The Dark Knight (2008)

Although Batman Begins proved that Batman could be made to work again on the big screen, it was The Dark Knight that really cemented the popularity of the Nolan series.

In this film, Batman and Gordon team up with Harvey Dent in a plan to bring down organised crime in Gotham City. They almost succeed but soon the Joker starts causing trouble. The Joker's plans get worse and worse including the death of Rachel Dawes and the transformation of Harvey Dent into Two-Face. The plot draws on elements of  The Killing Joke and The Long Halloween to create its own plot.

Christian Bale is a great Bruce Wayne although his Batman voice continues to be unintentionally funny in certain scenes. The new costume he wears is slimmer and ,much better looking than the bulky affair he wears.

Gordon fares better in this film as the head of the Major Crimes Unit. Gary Oldman is good in the role. The character is less exciting than the others but he needs to be the reliably good cop.

The character of Harvey Dent is far better than the version in Batman Forever. Aaron Eckhart is great in the role, succeeding in the role of a good guy turned evil in a way that Hayden Christensen didn't quite manage as Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels.

Of course Heath Ledger as the Joker is phenomenal. This is certainly the scariest Joker with his obsession with standard blade weapons.

Rachel Dawes is back but dies off. Maggie Gyllenhal is good as the character. The decision to kill the character off is a wise one, though if they make a sequel they'll need more female characters

There are plenty of memorable characters. Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth and Morgan Freeman as Lucious Fox provide moral and technical support to our hero. On he villains side there is also Eric Roberts as Sal Maroni as well as a nice cameo of Cillian Murphy returning as the Scarecrow.

At one point in the film, the Joker tells Batman that he has changed things forever. That is as much of an apt description of the film. It has taken risks and other superhero films must up their game to catch up.

10/10

Batman Begins (2005)

There was a general sense that Batman and Robin had brought the Batman film franchise to a screaming halt. Aside from a turgid Catwoman movie in 2004, there was nothing Batman related to watch on the big screen until 2005. That was the year that Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins came along and brought the character back into popularity.

The film follows Bruce Wayne as he meets Henri Ducard joins the League of Shadows, a ninja organisation run by a mysterious Rhas a Ghul, and learns how to fight crime. As this happens there are several flashbacks to the murder of the Wayne parents. In contrast to Tim Burton's Batman, this script by David S. Goyer gives us the full details of how Bruce was shaped into Batman. It's a good way of reintroducing the character.

When Bruce realises that Rhas a Ghul expects him to kill, he instead burns down the League's Bruce  rescues Ducard and returns to Gotham City and we build up to the appearance of Batman. The construction of the suit and Bruce's motivation was shown in painstaking detail. As Bruce he adopts a playboy persona and reunites with his childhood friend, Rachel Dawes. He also gets gadget advice for Lucious Fox. As Batman he teams up with Commissioner Gordon.

The final act of the film sees Batman facing the big threat. He soon faces the Scarecrow's fear gas and that leads into fighting Henri Ducard revealled to be the real Rhas a Ghul. Although the League of Shadows try to destroy Gotham with gas, Batman defeats them.

Christian Bale's portrayal of Batman is decent enough. It is a pity that the growling voice is a little too over the top. The suit is bulky but effective.

Gary Oldman is good as Jim Gordon, having the same weathered look as the character did in Frank Miller's Year One. Michael Caine's take on a cockney Alfred is a good take on the character. The only weak link is Rachel Dawes who feels like the obligatory love interest. It is a shame that she is not a more interesting character in herself.

The villains are fairly low key. Cillian Murphy is a decent Jonathan Crane and Scarecrow. Liam Neeson is well cast as Henri Ducard, and Rhas a Ghul.

To say that Batman Begins is realistic would be inaccurate. This is a film with an army of ninjas trying to upset the city's economy and then release a gas to turn everybody mad. It would be more accurate to say that this is a James Bond style universe. It is a very successful film and brought the bat back into fashion.

8/10