The comic book movie; a trend that has taken off since the end of the 20th century and has grown exponentially with Marvel’s cinematic universe. There are many opinions to be had when talking about this expanding genre. You may have grown up with superheroes on the pages and appreciate finally seeing them come to life on the screen or maybe you’re one its toughest critics believing that the movies stray too far from the source material. You might feel like Steven Spielberg and believe the superhero flick will “go the way of the western” and die off as an overdone trend. Many give these films the cold shoulder because of the stigmas that come along with them, but as with any genre, there are movies that defy their own stereotypes. Some take this with a satirical approach such as Deadpool (2016); others stay so loyal to the source material they become something new altogether such as 300 (2006) and adaptions like Watchmen (2009) looked at what it meant to be a superhero in a world where they actually existed. Christopher Nolan had a vision for when he was adapting Batman into the Dark Knight trilogy. He looked past the style of common superhero films and gave the people what Batman was at its core; a vigilante story of a man fighting crime and villainy for the city he loves.
(Mild spoiler warning on the backstory of Batman.)
If you are unfamiliar with the Caped Crusader, Bruce Wayne is a man who has firsthand experience with the crime that has overtaken the city he grew up in when his parents lost their lives in what seemed to be a simple mugging. This cornerstone moment defined him. Similar to his father, he refused to give in to the corruption but did so through own methods. A borderline obsessed and mildly mentally disturbed young man sacrifices his time, body and wealth in hopes to save what many believe is a lost cause and fight against those that sought to destroy Gotham. Nolan explores this storyline without exploiting the style of the comics that appeals to a cheaper part of us. He took Batman at its core and combined it with ground breaking performances by the likes of Heath Ledger as well as next level action set pieces that purposely avoided abusing CGI and said ‘f*** it, we’ll do live’. These films trump many of the superhero tropes we see over and over. We have villains with a theme and purpose beyond just being evil. Or if they are just evil, they come with their own philosophy as to why they are that way creating a depth to the film that we can explore and apply to our own lives; something that is difficult to extract from the likes of Suicide Squad (2016), an admittedly fun but ultimately shallow film. The Dark Knight trilogy is more than an adaption. It is a reimagining of a classic tale in a more real and gritty world.
