Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy (BB/TDK/TDKR)
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Prime Clone
Super Freak
TDK was the superhero movie I deserved, and the one I needed right then, after being disappointed by the Burtonverse and Schumacherverse. Those interpretations were too fantastic, while the Nolanverse felt grounded in reality. It was the "Silence of the Lambs in spandex" I'd been waiting for.
But in the past decade I've come to consider it a little *too* grounded, with no room for metahumans or even other superheroes.
Thus the Snyderverse and new DC universe have become my new go-to. They (largely) balance the fantasy and reality nicely.
But here's a nice article on how TDK changed the game: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/h...anged-movie-business-but-at-what-cost-1126942
But in the past decade I've come to consider it a little *too* grounded, with no room for metahumans or even other superheroes.
Thus the Snyderverse and new DC universe have become my new go-to. They (largely) balance the fantasy and reality nicely.
But here's a nice article on how TDK changed the game: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/h...anged-movie-business-but-at-what-cost-1126942
The Clown Prince of Crime
Super Freak
I think the whole "grounded in reality" is exaggerated. It's more grounded compared to other films prior to Batman Begins, but the Nolan trilogy is actually far from grounded in reality. It's the tone and how seriously the actors take the material that makes it feel "real" and dramatic. I remember watching Ebert's review of Batman Begins and him noticing how seriously all the actors were taking their roles, compared to other superhero films. There are other aspects that are a bit more grounded than other films, like some of the technology Batman uses, Bruce Wayne's damaged body in a short period time, the suits, Joker wearing makeup and a number of other things, but the trilogy is still very fantastical and far from grounded, imo. Dare Devil and a character like Casey Jones are way more grounded and believable than Nolan's Batman.
ShadowGuardian
Super Freak
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Grounded =/= Realistic. I think this is a mistake people make time and time again. You hit the nail on the head Clown Price.
Prime Clone
Super Freak
Doesn't really matter *how* it happens, the end result is the same.
I'd suggest TDKR was the closest they got to fantasy, BB and TDK were quite realistic. (Though The Joker's sophisticated plots that would have required much prior planning went against his "dog chasing cars" manifesto)
What's the difference?
The Clown Prince of Crime
Super Freak
What's the difference?
Man of Steel is grounded, but it still had Superman with his super powers in it. If you watch the making of, they were following Nolan's tone and approach to telling a Superman story, in a world that had never seen an alien invasion or people with powers. The idea was to show how the world would see an alien and react to a superman and how that alien would handle being an alien among humans. The movie is still science fiction, but the tone is not like, say GOTG. BVS tries to continue that same tone, but Eisenberg was in a totally different movie.
Prime Clone
Super Freak
Ah, okay. That's what I meant by balancing fantasy and reality. "Grounded" and "realistic" still mean the same thing to me.
And I actually felt like it was, and wanted it to be, part of the Nolanverse - at least in the absence of a new Batman.
The idea was to show how the world would see an alien and react to a superman and how that alien would handle being an alien among humans. The movie is still science fiction, but the tone is not like, say GOTG. BVS tries to continue that same tone, but Eisenberg was in a totally different movie.
It worked for me, to the point BvS is now my fave superhero flick. The intro "Mankind is introduced to the Superman" continued the theme. The emergence of the other metahumans may have seemed rushed, but Lex had done the legwork and I also put it down to Superman's appearance acting as a harbinger for the other gods.
BvS could maybe have been good as an individual movie but the Doomsday ending completely ruined it IMO. Doomsday should not have been in that film, he warranted a whole other movie - a Superman standalone movie or maybe even a Justice League movie considering the previous written iterations of that story depict various superheroes fighting Doomsday and being defeated with only Superman being able to get the job done and at the cost of his life, albeit temporarily. BvS completely wasted that. It disgusts me frankly and is why I can never truly embrace that film. ****ing rushjob. Cram everything into a single film to catch up with Marvel. Sorry but no, you can't do that. You insult the fans by doing that.
