolan told and the types of films he wanted to make with that
character.
There's only been a few comic book films that have close in my opinion and even Begins and
Rises are right towards the top of my list.
But let me know down below in the comments section what you think towards The
Dark Knight trilogy, and do you think Matt Reeves potential new trilogy of films can
achieve the same sort of legacy that those films did.
I think it can as anything's possible, but of course we'd need to give it the time to
settle in, as with films like The Dark Knight, these are ones that benefit from the longevity
of the reaction to them.
Maybe The Batman can have a legacy over the next decade, but time will soon tell if Reeves
has created another classic for the caped crusader on the big screen.
My next video in this Road to The Batman series continues with a video essay on Zack Snyder's
take on Batman in Batman V Superman and the Snyder Cut of Justice League.
I will be following this with essays on Matt Reeves
filmography as a buildup to his film this March.
This will all be released over the next few weeks along with much more content on the
2022 movie very soon.
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But anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it, I've been Cortex and as always make some noise.