Batman Begun, Batman the Dark Knight, Batman rose and rose again. Christopher Nolan was the mind and genius powering the juggernaut of a task to make a movie about Batman. Oh! did he do that and more. Who is Christopher Nolan and why did he just set the bar for the common comic book fan like myself so high? It actually begins with his style of directing. Christopher Nolan has a style he has used in all of movies. This style is called the "film noir", which is a cinematic term used to describe stylish hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes. Christopher Nolan commonly merges the narrative and miss-en-sćene with a psychological and philosophical subtext. What does this mean? Nolan manages to tell a story that uses editing as a way to represent the characters' psychological state which merges their subjectivity with the audience. In Batman Begins, he uses this when Bruce Wayne goes into his memories of the past to remember where he came from, his old fear of the dark and bats. This method of telling his story to the audience is what Nolan is an expert at. I kind of say it is similar to telling you the present and reminding you of your past which shaped your future. Nolan's protagonists are commonly psychologically damaged….hence Batman. Nolan has a style which is a strong attribute of him which is his use of having a protagonist and antagonist having mirror images of each other. Batman and the Joker were clearly mirror images of one another and the Joker made him realize this clearly from the beginning.
Why is this important to my main topic about the new face of the superhero and how dark is the way to being good? The Batman trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan is what I considered dark and adult oriented upon comparing the previous Batman films and their directors. Tim Burton was the director of the original Batman film made in 1989 with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson at the helm. That film pales in comparison to the grandeur of Nolan's films. Jack Nicholson as talented and multi faceted he may be…I can not take him seriously as his role of the Joker. Nolan clearly made it known that his Joker was the same psychopathic killer depicted from the comics which the great Heath Ledger played to perfection. This enemy of Batman set the tone for the Dark Knight. He was dark, he was medically crazy, he was the catalyst to the success of the second film which set the standard for superhero movies to follow. Bane followed in his wake in the last film of the trilogy as a genius steroid pumped killer with an evil plan of destruction on his agenda. Nolan directed this trilogy that explored the themes of chaos, terrorism, and escalation of violence.
I no longer want to watch a superhero movie with childish plots. Batman was dark it was violent and it was amazing. Nolan's work in this trilogy just became the epitome of what super hero films shall strive for. Nolan actually did have a hand in the latest Man of Steel movie, but he gave the chair to Zack Snyder based on his adaptations of 300 and Watchmen. The Man of Steel did in fact became successful, I can only wonder just how more successful it would have been with Nolan at the helm. This is of course my opinion, if any future super hero movies are in work, I hope they take a page out of Christopher Nolan's books.
When the new Batman movie, Batman begins, I didn't like that they changed how he became Batman. So I wasn't a fan of that or the subsequent two sequels. I know that the movies more closely resembled the comic books, but for me it's hard to let go of fond childhood memories. My 20 yr old son and my husband love Nolan's Batman, and tried to get me to give the movies a chance, to no avail. It didn't that when the TDKR came out on dvd that my son watched it daily for weeks. I still managed not to see the whole thing :). However, for this class I had to watch it and compare it to the MOS which, surprisingly, I enjoyed. I liked the TDKR as well, but could not watch it daily! MOS definitely had a darker feel than other Superman movies and I do attribute that to Christopher Nolan's role as producer. I think that wanted MOS to have the same box office success that the Dark Knight trilogy had. Nolan is definitely a good director. I'm glad I gave TDKR a chance. Now to watch the TDK!
ReplyDeleteOver the years, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the Batman films. I liked the first one with Michael Keaton, but back then I was much younger and not as wise. Over time the films have gone through some serious changes and the series now has taken a melancholy tone, which I prefer. I like what Christopher Nolan has done to the series, which has migrated far, far away from the comic book image in which the previous films were shot.
ReplyDeleteDon’t get me wrong, Nicholson made an incredible Joker, but Nolan’s spin on this story line kicks things up a notch. Let’s not forget the film budgets are bigger than ever now as well. With three Batman films under his belt, this is a proven franchise for Nolan. For the time being, it appears the public loves a dark and moody, disjointed film. When you consider 9/11, a pervasive economic downturn, Iraq, Afghanistan, terror threats and the divisive nature of politics in our society, it’s no wonder these films have done well. And that’s not to say Nolan’s Batman Trilogy isn’t epic, it is. This includes his Man of Steel screenplay which also puts the hero into a darker space. I agree with the notion of not wanting to see anymore super hero films with child-like themes. But at some point the mood in society will become brighter and the narrative will be forced to brighten because the public will, more or less, demand a feel-good story. Each one of Nolan’s Batman Trilogy was created the within the last eight years, when all of the same factors I mentioned above had not changed. When this sociological change occurs I think the studios will navigate to what sells…on 4,000 screens across the country. That is what the business end of filmmaking is all about. But yes, Nolan should continue to create films like these. One more point: Dark Knight Rises struck a nerve somewhere between hope and desperation. With the police stuck in the sewer and Commissioner Gordon rallying support above ground, there was a good sense of what is left of the decency of man, the willingness to stand up and fight evil even in the darkest hour.
It is very interesting that at the end of your column you say that you are no longer interested in watching superhero movies with childish plots! When the Tim Burton batman first came out I totally enjoyed it! Jack Nicholson as the Joker played the role masterfully and yet I do agree with you that I could not now take him seriously in that role today. Not because of his lack of ability but because the "cartooned-up" version of Burton's Batman film was accompanied with too much-for lack of a better word "fun" compared to the current darker Nolan version. To me that speaks volumes about Nicholsons ability as an actor and his ability to cement an imprint on our minds when he takes on a role. It is very interesting to me that as an avid comic-book reader as a child that now that we (adults) have grown and become more jaded and shaped by the demands and realities of the real-world from a grown up perspective that we in turn are demanding of that same sort of visceral reality even from what is obvious fantasy escapism. We want our superheros to grow along with us!! I think that the current crop of super-hero movies and more importantly the studios have recognized that and are striving to strike a perfect balancing act between satisfying that need from the older moviegoers for reality and those same moviegoers children who are more responsive open to the outlandish fantasy aspects of superheroes in general. The funny thing is that in 25 years those same children will be looking at the superhero film and wanting a real taste of their reality- How much darker that reality is in the next 2 decades remains to be seen!!
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