Fear. Chaos. Pain. Vote for your favorite Nolan Batfilm!

[mego joe]

Batman Begins hands down. Captures the feel of the comics while making it 'real' at the same time. And finally a proper film origin for Batman.

[mego joe]

Originally Posted by DACrowe

I voted TDK. I'm honestly surprised to see TDKR is winning this poll. I really can't decide which is better between BB and TDKR. At first I gave it to BB, but I admit my love for that film is colored by it was the first "Batman movie" made in the way I always wanted. BB has a much stronger first act in introducing us to Bruce, his journey and his world, but TDKR, pardon the pun, rises so much higher in its narrative ambitions and has a much stronger ending. So....it's tough.

What isn't hard is saying that TDK blows them both away. To me it took two of the most iconic aspects of Batman's mythos (his yin/yang and order/chaos relationship with the Joker; the tragic fall of trusted friend Harvey Dent becoming Two-Face) and wove them into a narrative that both drew from comics like TKJ and TLH, as well as films and television like Heat and The Wire. Most of all it wrapped it into a morally ambiguous and uneasy reality seeped in post-9/11. I honestly do believe when people look back at cinema in the post-9/11 world of the Bush years, TDK will be one of the benchmark films that expressed the feelings of existential dread, disgust at some of our policies and wars and the obsession with hope and heroism that followed that tragic event (the papers about superhero films being a major product of national yearning have already been written).

And I haven't even mentioned Heath Ledger yet.

This is an easy vote for me.

Very surprised to see TDKR winning also, it has the most glaring mistakes of the all three films IMO, and the worst choice of main villain.

[Anno_Domini]

Originally Posted by mego joe

Very surprised to see TDKR winning also, it has the most glaring mistakes of the all three films IMO, and the worst choice of main villain IMO.

Fixed

[mego joe]

Originally Posted by Anno_Domini

Fixed

No, it was right. Bane doesn't hold a candle to the characters of R'as al Guhl, the Joker, Catwoman or Talia. Bane is only ever a physical challenge for Batman. The others hit on the psychological and emotional levels.

[pixiesvision]

Originally Posted by mego joe

No, it was right. Bane doesn't hold a candle to the characters of R'as al Guhl, the Joker, Catwoman or Talia. Bane is only ever a physical challenge for Batman. The others hit on the psychological and emotional levels.

Really? Bane scared the **** outta me for the most part of the movie. Although still not my favorite from the trilogy.

[747]

Not that's it's that important to me really, but does anyone also feels that TDKR has the most comic-book language of all three? Though BB has a lot of that too of course, I just feel it's even stronger and even better executed in TDKR.

[Superman Prime]

TDK.

I suspect the results are slightly influenced by TDKR having come out so recently. If you make this poll in a year or two, it'll probably be more balanced.

[Superman Prime]

Originally Posted by 747

Not that's it's that important to me really, but does anyone also feels that TDKR has the most comic-book language of all three? Though BB has a lot of that too of course, I just feel it's even stronger and even better executed in TDKR.

Not really, though not sure exactly what you mean by "comic-book language". They never even called Selina Kyle "Catwoman" in TDKR, just "cat burgler".

BB and TDK had more comic book charm, meaning endearing outlandishness (LoS ninjas, crazy gas, The Joker).

[Anno_Domini]

Originally Posted by mego joe

No, it was right. Bane doesn't hold a candle to the characters of R'as al Guhl, the Joker, Catwoman or Talia. Bane is only ever a physical challenge for Batman. The others hit on the psychological and emotional levels.

Talia? Are you kidding?

Bane is one of Batman's most feared adversaries and miles better than Talia. Sure, Ra's, Joker and Catwoman are definitely in the top five, but Bane is in the top ten while Talia is maybe in the top fifteen or twenty.

[CConn]

Originally Posted by Anno_Domini

Talia? Are you kidding?

Bane is one of Batman's most feared adversaries and miles better than Talia. Sure, Ra's, Joker and Catwoman are definitely in the top five, but Bane is in the top ten while Talia is maybe in the top fifteen or twenty.

After Morrison is done his run, she'll be in the Top 5.

He's in the process of turning her into a villain at least on the scale of Ra's, if not bigger.

[Anno_Domini]

Originally Posted by CConn

After Morrison is done his run, she'll be in the Top 5.

He's in the process of turning her into a villain at least on the scale of Ra's, if not bigger.

I will like to see this happen.

[The Joker]

Morrison is ruining Talia by making her such an evil biotch. Talia was never that nasty.

[CConn]

Originally Posted by mego joe

No, it was right. Bane doesn't hold a candle to the characters of R'as al Guhl, the Joker, Catwoman or Talia. Bane is only ever a physical challenge for Batman. The others hit on the psychological and emotional levels.

