The Batman Trilogy (2005 - 2012)

Certainly one of the most celebrated trilogies of recent years, The Dark Knight films are not only some of the best superhero films, they are some of the best films.  Chris Nolan has brought incredible vision, production and outstanding performances to these movies about Gotham's most famous son.

Batman Begins

As far as genesis stories go, I think that this could be my favourite.   I really like Sam Raimi’s Spider-man (2002), but seeing Bruce Wayne overcome his fears and then channelling this fear to terrorise his enemies is magnificent.  Where many stories are desperate to get to the action, Batman Begins really takes its time, and I think it must be almost an hour before we actually see the Batman strut his stuff.  A lot of this superbity is due to excellent writing by David S. Goyer, as well as Chris Nolan’s wonderful interpretation.

Christian Bale is a very good Bruce Wayne, suitably playboy-ish, but able to be grim and violent when necessary.  In fact, everyone is great; Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy and Gary Oldman; but then we wouldn't really expect this cast to be anything but excellent.

The slow start takes time to set up both Bruce's background (which we essentially know) showing how disenchanted he's become with Gotham, the justice system as well as his wealth.   It also sets up The League of Shadows; not only crucial for the final third of the film, but also a recurrent theme that reaches a climax in Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight

The second film in a trilogy can often be a tricky one to judge, but The Dark Knight is a stunning sequel to BB, and this can probably be largely attributed to a dazzling display by Heath Ledger as The Joker.  Freed from the yoke of introductory exposition, TDK gets straight down to business; though you could be forgiven for thinking that you were watching Point Break’s Dead Presidents as the opening robbery begins.  Until of course The Joker is revealed, then everything becomes unpredictable.  Alfred tells Bruce “...some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money.  Some men just want to watch the world burn”, and that’s exactly what The Joker is about, and Heath Ledger owns that role like a boss.

Sequels are always trying to be bigger than the first installment, and TDK is no different.  Filming key sequences in IMAX was one way Nolan upped his game, and (though I haven’t experienced IMAX at all) the amount of effort that went into working with these enormous cameras is incredible.

I always remember George Lucas gushing about the increasing number of digital effects shots in the Star Wars prequels like it was a good thing.  In TDK, Nolan and crew insert much more action than BB, but unlike GL, a lot of the effects they did were in camera.  Incredibly including flipping the massive lorry that the Joker is driving, as well as the helicopter crash; both down actual city streets.  Not to mention of course the hospital explosion.

It is often the case that a sequel is bigger and better than the initial film (Terminator 2, 1991; X-men 2, 2003; Spider-man 2, 2004; Hellboy 2, 2008). What Chris Nolan has done with TDK is produce a sequel that doesn’t feel like a sequel, rather a continuation of the story.  Can he continue that ambience into the final chapter?

The Dark Knight Rises

Truly a fitting finale to the trilogy, and once again Chris Nolan ups his game.  With an amazing cast and literally hundreds of extras, the scope of TDKR is enormous.  There are so many reasons why this is so good a film, but here are just a few.

We didn't think we'd see another tremendous performance like Heath Ledger's Joker; but in Bane, Nolan created another memorable villain, and casting the brilliant Tom Hardy was inspired.  Tom would have had the ability to create a phenomenal presence anyway, but the physical size of him makes him even more dominant.  The scene where he beats up Batman in the sewer is so excellent, both Tom and Christian are fantastic (actually them fighting), and the harsh down-lighting created by Wally Pfister enhances the brutality of this key scene.

In Anne Hathaway we have Nolan’s interpretation of Catwoman, though she is never referred to as such.  Selina is an accomplished thief trying to survive in a post Dent-act society. Her story arc is fairly predictable, but it is done well; especially the way she is initially unopposed to what Bane is doing but then is distraught by the amount of chaos he has actually created.

The only problem I have with TDKR is the music.  In itself it is another great score from Hans Zimmer, but it's mixed wrong and is far too loud at times.  There is one scene in particular (there are actually several) where Commissioner Gordon is meeting some resistance support in a basement and the music is loud and tense when it doesn't need to be.  So loud that I struggle to hear what Gary Oldman is saying.  There are several other instances of not hearing Commsr Gordon, Bane sometimes too, which is a pity as it slightly spoils what might otherwise be a perfect film.

Final Thoughts

Having recently become quite a fan of some of the Batman graphic novels, it was nice to see some referential moments.  There’s a lovely moment when two cops in a car are chasing Bane et al.; then when Batman reappears, they slow down and one says “You’re about to see something real special”. Straight out of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.  Also the randoms dressed as Batman at the beginning of The Dark Knight are a nod to the Sons of Batman.  David S Goyer did read a lot of graphic novels while planning Batman Begins, so it’s not too surprising that there are these moments in the films.

The plot throughout the trilogy is a classic genesis, fall and rise story with each film addressing different themes.  There is really very little to fault in these films at all, they are all superbly crafted, with incredible attention to detail and amazing practical effects.  Chris Nolan has proved he can direct and produce enormous films without dumbing down to the lowest common denominator. I am very excited about the films he will make in the future.

In-Flight Movies (2014)

I was very fortunate to be able to go to New Orleans for a conference last month.  It took three flights to get there, but as one of them was transatlantic, I got the rare opportunity to watch several films.  Now, back in 2011 I had been very impressed with the choice of in-flight movies that KLM had to offer.  We flew KLM on our return journey, and though the choice was good, I was staggered (really staggered, it was incredible) by the choice that Delta had on the way out to the US.  I could have watched Gravity, or Desolation of Smaug, or Walter Mitty, or Thor: The Dark World!  I think there were literally hundreds.  But I decided on some of the lesser yet still incredible films.  But if this flight was anything to go by, I always want to fly Delta to the States.

