Arguably the two best Batman movies ever made. I get a lot of people may consider Batman Begins as > The Dark Knight, but generally TDK is seen as the milestone film in that trilogy, so it is being used here.
Which is the best? Burton's dark-and-yet-campy take, or Nolan's dark-and-yet-real take? Both certainly have their similar qualities and differences. How do they stand when compared?
- Both featured The Joker -
THE Batman villain: Joker. Who portrayed him better? Well, better is a matter of perspective. If someone wanted a goofier Joker, Burton would be best. If someone wanted a sarcastic gritty Joker, Nolan's your man. I think each respective actor did well with their roles and takes on Joker, but in the end Heath sold it to me. I'm convinced that was the performance of the '00 decade.
- Bruce Wayne -
I've broken Batman and Bruce Wayne apart because I honestly believe they are two different characters to play. Batman is NOT Bruce Wayne, and vice versa.
That being said, the better Bruce Wayne for me was Bale. Keaton was great as a suave intelligent Bruce, but he lacked the arrogance Bale brought. To Bruce, "Bruce Wayne" is nothing more than a character he does to hide his true identity as Batman. He WANTS Bruce Wayne to be an over the top playboy, because that would ease any suspicions of him being Batman. Bale hit this one on the head.
- Batman -
Now we get to the Caped Crusader himself. Who was better?
I'm aware people are going to cry that I'm a TDK fanboy, but once again, after rewatching both movies, Bale's was the better. I found him more intimidating, scarier, bigger, faster... Everything Batman needs to be. Keaton was too soft (physically) to play Batman. I didn't buy it. In the end, Bale seemed like a man on a life mission to stop crime. Keaton seemed like a guy with a ton of money who thought, "Hey, fighting crime would be cool"
- Homage to the Lore -
How true was each to the comics? Well, when considering the time frame for each, both stuck extremely well. The only beef I have is that Burton made Joker the same guy who killed Bruce's parents, something that should never have happened.
- Batmobile -
The Batmobile. Everybody knows it, everybody loves it.
This one is no contest. Burton's Batmobile far exceeded the Tumbler.
- Story -
In the end, TDK was about the duality of man. This theme is shown throughout the entire movie, with the boat sequence, Batman's conflicted ideals, and, of course, Harvey Dent. "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." That quote sums up what the movie is about.
Batman is about Batman beating up The Joker and keeping him from killing people. Which believe me, I eat up in a heartbeat. But it doesn't stand against TDK.
All in all, I believe TDK was the better of the two films. What about you? Your thoughts, opinions? Anything I could have touched on?
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