Many of my followers have been waiting on my thoughts on this beloved trilogy. So, here we go!
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy that ran from 2005 to 2012 is a master class in dramatic storytelling. These films tell stories of dark, noir-ish, urban crime that are filtered through the lens of the DC Comics character, Batman, in a Post 9/11 world. While these are well-crafted crime dramas they may suffer as Batman movies, depending on one's perspective or preference, due to a hard re-imagining of character and mythos as well as an emphasis on realism. The goal of this series is to place Batman in a less heightened reality, which limits what villains can be used. As a result Gotham City is recast as Chicago with gothic elements, and plot and character motivations are explained to us through dialogue so that we can understand specific intent.
The series starts with Batman Begins, released in 2005. In my opinion, this is the best film in this series, and this is the only exception to the idea (proposed by more than a few fans) that these are not really Batman movies. As the title suggests, this movie focuses on the origin of Batman and to date is the best-adapted origin story of a major comic book character since Superman: The Movie in 1978. This is because the film draws heavily from the popular origin story, Batman: Year One, by Frank Miller, which ran in Batman #404 to #407. The reason this works as a Batman movie is because it mirrors the Year One storyline, which was a grounded and more realistic take on the origin of the character. The other storylines that are drawn from include The Demon Saga from the 1970s, which introduces Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Assassins (here called League of Shadows), as well as The Man Who Falls, both written by Denny O’Neil. Blind Justice, Batman’s 50th anniversary story from 1989, written by Batman screenwriter, Sam Hamm, is where the character of Henry Ducard originated.
The middle part of the trilogy, The Dark Knight, released in 2008, continues the theme of realism in a crime drama setting. This is where the series ceases to be less about adapting Batman and begins to tell its own story featuring supporting characters of the Batman mythos. Sure, characters from the comics appear, and the portrayal of the Joker character by Heath Ledger is phenomenal, but the heightened comic book world is abandoned in favor of a Law and Order style approach. Unfortunately, Ledger’s Joker portrayal is so defining that it steals the show and places the Harvey Dent/Two-Face character, as well as Bruce Wayne’s love triangle with the Rachael Dawes character, far in the background. Particularly brilliant is the fact that the Joker character comes straight out of Batman #1 from 1940. This is the only way that the filmmakers could produce a realistic Joker, though they seem to mistake Joker’s randomness and criminality with anarchy. The Joker should not ever be politically motivated and has nothing to do with left wing ideologies such as anarchism, both in this film or in the comics. It's also interesting to see the introduction of the batcycle, known here as the “Bat-pod”, in this movie. I also appreciated that The Long Halloween was referenced narratively in places as well.
The third film, The Dark Knight Rises, from 2012 is the furthest departure of comic book Batman yet. We are introduced to the cat burglar/master thief version of Catwoman and loose adaptations of both the Bane character and Talia Al Ghul. Bane’s motivations are similar to Ra’s in the first film but he seems more bent on a genuine redemption for the oppressed than Ra’s ever was. In this film Bane is a terrorist, in line with Talia and her father and, while his motivations deserve sympathy, his actions are appropriately condemnable. The new version of the Batwing, known here as “The Bat”, is a nondescript aircraft, resembling neither plane nor bat. This film brings the story from the first film full circle and wraps up a rather uneven trilogy.
All in all these films are very well made, thought provoking and entertaining as crime stories. The casting of Bale was great for Bruce Wayne, though his Batman leaves something to be desired. His voice should have been closer to Michael Keaton’s gruff whisper than the throat-cancer version that was delivered. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox was inspired casting, even if the character was slightly different from the source material. Gary Oldman delivers what is perhaps the definitive portrayal of James Gordon. Ledger’s Joker was great and is rightly deserving of all the praise he gets. The score, highlighted by an anthemic march by Hans Zimmer, fits this trilogy well though it will never compare to the operatic Batman theme by Danny Elfman.
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