Chronicle (2012)

Chronicle is not like other superhero movies; actually I don't think the characters are superheroes at all, rather they have superpowers.  After the discovery of some weird alien crystals, 3 friends soon find, after blacking out, that they have mysterious powers (think Force pull/push).  Naturally the first thought is not to use these powers to benefit mankind, but to do what any teenage boy would in this situation: abuse it for their own entertainment!  This is where the film is strongest, and certainly the most entertaining; perhaps it's because I'm a bloke but I could completely relate (I think empathise is too strong) to the sense of awe and excitement that the 3 main characters feel.  By the climax of the film this sense of wonder has been replaced by a requirement for the film to actually go somewhere, which (like Angry Birds, is hilariously fun initially but becomes a bore as you try to get maximum points) isn't so interesting.  But I can understand why.  The main 3 lads are fine, as I say, as I was able to relate to them; anyone else was really incidental.  The special effects are all great, very understated in a Monsters kind of way, used to bring the story to life and concentrate on the characters rather than overwhelm it with CG.  Chronicle doesn't do anything spectacular, but it's very cool, great fun and entertaining nonetheless.

Oblivion (2013)

Oblivion is one of the many films I wanted to see last year, but I just didn’t get the chance.  I’d heard mixed responses to the film so I was keen to take a gander myself.  Tom is usually good to watch, and Oblivion is no different.  Morgan Freeman is the other big name, but I felt he was mostly wasted, rather like in Wanted.  Andrea Riseborough is good as Victoria, the soulless robotic woman who is Tom’s partner, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister) is fine as Morgan Freeman’s head of security without really being able to excel as he does in GOT.  The design was terrific and the effects were top notch, though overall I thought the film was missing something.  All the best Sci-Fi has something to say about human nature, and I'm just not sure what this was saying.  Maybe it's because it borrowed from some of the best Sci-Fi: there were definite strains of Planet of the Apes, Moon, Logan's Run and perhaps even Silent Running; the result is quite a mish mash of themes.  A very enjoyable film (with an excellent soundtrack), just lacking that little bit extra to make it a really good film.

The World's End (2013)

Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are two fabulous movies from the minds of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, the so-called blood and ice-cream movies.  Now along comes The World’s End to complete the Cornetto Trilogy.  With possibly the most star-studded cast of the trilogy (featuring Martin Freeman, Rosamund Pike, David Bradley, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan and Pierce Brosnan among others) the movie remains true to Wright’s roots and is quintessentially British.  Simon Pegg’s character is the driving force of the movie but the interaction between the whole group of friends is excellent, though this estimable ensemble results in the usually brilliant relationship between Pegg and Nick Frost being diluted a little bit.  The truth about the residents of Newton Haven doesn’t sit quite as naturally as a plague of zombies or an extreme neighbourhood watch; but once, introduced the idea works well, and certainly won’t get in the way of Pegg’s character finishing that pub crawl.  Perhaps not as incessantly clever, inventive and relentlessly funny as it’s predecessors, The World’s End is still tremendous fun and of course features ice-cream, falling over fences and a pub brawl.

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Perhaps not fully appreciated on a small screen set in the back of the chair in front, but it was still possible to appreciate the horror that plantation slaves had to endure daily.  This abhorrent episode in human history is captured not only in some horrible scenes of trading the human cargo but also by a couple of stand-out gruesome torture scenes.  Steve McQueen lets the camera linger on one of these moments, prolonging the agony while the audience is desperate for it to stop.  The opposite is true for the other awful scene as the camera is whipped around between victims and perpetrators, echoing both Chiwetel Ejiofor’s state of mind as well as the torture itself.  Surrounding the excellent Ejiofor is tremendous support including Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch and Lupita Nyong’o (Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress).  A lot happens for a film just over two hours long, but it never feels rushed, which is a testament to both the screenplay and the direction.  An excellent and important film which I must revisit on a screen worthy of its power.


But, well, you know, that’s just, like, er, my opinion, man.

Wanted (2008)

In a post-Matrix post-300 world, Nochnoy Dozor writer/director Timur Bekmambetov brings us a flash, funky, duplicitous tale of assassins, family values and curving bullets.  Yup, you heard that right; curving bullets!  Wesley (James McAvoy) is an average nobody in a dead end job, until someone tries to kill him in a supermarket and Fox (Angelina Jolie) suddenly appears to improvise a rescue.  Wesley soon learns that he has a historical connection to the "Brotherhood" of assassins to which Fox belongs.

When Wesley's world is turned upside down James McAvoy immediately turns the air blue and I feared he wasn't going to be right for the role at all.  However, he soon settles down and was actually pretty good.  Whether the fact that he is the best thing in a film that stars Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp and Angelina Jolie is because he’s a better actor or because the others don’t bring their "A" game is probably obvious, though McAvoy does prove he can mix it with some of the best.

Released in the same year as (the inferior) Max Payne, Wanted has more of a resemblance to the Matrix-inspired computer game (2001) than the Wachowski Brother's game changer itself.  This is not as bad as it sounds; it means that some logic is given for the assassins' ability to slow time down and make a single fatal shot at an otherwise impossible angle; and since Mitchell Arundel is DOP (Transformers, Mission Impossible III and Ghost Protocol) it looks pretty cool too.  However, because there have been other films with slow-mo effects, Wanted doesn’t really do anything new, which lets it down and left me wanting more.  Having said that I found it entertaining enough to keep me awake to past 1 o'clock in the morning, which is saying something.  But, well, you know, that’s just, like, er, my opinion, man.