You are horribly wrong about one thing though; Bane has always been much more than just a physical threat to Batman. Did you even read Vengeance of Bane and/or Knightfall?

Both stories detail that Bane is about both physical and psychological prowess. In Knightfall, his entire plan for breaking Batman is driven by first wearing him down mentally and emotionally before finally attacking him physically.

Bane is an extremely intelligent and thoughtful villain in the comics that rivals Batman on both an physical and intellectual level.

[robthorn24]

Hmmm... This is a tough one. It's hard for me to vote TDKR right now because it's so fresh. I need to watch multiple, multiple viewings of it to see how it stacks up against the other two, which I love dearly. The thing is, each film gives something totally different, so it may depend of my mood.

[CConn]

Originally Posted by Anno_Domini

I will like to see this happen.

Go read Morrison's Batman run.

At very least, Batman Inc.

I would probably say...

1. The Joker
2. Ra's Al Ghul
3. Two-Face
4. Bane
5. Talia Al Ghul

The only other villain that comes close to those 5 in terms of emotional impact for Batman would be Dr. Hurt. And he was just working for Talia anyway. All of Batman's other villains - as cool as they are - are more about their own personal gimmicks than having inflicted real pain on Bruce.

[DACrowe]

Having seen TDKR again....it may be better than BB, after all. The first time I saw it, there was so much going on, I wasn't sure it all flowed properly. But having seen it now multiple times, it works really well and like Inception or The Prestige all the pieces do fit together pretty perfectly to me (save for how Bruce got back into Gotham with no explanation).

It also has such an amazing third act, that I think I may like it better than BB whose third act, while featuring some great images of Batman flying/hanging from the train and Liam Neeson nailing it, felt very by the numbers. I think BB's has a stronger first act with Bruce becoming Batman, but TDKR is stronger overall. Then again TDKR is new and I've seen BB countless times.

TDK is still the best.

[DoomsdayApex]

Originally Posted by mego joe

No, it was right. Bane doesn't hold a candle to the characters of R'as al Guhl, the Joker, Catwoman or Talia. Bane is only ever a physical challenge for Batman. The others hit on the psychological and emotional levels.

[DACrowe]

Originally Posted by CConn

Go read Morrison's Batman run.

At very least, Batman Inc.

I would probably say...

1. The Joker
2. Ra's Al Ghul
3. Two-Face
4. Bane
5. Talia Al Ghul

The only other villain that comes close to those 5 in terms of emotional impact for Batman would be Dr. Hurt. And he was just working for Talia anyway. All of Batman's other villains - as cool as they are - are more about their own personal gimmicks than having inflicted real pain on Bruce.

I haven't read Batman Inc. (read Morrison's run up to it when Bruce Wayne returns), but he's made Talia full fledged villain as opposed to an angry parent in a custody battle? So, she is basically how she is in this movie...

If I had to rank Batman's best/most important villains in the comics, I'd go:

1. The Joker
2. Ra's Al Ghul
3. Two-Face
4. Catwoman
5. Bane

Honorable mentions go to Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and the Scarecrow.

Funny how Nolan ended up using all five of those. Very telling that he, or at least Goyer, knew where to draw from.

[CConn]

I wouldn't count Catwomqn as a villain.

She hasn't been at odds with Batman in years.

Yes, Inc. reveals Talia to be the mastermind behind everything; plotting with the sole purpose of destroying Batman. She's pretty awesome.

[JackWhite]

Originally Posted by AnneFan

Good post, Jack. Agreed on Rises having the better fighting, women and Bruce Wayne sections. TDK is still the better film for me, but Rises isn't a slouch either. It's definitely not as bad as people first thought at all. Re watches are the charm.

Thanks a lot AnneFan.

[Anno_Domini]

Originally Posted by CConn

I wouldn't count Catwomqn as a villain.

She hasn't been at odds with Batman in years.

Yes, Inc. reveals Talia to be the mastermind behind everything; plotting with the sole purpose of destroying Batman. She's pretty awesome.

Imo, that's Talia's role in TDKR. To destroy Bruce Wayne while Bane destroys Gotham before the bomb and destroys Batman, or just tried to.

[BareYourTeeth]

Have to go with TDK and btw...


Fear. Chaos. Destruction.


Your Welcome.

[Anno_Domini]

Originally Posted by BareYourTeeth

Have to go with TDK and btw...


Fear. Chaos. Destruction.


Your Welcome.

No one's going to say thank you when you're wrong

It's been said TDKR is all about 'Pain and Suffering' and also 'Hope'.

[Mister H.]

Batman Begins is my favorite, with TDKR a very close second. Just glad to see that TDK isn't in first place.

[FlawlessVictory]

And that has been a problem with TDKR. Not a consensus on the theme. Everyone seems to say something different. I've heard Destruction, Pain, Hope, Suffering, Despair, Fear again, Redemption...