Blast from the Past Reviews: Before Batman fought Superman, let's look back on the last adaptation of the cape crusader

Post date: Apr 18, 2016 6:21:57 PM

By: Robby Timmler, Staff Writer

Posted April 4th, 2016

The Dark Knight Trilogy is one of the most critically acclaimed trilogies of all time, right along side The Lord of the Rings and Godfather Trilogy. The Dark Knight Trilogy was directed by Christopher Nolen, who gives us a new look at the origins of Batman. Batman Begins (2005) is the first of the Dark Knight Trilogy, showing Bruce Wayne's parents deaths, training with the League of Shadows (a clan of mercenaries that train in the art of Justice) and to eventually becoming Batman. Along the way, we meet Ducard, (played by Liam Neeson) Bruce’s trainer in the League, Alfred, (played by Michael Caine) Bruce’s butler and friend, and Rachel Dawes, (played by Katie Homes) Gotham’s District Attorney and Bruce’s childhood friend. When Bruce finishes his training, he goes back to Gotham with police officer Jim Gordon (played by Gary Oldman) to right several wrongs and attempt to end the corruption in Gotham that lead to his parents deaths. Batman Begins is a deep and gritty film that goes deep into the origins of Bruce Wayne and why he becomes Batman.

The Dark Knight (2009) is the critically acclaimed follow-up to Batman Begins. In The Dark Knight, we see the Batman's crusade against crime in Gotham with the help of Lieutenant Gordon. We are introduced to the new head district attorney Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart) and the Joker (played by Heath Ledger), who was mentioned at the end of Batman Begins. The Dark Knight is a gripping and interesting film that gives astounding examples of trust, sacrifice,and the strength of will.

After the huge success of the second movie, audiences were excited to see the return of Batman, but things became more complicated after the sudden death of Heath Ledger, who had played the Joker in The Dark Knight. This is the reason why The Dark Knight Rises (2012) is the weakest film in the Trilogy. The Dark Knight Rises follows the events of the Dark Knight with Batman being gone for 2 years along with Bruce Wayne after the terror of Gotham by the Joker. It’s now peacetime in Gotham with Lieutenant Jim Gordon now retired, and Gotham is finally feeling safe. That is, until Bane, (played by Tom Hardy) a member of the League of the Shadows, develops plans to destroy Gotham. Bruce to comes out of hiding as a result, and becomes Batman again. Throughout the film, we meet Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, (played by Anne Hathaway) and rookie cop Officer Blake (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The Dark Knight Rises tries to be a mix of Batman Begins and the Dark Knight. However, in the end, The Dark Knight Rises just doesn’t have what made the other two films such a huge hit with audiences. The Dark Knight Trilogy as a whole, however, is all in all still one of the best trilogies of all time.