Why am I doing this today? Because HE’S BATMAN! You have seen a superhero franchise which now has the world in its grasp, you’ve seen one which made you believe in it but stooped down because they got lost in their own messed up timelines, you’ve seen ones which kept rebooting until they were total crap and then there’s one which is trying so hard to replicate the Marvel formula that they’ve misplaced themselves. But today let’s talk about the one which entered with a blast, stayed as if it owned everything and went out like a boss!
Film Series – The Dark Knight Trilogy (2006 – 2012)
Duration – 7h 37m
Director – Christopher Nolan
Main Cast – Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathway, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy and Heath Leader
Ratings:
Batman Begins – 4.5/5
The Dark Knight – 5/5
The Dark Knight Rises – 4/5
Spoilers may follow but come on, who hasn’t seen the Dark Knight Triology?!
After the superhero movie revolution, which began with Bryan Singer’s X-Men and Sam Raimi’s Spiderman, a guy named Christopher Nolan shook the world with his ultra realistic and highly thrilling adaptation of DC Comics’ iconic character Batman. I mean, who ever thought that a comic book movie series can be as dark, realistic and intense as the DKT was before its release. Dark Knight Trilogy made a statement that superheroes are not just for kids!
 |
| Nolan Begins! (Image: © WB/DC) |
Every director had the same reference material for the character of Batman but with his out of the box thinking, Nolan directed a unique origin story in the form of Batman Begins. It had an engaging and thrilling story-line, an exceptional cast ensemble, well choreographed action, an amazing antagonist and of course a perfect Batman! Just when people thought it would be hard to recreate anything like it, came out The Dark Knight, which undeniably holds the mantle of the best comic book movie ever made (Says a hardcore Marvel fan; fight me all you want)! The Dark Knight Rises also served as a great dessert but unfortunately, couldn’t come that close to magic of the starter and the main course.
 |
| (Image: © WB/DC) |
The overall tone of the Dark Knight Trilogy was established right from the first 10 minutes into Batman Begins and it never once dwindled. Christopher Nolan, being one of the most reputed and revolutionary directors of all time, isn’t just defined by his direction and concepts. But he is also defined by the choices he makes, in the regards to the people he surrounds himself with. One of them is Wally Pfister, aka Nolan’s cinematographer, who was responsible for setting the overall tone and mood of the series. Pfister has worked with Nolan in 7 out of his 10 projects, including Inception (2010), for which he went on to win an Oscar. With the use of appropriate lighting and creative thinking, The Dark Knight Trilogy has some exceptional shots, some of which are even taught in film schools.
 |
| What a shot Wally!!! (Image: © WB/DC) |
Another person who hardly ever leaves Nolan’s side is Academy Award winning composer, Hans Zimmer. His awe-inspiring score pushed trilogy even further up the tables and Zimmer went on to win a Grammy award for best score in visual media (for The Dark Knight), as well. Gordon’s final monologue scene of The Dark Knight and the Prison Escape scene in Dark Knight Rises is where you feel the magnificence of Zimmer’s score. “He is a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a Dark Knight” (And I can practically hear the score playing in my mind)!
 |
| When legends sit together (Zimmer on the right) |
Enough of the technicalities. Now let me praise someone and you know who! After all, anything related to Batman is incomplete without a mention of Joker. In a cast studded with stars like Christian Bale, Michael Kaine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson, the one who shone the brightest was Heath Ledger, with his marvelous portrayal of The Joker. His expressions, his body language, his voice, his make up, his costume and his life-like insanity, gave us a Joker we can never forget! Since we are at it, I’d like to say two things – Anybody who denies that Ledger’s performance was excellent, clearly needs some help; also, anybody who says that “Ledger died for his role“, clearly needs to stop going bullocks over his fandom! I have seen both kinds of people, so ummm.., folks, GET REAL!
 |
| Why so Perfect? (Image: © WB/DC) |
Talking about performances, the main cast did an amazing job, giving us the best on-screen portrays of Alfred (Michale Caine), Fox (Morgan Freeman), Gordon (Gary Oldman), Ras a Ghul (Liam Neeson), Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Catwoman (Anny Hathaway) and debateably, the best Batman (Christian Bale). Apart from the main cast, two actors which made a solid impact on the viewers were Cillian Murphy (Dr. Crane) and Tom Hardy (Bane). The careers of these two wonderful actors skyrocketed after DKT and they have now become household names. Today, most of the comic book movies rely heavily on their superheroes and super-villains but DKT also relied heavily on its supporting characters. This, in my opinion, is one of the major reasons of its unmatchable success. It made us root for and care for each and every one of its characters, be it good or bad.
 |
| And that’s just the supporting cast! (Image: © WB/DC) |
Among the three films, The Dark Knight had the most intriguing and clever story-line, full of unexpected twists and turns. Right from the “bank robbery” opening sequence to Rachel’s death to the “I am not a hero” ending sequence, The Dark Knight keeps the viewers on the edge of their seats with its ultra-realistic storytelling. Dark Knight Rises was the weakest among the three in terms of story-line but it had its moments, including the “Crashing this plane” opening sequence, the Prison Escape scene, “Light it up” scene and the ending sequence. On the other hand, Batman Begins had an excellent story-line but lacked as many iconic sequences as the sequels, with the most memorable moments being the training montage and the “I am Batman” scene.
 |
| The Iconic Moments (Image: © WB/DC) |
One technical thing I forgot to mention above was the use of practical visual effects in the trilogy. Having a massive budget, Nolan preferred using practical effects instead of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), which most book movies use heavily these days. So yeah, if you saw a chopper or a plane crashing on screen, it actually did. Obviously, there was some use of CGI but it was very minimalistic hence, making DKT all the more realistic and believable.
 |
| Practical Effects! I pity the competition! (Image: © WB/DC) |
Also, did I mention the Prison Escape scene? Oh yeah I did twice actually; sorry I am obsessed with that scene. So to sum up, The Dark Knight Trilogy is one such masterpiece of quality and experience, which has amazed the audience all across the world and will keep on doing so for generations! My only regret is that I couldn’t experience any of these awe-inspiring films in the theatres.
Thanks for reading, keep watching and keep suggesting!
Now I don't know which is better, this post or the triology.
Oh god! Thanks for such a sweet comment. Glad you liked it.