The Nolan films are certainly 'realistic' by comparison...and I wonder, I really wonder how it would have played had they kept that particular universe - perhaps somehow kept Bale on - and turned it into their shared Superhero-verse. Think about it, by now we are so used to disregarding ***t films in so many franchises - Alien, Terminator, Robocop, Predator, Star Wars, Star Trek, Die Hard - if we didn't like what followed the Nolan trilogy we could just ignore it, pretend it didn't happen. That original Nolan trilogy would still stand on its own, no? Am I wrong? Would it be a different situation than Terminator for example? T1, T2 great. The rest are crap but who cares because we still have T1 and T2?
The Nolan films are certainly 'realistic' by comparison...and I wonder, I really wonder how it would have played had they kept that particular universe - perhaps somehow kept Bale on - and turned it into their shared Superhero-verse. Think about it, by now we are so used to disregarding ***t films in so many franchises - Alien, Terminator, Robocop, Predator, Star Wars, Star Trek, Die Hard - if we didn't like what followed the Nolan trilogy we could just ignore it, pretend it didn't happen. That original Nolan trilogy would still stand on its own, no? Am I wrong? Would it be a different situation than Terminator for example? T1, T2 great. The rest are crap but who cares because we still have T1 and T2?
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The Clown Prince of Crime
Super Freak
It would have been cool if at the end of MOS, the post credit scene had shown Bale in Italy or wherever he was at the end of TDKR , watching the news of the battle in Metropolis, thus setting up not only the next film, but making Baleman once again don the cowl.
Prime Clone
Super Freak
Yes, it was obviously an afterthought, what with BvS suddenly being delayed a year and then the Doomsday sequence feeling tacked on. From that point of view WB deserved a failure, but I think Snyder made the best of a bad situation. Plus getting a live-action TDKR and Death of Superman in one film makes me more forgiving.
But that's just the thing, they shouldn't have been in one film - they're two separate major stories. This is what people mean when they call the DCEU 'rushed' - they aren't talking about the length of time it took the films to come out - they're talking about how they cram different characters together prematurely and cram different big storylines together instead of dealing with characters individually first and giving separate stories their due respect with full screentime.
Making the Death of Superman a 15 minute afterthought in a Dark Knight Returns story? - that's ridiculous and incredibly wasteful for both characters. We barely knew this Superman - for many people he wasn't even Superman yet. And it was the first time we ever met this particular Batman and he is already over the hill? How are we supposed to feel anything here? If they'd continued with Bale's Batman then maybe.....
Making the Death of Superman a 15 minute afterthought in a Dark Knight Returns story? - that's ridiculous and incredibly wasteful for both characters. We barely knew this Superman - for many people he wasn't even Superman yet. And it was the first time we ever met this particular Batman and he is already over the hill? How are we supposed to feel anything here? If they'd continued with Bale's Batman then maybe.....
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Prime Clone
Super Freak
I agree it would have been better as two films, but there was no guarantee the Doomsday one would have been made, so as a realist I'll take what I can get!
I dunno I think it was only a matter of time before that got made as a 'live action' film but sticking it at the end of BvS made it far less likely now.
In Bizarro World, the woefully incompetent execs at WB and Zach Snyder are a match made in heaven.
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This one scene where the camera sweeps past....watching over Gotham...Zimmers magnificent, majestic score cranked up full volume...
All these years on and it's still...."chills up the spine" and "hairs standing on the back of your neck"...Perfection...
View attachment 417869
All these years on and it's still...."chills up the spine" and "hairs standing on the back of your neck"...Perfection...
View attachment 417869
I couldn't agree more, this scene defines the essence of Batman; Batman Begins is a classic.
The Clown Prince of Crime
Super Freak
ShadowGuardian
Super Freak
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Yeah the 14th was the red carpet premiere and today was the official release date. We'll just say it's The Dark Knight week.
