Over the past few years we have witnessed the rebirth of beloved comic book and action heroes which has brought in alot of revenue at the box office worldwide. Many have questioned the seemingly constant swarm of rebooting a franchise no matter how popular the previous outings were. A case in point is the Amazing Spider-man which despite some obvious shortcomings, will go on to do great business and do justice to the franchise. I think most people no matter how cynical they were beforehand can argue that what Christopher Nolan has achieved thus far has been outstanding. To bring the story back to its origins and taken a completely different direction from previous versions is to be applauded. The plots, the character driven aspects and the stunning effects, all add up to great pieces of cinema.
Nolan quite rightly is being lauded as one of the greats; he could be this Century's Orson Welles or Alfred Hitchcock. A pretty mean feat to be compared to such illustrious company particularly in an industry which is big on CGI and effects. The difference with Nolan's Batman is that while we have all the well choreographed fight scenes, the toys and gadgets, there is also a very real aspect to the shooting process. The fact that he favours IMAX cameras is no secret and it pays off when you see the sheer scale of the backdrop in every outing. It increases after every instalment which bodes well for what is sure to be a stunning Climax to the trilogy.
Nolan had consistently delivered which gives him a strong hand in the industry and reports suggest that whatever the man wants from a studio is usually granted. From Batman Begins which explores Bruce Wayne's early beginnings his grief at the loss of his parents is handled well and sets the right tone. His transformation from a man set on revenge of his parents to helping and inspiring others in his native Gotham is unusual in what the audience would expect in comparison to other franchises. Not camp like previous instalments, but a darker grittier version of the hero. His travels and knowledge gained which led him ultimately to Liam Neeson's Henri Ducard and his training in ninjItsu also became pivotal especially when it came to the design of the Bat suit.
After Batman Begins Nolan worked on The Prestige, a piece set in the 19th Century which focused on two warring magicians. This was typical of a film that had a strong sense of character development although the movie itself had little in the way of action, it was a successful project. Similar elements were applied to The Dark Knight in terms of the characters' development.
The Dark Knight was bigger in scale and quite momentous in what it brought to an eager and excited audience, myself included. Multiple viewings have not dampened my enthusiasm for it and having seen both movies on the big screen again in the recent past, it has merely confirmed how good they are. Particularly The Dark Knight, helped of course in no small part to the outstanding performance of the late Heath Ledger as the most famous of Batman's foes: The Joker.
In between of course Nolan brought us Inception, now we have to consider the Importance of this great piece also. Again in IMAX which is his favoured filming option and who could blame him when you see the results? Inception also has actors which will feature heavily in The Dark Knight Rises. Tom Hardy as the intriguing and powerful Bane, Batman's seemingly toughest test yet. Michael Caine as the loyal and dependable Alfred, Christian Bale of course in the famous suit as the hero and Joseph Gordon Levitt who for me was the star turn along with Di Caprio in Inception. Those names alone ensure decent performances and when they are supplemented with the likes of Anne Hathaway Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman, well what more is there to say on that front?
For The Dark Knight Rises the overall tone is set to be somewhat darker and the scale of the movie is set to increase yet again. An interesting report recently revealed that the Batwing scenes while easier to do in CGI were mostly shot using specialised rigs mounted with camera equipment to give a more realistic feel. That is testament to what Nolan's Batman is, a more real and rewarding cinema experience. Make no mistake this is set to be THE biggest movie in years and one of the most Important. If the previous instalments are anything to go by, we're in for a hell of a time.
