Jul
21

The Dark Knight Rises

The epic finale to the dark knight trilogy is finally here! After months and months of nervousness, anxiety, and excitement, the end to this incredible film series has come to an end. All great things must come to an end, and so, Christopher Nolan and his wonderful crew, and the cast say goodbye to their iconic take on Gotham City’s dark knight. Think back to the ending of Batman & Robin (1998); did it ever cross your mind that we would ever come to see a series so well done and devoted to reinventing Batman’s legacy? To be quite honest, the answer was probably no back in those times. No one really knew about Christopher Nolan back then, and perhaps the mentality was that Warner Bros. would continue to release the rather comedic Batman films that had been released by Joel Schumacher. Tim Burton introduced us to the dark character that is Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego of Batman, but it was not until Nolan came around that we began to love the effective blend of drama and action he brought to these films. Despite the abundance of comic book films that have been released in the last decade by Marvel Comics, it is The Dark Knight that has been critically praised as being one of the greatest, if not the best comic book film of all-time. So what happens when you make a trilogy- ending film to continue the story of such an incredible film series already? Quite frankly, you put all the cards on the table. That is precisely what Christopher Nolan does in this film.

How high can you go in terms of excellence in film? Given the tools that you have to work with as a director, how far can you go to do the unthinkable, and raise the bar for film making even higher? The problem with trilogies in film is that by the third film, often times the quality of the production falls. From the first film in the series to the last, it is difficult to maintain the level of excellence that should be expected in a trilogy. The Dark Knight impressed on so many levels because it was a film that absolutely no one was expecting. It took what worked well in Batman Begins, and went a step further. That is what raised the interest and expectation for a third film in this series. Not only did Heath Ledger earn his post-humous Academy Award for his diabolical and disturbing performance as The Joker, but it was a film that kept us all at the edge of our seats. It was a film that was cleverly written, and critically put together to keep the interest of fans from start to finish. Far from simple in its execution, it presented a story that was direct and to the point. This is what makes any kind of film a great one. However, when you have a film that is the ending of an incredible trilogy, there is a simple approach that can be taken, however the bar had already been raised extremely high by the success of The Dark Knight. What movie fans may often overlook is how hard it is to really please everyone given the great screen time that every character in this film and series deserves. The more characters there are, the more people tend to believe that a film is overstuffed and bloated. That argument makes it easy to forget just how critical these characters really are to the development of the film’s story.

Something that has been very easy to overlook is the role of the supporting characters in these films. You can expect brilliance in the performances from the lead actors, and they do not disappoint in this film, but one thing that has been made very clear in Nolan’s films, and especially in this trilogy, is that every character has a vital role in the story. It does not matter if their role is major or small, they play a fundamental role in the film’s success. It is an aspect of a film’s greatness that can very often be overlooked. As the expectations and stakes are raised in a trilogy-ending film, the role that each of these characters play becomes that much greater. As the story concludes, it is the hope that things will be revealed in such a way that shocks and surprises at the same time. An all-encompassing approach to giving all the characters of this series key roles in this film makes it that much more memorable. It helps to secure the statement that this is the greatest comic book trilogy movie series. When you can appreciate a film in its entirety many years after its release, you know that it is truly remarkable and a great film. Whether you have read the comics, or have followed this series from the beginning, these are characters that we all have a great level of love and appreciation for. To see these characters come to life on the big screen under Christopher Nolan’s direction is truly a dream come true for many Batman fans.

A very important aspect of a Batman film is the role of the villain. What is great about the Batman film that works to Christopher Nolan’s advantage is the fact that Batman has a great number of villains. Each of them has very distinct personalities, and that allows Nolan to approach a story in a variety of ways from the villain’s perspective. What needs to be mentioned here is that from the beginning of the series until now, every villain has been a very effective part of each film’s success. Most notably, however, is the performance of Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. Perhaps you could argue that in Batman Begins, the roles of Liam Neeson and Cillian Murphy may have lacked the diabolical personas that Ledger brought to the The Joker’s character. While that could have been improved, the quality of their performances got people excited to see more of Batman in action fighting against his villains in the films to come. Great credit to Nolan’s work  as a director must be acknowledged for raising the bar in terms of great villains in film with Ledger’s performance as The Joker. The film as a whole is exceptional, and arguably the greatest comic book film that has been made. But it was Ledger’s performance that simply cemented his character’s legacy. His performance is what showed us all the kind of character Batman’s arch-rival deserved on the big screen. For years, we all had very fond memories of Jack Nicholson’s performance in Batman (1992). However, it is the interpretation of this particular character that really got under Batman’s skin and terrified the people of Gotham City. Which leads us to the role of Bane, played by Tom Hardy, in this film. If there was ever a time when you thought that Batman could meet his match, this is where Bane completely met our expectations. While he does not portray the sadistic personality of The Joker, that does not mean that he lacks the diabolical persona to threaten Bruce and Gotham City. He is a force to fear, and Hardy demonstrates that force in great style.

