In 1997 the Batman movie franchise was in a dark place. Joel Schumacher had turned Bruce Wayne into 'The Camp Crusader' - I mean the Batsuit had nipples! Come on!
The Dark Knight was left alone for 8 long years, and it was clear the franchise was going to need a complete rework to regain any credibility. It was going to take a big man to take on this project.
Step forward Christopher Nolan.
Now anyone who had seen his three previous movies knew the guy had an eye for directing gripping and compelling films, and it was greeted with a sense of excitement when he announced he was bringing Batman back to the big screen.
Once the cast had been announced it was clear that Nolan was taking the Batman franchise in a completely new direction, and thank god! It seemed we were going to be treated to a film which lent more towards Tim Burton's dark adaptation to Schumacher's, well crap, adaptation.
Christian Bale stepped into the Batsuit and with it promised to bring an intensity to Bruce Wayne that George Clooney, who seemed a fine casting, so disappointingly lacked. Batman Begins was released in 2005 and Nolan finally gave us a Batman film that wasn't just 'another comic book adaptation'. Wayne's journey in becoming Batman was much more than just a kid witnessing his parents die and swearing vengeance. Nolan's Batman suddenly felt very real, and if that was not enough he gave us a seriously mean Batmobile and Michael Caine as Alfred!
Batman Begins set the bar high for any following movies and for anyone who doubted that Nolan had the vision and talent to better it, hang your head in shame. As The Dark Knight neared it's release (in the Summer of 2008) there was whispers that Heath Ledger's Joker was something special. Ledger traigically died during editing of the film and when you see his performance in The Dark Knight you can't help but feel a deep sorrow that Hollywood has lost such a truly sublime actor. His portrayal of the Joker was chilling and utterly compelling and quite rightly brought him an Oscar.
The Dark Knight was an extraordinary piece of work from Nolan that firmly cemented his place as one of the visionary directors of his time - with Inception following this release Nolan is clearly a director getting better and better with each passing movie. The second film of this trilogy is at times jaw-droppingly filmed, from the magnificent opening scene to the brilliant car chase under the streets of Gotham, The Dark Knight was dripping with anarchy.
As I left the cinema breathless I couldn't help but begin the countdown to the completion of this franchise. Like a child waiting for Christmas morning, this promised to be a great day. As me and my friend christened it 'Dark Knight day'. So often in life when you look forward to something with so much anticipation, it disappoints. By now though I had learnt not to doubt Nolan.
And so in July 2012 saw the release of the defining movie in The Dark Knight trilogy, arguably Nolan's masterpiece (to date) and quite possibly the completion of the greatest film trilogy of all time - I am aware that the last two points can be debated in great detail...
At 2hrs 40 this is truly an epic film. What so often happens with blockbusters is the script lets the action down. Here though, as we have seen in the previous two, the script and breathtaking action sit comfortably on a very high pedestal looking out over the rest of the blockbuster landscape. David S. Goyer, Jonathan and Christopher Nolan deliver a screenplay that is as compelling as the vast shots of the Gotham landscape. The Dark Knight Rises has some stellar performances and for me it is Bale and Anne Hathaway - the latter who I had some reservations about - at their very very best. At times you feel like Nolan is just showing off, he effortlessly creates some majestic scenes (the football stadium and the policemen v Bane's army to name two) that stick long in the memory. The final 40 minutes is a lesson in how to tie up a trilogy and demonstrates that in Christopher Nolan we have a director that can tell a story, shoot it in a way that leaves you breathless, create action scenes that gets the adrenaline pumping and produce those 'movie speeches' that leave you in bits. He truly is a visionary. A man that seemingly gets better by the movie and for me, a genius.
He is producing the latest reincarnation of Superman and has a desire to direct 007. I for one cannot wait until he gets his hands on that franchise!
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