Batman Begins and the Dark Knight

“Bats frighten me… It’s time my enemy shared my dread.”

As everyone waits for the next Batman movie to come out, I decided to rewatch the first two movies, Batman Begins and the Dark Knight and do a review on them to see what they did well and what to expect in the Dark Knight Rises.

First, with Batman Begins, we are treated to one of Nolan’s best works – an amazing setup for his Batman series. Though this may not seem to be a grand undertaking, this is a task which, as has been proven by many directors in the past, is a boring but necessary endeavor which adds to the enjoyment of the following movies. Nolan manages to keep us both entertained and informed, an act which he managed to also carry out in the second movie, and will hopefully repeat again in the third. The first movie introduces those without comic book knowledge to a plethora of new characters, both heroes and villains alike, but remains entertaining to both the most dedicated readers and new viewers of the series. The Dark Knight keeps the plot created in the first movie moving, while also introducing a number of new characters and subplots which can keep even the most critical viewer interested, no matter how many times they watch the film (trust me).

What can we expect from the Dark Knight Rises? Considering that Nolan has agreed to direct, we’ll most likely be receiving the same quality (if not better) of imagery, with the story also being the quality that has been seen throughout the series. Though many may doubt all third movies in a series (and are right to do so, based on many nightmarish experiences), Nolan also doubted third movies, reportedly asking “How many good third movies in a franchise can people name?” and has assured viewers that he would either make sure the Dark Knight Rises stood up to our expectations, or would not be filmed. Another part of the movie that we can be assured the quality of is the continued participation of the main actors. Though many may stress over the fact that many actors may change from movie to movie, as happened with Rachel Dawes in the first two movies (with Katie Holmes in Batman Begins, and Maggie Gyllenhaal in the Dark Knight), all the main actors have reprised their roles, allowing dedicated fans to rest easy and patiently wait until the 20th to watch the new movie.

With the first two movies in the series diving into such great depth, I found it important to rewatch both films and I believe others should as well, as this enjoyable act will immensely increase the amount of comprehension that one will feel when the final movie is released. This also exposed me to new details I hadn’t seen on previous viewings of the movie, and did something I didn’t think was possible – made me more excited for the final movie. Now, excuse me while I go re-read the comic books!