After watching such an incredible series of films that truly make up the best comic book trilogy, it really is hard to believe that this is the last ride for Bale and Nolan on this project. Bale took on his character with such grace and dedication that he raised the bar for being Batman as well. You can never forget the work that Michael Keaton did in the first two Batman films to introduce us to this amazing character, but the work that Bale has done in this trilogy is simply admirable. As Ra’s Al Ghul said in Batman Begins, Christian Bale further established the legacy that is Batman’s character in film in this trilogy, and you can only feel excitement for what he will do next in his career. With great class, Michael Caine has been the heart and human story of this trilogy as Alfred. He delivers such a captivating and heart-warming performance, that you should also anticipate what he will do next in his career as well. If Commissioner Gordon was hardly present in earlier Batman films, Gary Oldman really brought him to life in this trilogy, and in this film, he put the cherry on top of the cake. Through his character, Oldman’s performance inspired us all to find the will in us to always do what is right. Another actor who brought his greatness to his character is Morgan Freeman. He entertained us and surprised us, and you can only hope that he will continue to be a part of comic book films. Nolan has been a true genius in working with a core of people in his crew and cast. However, he does introduce three new actors in this film, and they deliver tremendously. It had been years since we last saw Cat Woman on the big screen, and Anne Hathaway really stole the show. Questionable, fearless, and daring, she has risen the curiosity of Cat Woman once again, and hopefully it is not the last time we say this feline heroine. After previously working with Nolan in Inception, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an actor that is growing very quickly. His performance in this film inspires and captivates, and if there will ever be more Batman adaptations in the future, the expectation should be for him to be a part of it. Marion Cotillard brought her beauty and brains to her character, and is such an amazing actress that it is really intriguing to see what she will do next. As for Tom Hardy, we all know what to expect from him from here on out. A strong and rising actor, he will entertain crowds for so many years to come. Of course, this amazing trilogy could not have happened without the vision and brilliance of Christopher Nolan. He continues to raise the bar with every film that he does, so it is with anticipation that we should wait and see what he will do next. An admirable and respected salute to him and his crew, and the cast for sharing with us such a phenomenal trilogy that will never be forgotten.

 

Jul
20

The Dark Knight

For whatever the reason, sequels to films often flop and fail. The story may not be as clever, or the pacing could use a lot of improvement. Perhaps the action, drama, and suspense may not be as great as they were in the original film. The worst case scenario is that the film just simply is not as exciting as the original. Few sequels have even been considered as films that outperform the original films. Two examples of these are The Godfather: Part II and this film, the second in Christopher Nolan’s incredible trilogy of Batman, The Dark Knight. After the success of his point of origin film, Batman Begins, fans began to be excited again for films about Gotham City’s dark knight. All it takes is for a director to take on a great and exciting project to get the attention and interest of the masses to reawaken a huge following of movie fans. The Dark Knight is the film that is arguably the best comic-book film ever made. There is a reason for the power of such a statement. After the last film in the Batman franchise, Batman & Robin, failed to meet expectations and be a respectable film, the need was there for someone to reinvent the Batman franchise. Not only was the task to reinvent the franchise, but to give movie fans a reason to believe in the caped crusader once more as one of DC Comic’s most loved and respected heroes. So the stakes were raised very high for the next series of Batman films. Batman Begins gave fans a reason to be excited again, and this film gave fans the excitement for one of film’s greatest trilogies.

