"The Dark Knight" Trilogy - A Review

This past week I had the opportunity to rewatch Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Since I have been asked to review those movies, I thought it would be a good opportunity to also offer up my thoughts on these movies.

The trilogy kicks off with Batman Begins, which does exactly what its title suggests: it presents us with Batman's origin story. This installment is very entertaining and does a very good job of setting up the characters. However, it's also pretty much your standard superhero origin movie, so while it is entertaining, it is also somewhat predictable. Despite this, the trilogy's second film, The Dark Knight, completely breaks free of standard superhero movie tropes and instead offers up a story that is both action-packed and philosophical. The story takes so many turns it avoids all chance of being predictable, giving it a certain freshness that neither of the other two films seem to have. This, in conjunction with Heath Ledger's creepy take on the Joker, elevates The Dark Knight above the other two film, making it arguably the best installment in the trilogy. Finally, The Dark Knight Rises concludes the trilogy with a script that suffers from a couple plot holes and the filmmakers trying too hard to top the previous film. However, a plot twist that is pulled off extremely well, a race against time style showdown, and genuine emotion elevates the film's third act, allowing viewers to walk away from the trilogy satisfied with the journey the trilogy took the characters on.

Despite one's opinions about the individual installments, they must all be taken together as a trilogy that tells a single story. Sure, each film has its own plot, but these plots work together in a way that puts Bruce Wayne (played by Christian Bale) on a single journey. At its core, the Dark Knight trilogy is about who Bruce Wayne is and the part that being the Batman plays in his life. With each new threat that Batman must face, Bruce faces a personal struggle within himself that constantly evolves as he goes out to confront these various threats. It is this look into Bruce's psyche that gives us an emotional investment in Bruce finding peace not just for Gotham, but for himself. The trilogy as a whole does an excellent job of telling this story and brings it to a satisfying conclusion in The Dark Knight Rises.

In addition, the trilogy is memorable because it is more than just a series of action movies. Instead, these films deal with deep philosophical issues such as human morality and societal systems. Specific examples include discussions about people's capacity to do good and whether anarchy is better than capitalism. The films' answers to these issues offer up hope that perhaps humanity is not beyond redemption. Especially in the times we live in, it is important for Christians to remember that people can be changed, and in an indirect way these films offer up a reminder of that.

However, these films are not for everybody. The dark tone, the intense violence, several frightening images, and the Joker's antics will be too much for more sensitive viewers. These viewers would do well to avoid these films. This means that I do not think that these films are appropriate for children. However, for older teens and adults who aren't too sensitive, these films are well worth watching.