Looking at Batman Begins as a Prequel

[Bruce Malone]

I recently re-watched begins and it definitely has the vibe of a prequel. Perhaps mainly due to the fact it explores bruce waynes back-story so much, as prequels tend to do.

As well despite being a sequel TDK holds up as a stand alone film greatly.

Do any of you sort of view begins as the prequel to tdk and i suppose tdkr?

I'm tempted to watch the 2 films in reverse to see that effect.

[obin_gam]

Yep, I see TDK as the "main film" and Rises as the sequel. And BB as the prequel, which Nolan just happened to make before the main film

[Mako]

I don't, I view it for what it is. The first film in a trilogy.

[Starbuzz_he]

i would have definitely watched as a straight forward trilogy. That being said, i am one of the few people who preferred Batman Bedins to TDK.

[C. Lee]

Nope. To me, it seems like the start of a series.....not a - let's go back to the beginning of an established story and fit in an origin story - like most prequels are.

[Bruce Malone]

The reason i feel it has that prequel vibe is that i think most superhero films or films in general would have been tempted to start at pretty much the half way point of begins. Where you have bruce arrive in gotham after a long absence and then you start seeing him start off as batman, get the technology, vehicle, suit etc.

They might have just added in his backstory in asia and college aged bruce as mere flashbacks. Instead of devoting half the film to it. So it does sort of have that let's flush out a back-story feel in a good way of course.

Of course it is not an actual prequel but i really do feel that people not too familiar with begins as they are with tdk and then tdkr can easily feel it could be. I mean hell if you really wanted to you could almost sort of view it as a prequel to the original batman film.

[Mandalore464]

Edit : Deleted

[Fudgie]

Batman Begins bores me. The origin is too dragged out and the climax on the Narrow is so lame. I like to look at it as a franchise finding it's feet again. TDK feels like the great big epic main story. I hope TDKR is more epic.

[uniqueweasel]

I really enjoy the story in Begins, I think it lacks that 'epic' feel because it's not really that epic a story, because its a kind of stumbling Bruce trying to use his new found training against the crime world, aswell as getting used to his new suit and gadgets. I don't think it would of really made sense for him to be in the middle of complex story so early in his crime fighting career.

And I tend to agree with the OP, it could very easily be viewed as a prequel, and work in just the same way. Although i'm not so sure about it prequeling TDKR as obviously BB ends with the Joker card reveal, but certainly BB works as a great entry point to the Batman character, so why not!

[BatLobsterRises]

I've thought of this before...but I actually wouldn't say prequel. I think of it as a prologue to the rest of the trilogy. Getting all the pieces in place for a much larger adventure ahead.

[Cain]

Originally Posted by Mako

I don't, I view it for what it is. The first film in a trilogy.

Exactly.

[Thundercrack85]

I really can't think of too many good prequel films.

I'm trying. Most prequels are inferior. Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom... someone help me out here.

And you can't use the Hobbit because it doesn't exist yet.

[El Payaso]

Originally Posted by Fudgie

Batman Begins bores me. The origin is too dragged out and the climax on the Narrow is so lame. I like to look at it as a franchise finding it's feet again. TDK feels like the great big epic main story. I hope TDKR is more epic.

I agree 120% with this. Begins was trying to establish a new way but not quite doing it.

Originally Posted by Thundercrack85

I really can't think of too many good prequel films.

I find something in the 'prequel' concept inherently flawed. Maybe it's just me but big part of a narration is that you don't know exactly what is going to happen in the end. With a prequel you do.

[Picard Sisko]

Originally Posted by C. Lee

Nope. To me, it seems like the start of a series.....not a - let's go back to the beginning of an established story and fit in an origin story - like most prequels are.

If Batman Begins was a prequel, then it would be meant to watch it after TDK. It very much feels like the "start" of a trilogy, and TDK feels like the sequel in that trilogy. TDKR is going to feel like the end to the trilogy.

I think that TDK is the strength or prime of this series, as it is all that connects the 1st and 3rd movies together.

[Thundercrack85]

A sequel always has the advantage of building on the first one. The actors and writers are more experienced, they know what works, and what doesn't. They also got to use the Joker, Batman's archenemy, and an immensely popular character.

Unless of course a sequel is made for a movie that doesn't leave room for one. That can only end badly.

I suppose prequels are limited in what they can do by design. However, depending on what the writers do, they can leave the past open to a lot of stories, and twists.

[Bruce Malone]

With the way things appear to be coming full circle for TDKR and bringing in more elements from begins, begins is indeed starting to look more like the full fledged origin story.

I never denied it was but as viewed with TDK it would be easy to interpret it as a prequel as i've stated.

[Picard Sisko]

One thing I am excited for is that in the trailers, it looks like Bruce Wayne is back at that prison in Asia from Batman Begins. Is it a flashback perhaps? Maybe there is more to that part of the story than we thought...

[Fudgie]

It's not a flashback.

[TylerHaslett]

i look at it as what it is, a movie planned on its own, without necessarily brewing up to be the first in a trilogy. it reminds me alot of star wars a new hope in that way. it may have been planned as a possible start to something, but the movie is such a good movie, with so many good things about it.
Henry Ducard, talking about his lost love, while training Bruce is very sad, very heartbreaking. everything in the movie was needed, there were no cliched "prequel gap fillers" it was a great movie, and later turned out to be the a great start to one great soon to be classic trilogies like the original star wars (not the crappy redo versions), and lord of the rings.