What makes this film so iconic, memorable, and great is the mesmerizing performance of its cast, but more importantly, its villain. How often do you find that your amusement in a film is because of what the bad guy is doing? As much as we root for the super hero in these types of films, a great villain has the ability to steal the show and our attention in a movie. If you have seen many comic book films over the years, or just many movies in general that feature a villain character, perhaps the motives of their actions have become repetitive. Most if not all villains want to have complete control of the world. They want to have all the power in their hands to destroy the world or watch it burn. As dark and evil that their intentions may be, those intentions are not enough to make a villain strong and memorable. This is where you can truly appreciate an actor’s performance behind the character they are portraying; whether they are a hero or a villain. Of course, it is arguably more fun to perform in a movie as a villain because you can take the pleasure of being someone that you are not. What is most flattering to see is when an actor who has never performed in a role as a villain, does so very brilliantly. To say that Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker was brilliant is an understatement. He tragically lost his life as filming was still taking place (RIP). However, his performance was strong, provocative, diabolical, and disturbing. It was the type of performance that a villain of The Joker’s stature needed on the big screen. As great and memorable as Jack Nicholson’s performance was in Batman (1992), this was a fine performance of a villain who got under Batman’s skin, and terrified Gotham City.

Even in a world with so many rules, where strong efforts are made to maintain peace and order, there is still a dangerous possibility for chaos to exist. The belief in a world with no rules at all can also create chaos because after all, there is always that desire for almighty power to live one’s own life they way they want to; even if it is at the expense of the lives of innocent people. This is the type of chaos that makes it difficult for heroes to overcome their villains. Not only do they become legitimate threats to the heroes, but it is their relentless pursuit of threatening those that are close to the heroes, and the town in which the story takes place that makes them more dangerous. As repetitive or predictable that these actions from a villain may sound, it is the performance of the actor playing the villain that make the villain and film memorable. When a film makes your list of best movies, there are many phrases or scenes from the film that completely blow you away. There may be few, or several, but more often than not, these scenes will feature the villain fighting toe to toe with the hero. As Batman’s classic arch-nemesis, there are many scenes between him and The Joker that are unforgettable, and will leave you wanting more. The presence of The Joker’s character was huge in this film because he is a universally-recognized villain. So his presence helped to start the discussion for a third film in this series.

This is a film that proves how great the story needs to be to make the film great. Many comic book films are known to be loaded with action sequences and touches of humor to keep the audience interested and engaged throughout the explosions that occur. While this is what all films, and especially comic book films should be about, you still cannot have a great film without a great story. When you have legitimate curiosities and questions as a film flows from start to finish, that is an indication of the film’s greatness in terms of its story. Of course, a film could also be poorly done in terms of pace and story when you do not understand what is going on. However, the fact that you may be feeling fear for the hero or other characters, or simply do not know what to expect, it is a testament to the greatness of those responsible for the screenplay and script. Not only does the action in this film impress, but what is more impressive is the dialogue that runs throughout the film. This is tremendous credit to the vision of Christopher Nolan as a director. He was been able to reinvent such a huge franchise in a way that exemplifies his abilities and talents as a director. He was brilliant in the films he directed prior to starting his work on this series, and this film is arguably his greatest film to date.

At this point, what needs to be said is that this is a film that will always withstand the test of time. This is a film that remarkably places itself among the greatest films of this past decade and beyond. There are not many recent films that can make such a statement. There is a difference between good films and great films; it is because of that difference that it deserves to be considered among one of the greats that have ever been made. The genre of comic book films is one that in the last decade or so, has grown tremendously. So it is very telling that as far as comic book films are concerned, this is the film that stands high above them all. If you have yet to see this iconic film, then it is highly recommended to see this masterpiece before watching the final installment of the dark knight trilogy. Heath Ledger delivers an outstanding performance; one that earned him a post-humous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Christian Bale returns as Gotham City’s dark knight, and Aaron Eckheart proves his with his performance that Gotham can still trust its people. As usual, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal are all amazing in their supporting roles. Christopher Nolan directs this film that may very well be the greatest comic book film of all time.

