By Chad Alexander, contributing writer.
After “Batman Forever” and “Batman & Robin” failed to impress moviegoers in 1995 and 1997, Warner Brothers let go of their dreams for the sequel “Batman Triumphant” and decided to let the series stay dormant for a while. Thankfully, director Christopher Nolan decided to take the helm of the franchise in 2005 with “Batman Begins.” This film started what is known as “The Dark Knight Trilogy.” “Batman Begins” is followed by “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises.”
I recommend watching the trilogy in one sitting. Much like “The Lord of the Rings” or “Star Wars,” the viewing of the films as a trilogy gives an overall character progression of Batman, Alfred, Commissioner Gordon and others. It makes the films seem like one big story, which is great for a rainy day viewing.
Acting
Liam Neeson, Heath Ledger and Tom Hardy all shine as the villains of each film.
The films also give more time to Bruce Wayne as a philanthropist, leader and overall human being. Christian Bale brings the best Bruce Wayne to the films, because he lets the audience in on his transformative struggles. He isn’t simply a billionaire playboy who dresses as a bat. He goes through pain, loss and fear. This acting makes the character more believable than the simple façade he only displays to the public. A curtain in the trilogy has been lifted, and the audience is allowed to see behind the scenes as to what drives Batman.
The films also do a good job of helping the audience care about the villains. Villains do not just want to conquer the world or become a better class of criminal; they have reasons as to why they are villains.
Catwoman, played by Anne Hathaway, is a sympathetic character since she struggles with doing what is right. Bane only wants to fulfill his master’s wishes. Joker is a sociopath who obviously has serious family issues and responds to being crazy with the straight-faced, “No, I’m…not. I’m not.”
Sound Track
Hans Zimmer’s score creates a character arc for Batman from loss to triumph. Several tracks from “Batman Begins” are recycled in “The Dark Knight Rises” to great effect. The music helps give the storytelling a bookend at either side, which is not often evident in trilogies.
Themes for the villains are also some of my favorite themes in film, as they convey the characters beyond the great acting.
Despite the epic score, some of the sound quality in the film should have been adjusted — I’m thinking about Batman’s raspy voice and Bane’s Sean Connery impersonation. However, these are minor gripes, and the script gives more of the bite to these lines than the delivery.
Cinematography
There’s dimension to each shot in the films, ranging from an arc shot of Batman on a rooftop to a dolly in close up of the Joker. The tension created contributes to feelings of apprehension.
Considering the underlying theme of the films — fear — it’s evident that many shots exude suspense. Cinematographer Wally Pfister juggles the multi-camera shots of Bane taking over a plane to a genuine, teachable father-son discussion between Thomas and Bruce. It’s not that the films are scary or too intense, but they are “Hitchcock” in the sense that the storytelling is taut with “edge of your seat” fun. They balance spectacle with character.
Sets/Locations
Although each film gives a tonal shift in sets and locations, each new set makes each film seem bigger than the last.
“Batman Begins” portrays Gotham as a dirty city with dark brown hues, especially when camera shots are in the Narrows. “The Dark Knight” expands the city a little more with car chases, a bank robbery and the Joker’s home-made videos.
Finally, “The Dark Knight Rises” conveys the city as a whole — an island that creates the gap between the wealthy and the poor. In the myriad aerial shots, the city seems so small and insignificant.
The variety of sets from small to big also give teeth to the notion that Batman is being transformed from a crime fighter shrouded in mystery and fear to a masked vigilante. Batman’s presence throughout the films is viral, changing from feared creature to noble Dark Knight.
For more on Batman, see my previous reviews:
75 Years of Batman
Batman Returns Spotlights More Important Villains
HOME
