Batman has never gotten better live-action theatrical representation that did largely justice to him than in the Christopher Nolan The Dark Knight Trilogy. Each of them had a cast of talented actors that portrayed their respective characters in a way that gave the audience a great look at how they could appear in a real-world setting. The films also had excellent writers to tackle the characters and the stories that embraced the character’s dark, serious, and gritty nature since it was explored in comics during the ’80s.
Most fans agree that the trilogy as a whole is great and specifically that 2008’s The Dark Knight was the best of the three, but there’s more contention when it comes to which one of the others should rank second and third. Here are five reasons The Dark Knight Rises is better than the first entry in the trilogy, along with five that show why Batman Begins is better than the finale.
The Dark Knight Rises: Tom Hardy’s Bane
One of the best, most beautiful things about Batman as a character, aside from being well-written and complex, is that he arguably has the best Rogues Gallery in comic book history. Joker takes the number one spot as he is frequently regarded as one of the best villains in all of fiction alongside the likes of Darth Vader. However, Bane is also a strong villain that has been mistreated in one other live-action installment.
Bane is supposed to be a physically dominant, yet intelligent, antagonist, but the abomination that was 1997’s Batman & Robin obviously did away with all intelligence. Nolan and Tom Hardy do Bane justice by bringing forth a character with an intense physicality that constantly exudes an air of fierce intimidation. A guerilla terrorist that somehow displays an elegance in his presentation that is simultaneously a force to be reckoned with.
Batman Begins: Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow
Batman Begins brought fans another excellent portrayal of a more classic supervillain in the hero’s mythos. Despite being the supporting villain, Scarecrow was written and executed brilliantly. Along with the writing, Cillian Murphy gave a great performance. In several appearances, like in comics, Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow is shown as a more outwardly insane/deranged character, down to his costume and Ichabod Crane-appearance.
Begins takes a good creative twist to this while still respecting the character. Crane is a normal/professional-looking psychopath that hides it with his doctoral background/work much more than the bullied, socially-persecuted-looking version in the comics. As the film goes on, audiences discover Crane’s more sadistic side as the story expertly incorporates the villain’s classic mask without having him don a whole costume that would feel out of touch with the tone of the film.
The Dark Knight Rises: Larger Scale
Granted, the level of scale in Batman Begins was fairly large considering this whole trilogy is quite grounded, but The Dark Knight Rises manages to up the ante without feeling out of place. Some stories can suffer when trying to take things to inconceivably massive scales, but Rises does well in this regard.
In addition to the writing, this can also be attributed back to Tom Hardy’s excellent portrayal of the main villain Bane. This scale fits appropriately with the finale of the Bruce Wayne/Batman story of the trilogy.
Batman Begins: Perfect Entry Into Bruce’s “Hero’s Journey”
Another attribute to the whole trilogy is that it catalogs the “hero’s journey” strongly from start to finish. Even though The Dark Knight is arguably the best of the trilogy, the first and third entries are better as character-driven stories focusing largely on Bruce Wayne.
Being an (effective) origin story, Batman Begins captures Bruce’s earliest defining moments and formative years leading up to his early days as Batman. It plays excellently on the theme of fear; Bruce training to become it, before realizing vengeance/killing isn’t the answer and embracing his fears to use it against criminals.
The Dark Knight Rises: Strong Conclusion To The “Hero’s Journey”
An argument can be made that the conclusion to the hero’s journey for Bruce Wayne is as important as the origin. That’s part of the beauty in The Dark Knight Rises; it serves as a great complement to Batman Begins. The finale is still a strong character-driven and focused Bruce Wayne story.
After a long hiatus, Bruce returned as Batman but did so while exuding cockiness that he would be as effective as before. He underestimates the threat and overestimates himself, losing sight of what makes him strong. In the prison, he claims “I’m not afraid; I’m angry.” He forgets how embracing his fears can bring out his strengths. The film closes with him gracefully exiting the mantle and passing it on to a worthy successor.
Batman Begins: Captures The Essence Of Year One
Being about comic books, taking inspiration from the stories/lore in them to craft a proper live-action film is key. This is especially so when dealing with a profound character with a plethora of excellent, character-defining stories. Being an origin story, Batman Begins using Year One as inspiration is a no-brainer. It successfully captures the essence of what made that story so great.
This ranges from highlighting his intensive training, seeing Bruce acclimate to the Batman mantle, and the excellent building relationship between him and Commissioner Gordon; a key dynamic throughout the character’s trilogy/lore.
The Dark Knight Rises: Bruce/Batman At His Lowest
Bruce Wayne/Batman takes some beatings throughout this trilogy. The Dark Knight saw Batman have to shoulder the blame for a fallen “White Knight” who was meant to succeed the superhero in putting Gotham on the right track. However, Bruce is arguably at his lowest in the finale.
An overconfident Batman gets physically demolished at the hands of Bane, sees his past from Begins come to haunt him, and is forced to watch his city deteriorate. Part of this is thanks to the brilliant inspiration from Knightfall.
Batman Begins: Liam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul
Nolan’s origin story brings light to another excellent, yet lesser-known Batman supervillain in Ra’s al Ghul; leader of the League of Shadows. The plot brilliantly incorporates the character into the Year One-inspired origin of Batman by fusing him with his training arc abroad and having them ultimately clash in ideologies that would serve as the basis for the rest of the film.
Liam Neeson proved another masterful choice in casting, as he brought a strong and elegant presence while maintaining a powerful dynamic with Bale’s Bruce.
The Dark Knight Rises: A Brilliant Amalgam Of Arcs
Influences/inspirations from definitive comic book story arcs were pivotal to making this trilogy as great as it is. The first movie used Year One, the second The Long Halloween and The Killing Joke, and the finale Knightfall and No Man’s Land. All of these inspirations were done tastefully, but when compared to the first, Rises blends two arcs to create an incredibly daunting premise.
Bane’s inclusion and initial destruction of Batman were expertly re-imagined through Knightfall, but adding to it the cutting off of Gotham from the world like in No Man’s Land but leaving it run by terrorists led by Bane is a strong twist to that story.
Batman Begins: Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne/Batman
Christian Bale nails the role of a live-action Bruce Wayne/Batman throughout this trilogy. He also gave a strong performance in the final movie; however, as Batman Begins is a bit more driven by Bruce Wayne due to having a tighter cast of major characters, the first movie could be seen as containing Bale’s biggest performance, even if by only just.
Bale, an Oscar-winning actor, displays his acting chops throughout Batman Begins, particularly killing it as Bruce Wayne. He shows Batman’s raw, powerful presence and Bruce’s damaged characteristics under the “mask” of a millionaire playboy.