Jul
17

Batman Begins

There are only four men who can say that they have played the role of Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego, Batman, in film: Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Christian Bale. It was Tim Burton who directed the original film, Batman, in 1989, and the sequel, Batman Returns in 1992. Michael Keaton was the first actor to be Batman, and left us with a very lasting impression of him after the first two films. You would think that studio executives would have at least wanted a trilogy to take place with Burton and Keaton on board. However, to produce a trilogy for a super hero did not seem very likely back then. This is when the transition started for the Batman franchise. In the first two films under Burton’s direction, as an audience we felt close to Bruce and Batman, and we came to love Gotham City. Burton established the dark and tragic history of young Bruce Wayne’s life, and established the dark and appropriate tone in both films that he worked on. There was as much dedication to action, as there was to the development of characters, and to really sharing Bruce’s story as a man, and as Gotham City’s caped-crusader.

Then, out of the shadows came the next two films in the Batman franchise which were directed by Joel Schumacher, Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997). Obviously, when you have a different cast, a different director, and even more obvious, different actors who play the role of Batman, the films will be different in many ways. However, these films had a completely different look than the previous two by Burton. Perhaps the most revealing change was the presence of humor in the films. This is not to say that a little humor is not fit for a Batman film. Outside of the intense action, humor is what has helped many recent comic book film adaptations to be successful. But when you think about Bruce Wayne as a character, and Batman as his alter-ego, there is nothing comedic or humorous about his story. It is a very dark, and tragic history that started being told by Burton in 1992. Furthermore, it becomes more difficult to appreciate what Schumacher was trying to achieve with the films that he directed. Of course, any hero’s story is open to many different interpretations in terms of directing.

Enter critically-acclaimed director Christopher Nolan. Arguably one of the best directors in film, he had already directed the dramatic thrillers Memento (2000) and Insomnia (2002) before his journey to direct a trilogy for Gotham’s dark knight. It had been eight years since audiences and theaters had last seen Batman on screen. Would this film be the one that would reveal the origins of Batman? To say that this film did that is an understatement. As a film that serves as a point of origin, it is one of the best of its kind, especially for the rapidly growing super hero film. Aside from Batman and Superman, throughout the ’80s and ’90s, the super hero film was practically non-existant. All of a sudden, from 2000 and on, we started to hear about super hero film adaptations coming to the big screen soon. The technology that these directors have now is technology that directors from the past probably wished they had their hands on. But more importantly for the Batman franchise, and for fans everywhere, it was time to reinvent the Bruce Wayne/Batman story as the beginning of more films to come. Perhaps the idea of having a trilogy for this series is something that the cast did not envision, but the fact that it has reached this level is very telling of the brilliance of Nolan as a director, and the legacy of Batman for the comic and film world.

How do you combine the hunger for revenge and the need for justice? This is the dilemma that has always driven the narrative behind Bruce Wayne as a man, and Batman as the hero of Gotham City. The pain of losing your parents right in front you, and having no power to do anything about it is relentlessly tragic. Both that type of pain and anger are enough to drive anyone insane, and push them to limits beyond who they are. It is that realistic approach to this character and this film that makes it such a pleasure to watch. Obviously, it is many steps away from being a true reality in society today given Batman’s abilities as a caped-crusader, and everything else that takes place within the world of Gotham City. There are so many films that take place in New York that it has become the standard for production and filming. Surprisingly, this film does not take place in New York. This is a great indication of how every aspect of a film that Christopher Nolan works on is very important for the film’s success. A film’s setting may be the most overlooked aspect of a film because the whole story takes place within it. It has an ability to add magic, darkness, and substance to any film.

After the release of Batman & Robin, the Batman franchise was basically coming to a very quick end. That is until Nolan began to work on and direct this incredible origin story of Bruce Wayne and Batman. There was the need to reinvent this franchise, and this film succeeds in a very large way. In his his first performance as the dark knight, Christian Bale delivers a strong and memorable performance. If you ever feel compassion for a character, you will feel it for him as you watch this film. Michael Caine brings the warmth and personality to Alfred’s character that was missing from previous films in the franchise. This film also marked the start of a much stronger development of Commissioner Gordon’s character, performed brilliantly by Gary Oldman. Morgan Freeman also begins his work with this film and series as a character that Bruce can trust to help him save Gotham City. As usual, Liam Neeson delivers an incredible performance as a mentor and villain, a role that he shares with Cillian Murphy. They may not be the most well known villains, but their performances demonstrate how big or small, every character and aspect of this film is important for its story telling.  This is the origin film that we have all expected of Batman, and it is a joy to watch!