Batman Begins or Iron Man

[DieSmiling]

They're hard to compare because they're very different, but I prefer Batman Begins. I'm definitely more of a Batman fan than an Iron Man fan, so I won't deny bias, but overall I think Batman Begins has a level of depth and character development that just isn't present in any other superhero movies... Iron Man is definitely funnier though, and definitely has better action... It's more of the quintessential summer superhero flick, but I don't think it's as good as Batman Begins.

 

[Tony Stark]

that's just your OPINION though, and mine along with many others feel that no screen time was wasted in Begins and that the transformation sequences flowed together SMOOTHLY

It's "Nolan's World of Realism" and in the "Real World" that's pretty much EXACTLY how it would happen

and that's the "Difference" between Iron Man and the new Batman franchise. "Iron Man" is set in a "fantasy world" where your transformation from Mark I to Mark III was more than likely fabricated and unrealistic whereas the Batman Franchise is set in a "real world" and your transformation from Bruce to Batman was as unfabricated and realistic as Nolan could make it

so if Begins seemed like it "dragged" for you it's because it wasn't set in a "fantasy world" whereas Iron Man was. You can take more liberties and suspend your belief more in fantasy, almost do whatever the hell you want, make transformations go as fast as you want

in the "Real World" you just can't do this

and in the end, you really can't compare Iron Man to ANY of the new Batman films. There's not enough similarities and them both being "origin stories" isn't enough

Whatever "real world" means, it has nothing to do with the fact that Iron Man was a much better movie than Batman Begins.

 

[turtlefocker]

Batman Begins and Iron Man are just as realistic as each-other in my opinion. I like Batman more but Iron Man has better action scenes than BB.

 

[turtlefocker]

For me, both were epic comic book movies.
Without a doubt.

Right now I really can't think of any flagrant flaws, or hell even minor ones about Iron Man.

Batman Begins, I haven't seen in a long while, but one thing I do remember is that everytime I had to witness Katie Holmes cold and crappy performance, it took away from the greatness of the movie.

Her part was an important one in the film, and she brought down the scenes she was in. I am so happy she's been replaced.

Scarecrow as a villain, the way he was presented imo wasn't as great as it could have been, but the hallucinations were epic.

Another important factor in considering which is the best movie is the fact that Nolan had several prior sequels to study and figure out what worked and what didn't, and then go on his own path.

Favreau took a character who wasn't a fraction as known by the mainstream as Batman, which had never had more then some cartoons, and of course the comics to work from, and he got it absolutely perfect the first time around.

The casting was perfect, the story was awesome, it was a great Iron Man story, and it didn't neglect the general public or the fanboys.

Great Post, I especially liked the bolded part.

 

[Tony Stark]

Batman Begins and Iron Man are just as realistic as each-other in my opinion. I like Batman more but Iron Man has better action scenes than BB.

Agreed, but the whole "realism" argument to me is a non-issue. You can't judge Superman, Spider-man or the Hulk on being realistic, so that standard shouldn't be applied in wheater a film is good or not.

Nolan took the "real world" approach, simply because Burton and Schumaker went for the larger than life fantasy look. Why would Nolan want to redo what's been done before. It's alot like how the new Battlestar Galactica went for the same sort of "realistic" approach (i.e bullets and ships that had to deal with the laws of physics), vs. the Star Wars like approach the original series took.

To me the only question of wheather a comic book film succeeds or fails is if it brings the heart of the character to the screen.

The Spider-man films were successful, because for the most part it did exactly that, especially in the first two films. The 3rd film wasn't nearly as good, for the simple fact it had too much fluff around the edges (i.e. the play by play durring the final fight)

The first Superman movie captured the character perfectly. I also think that the first Batman movie did that as well. The problems with it, was the lack of focuson Batman, and overemphasis on non essential characters like Vickey Vale.

In that same light Batman Begins succeeded, because it captured the essence of the character, and the writers went back to the comics for their source of inspiration. As I said above, my problem was they felt the need to explain every little detail, which I felt was annoying. I think Iron Man was much more efficient with Stark creating the armour while still developing the overall story arc.

Nolan is a very talented director (see Momento), but sometimes I feel he is his own worst enemy. He tries to be too cerebral at times, which interferes with the story telling (M. Night Shamalyan has the same issue).

 

[Tony Stark]

Batman Begins and Iron Man are just as realistic as each-other in my opinion. I like Batman more but Iron Man has better action scenes than BB.

Agreed, but the whole "realism" argument to me is a non-issue. You can't judge Superman, Spider-man or the Hulk on being realistic, so that standard shouldn't be applied in wheater a film is good or not.

Nolan took the "real world" approach, simply because Burton and Schumaker went for the larger than life fantasy look. Why would Nolan want to redo what's been done before. It's alot like how the new Battlestar Galactica went for the same sort of "realistic" approach (i.e bullets and ships that had to deal with the laws of physics), vs. the Star Wars like approach the original series took.

To me the only question of wheather a comic book film succeeds or fails is if it brings the heart of the character to the screen.

The Spider-man films were successful, because for the most part it did exactly that, especially in the first two films. The 3rd film wasn't nearly as good, for the simple fact it had too much fluff around the edges (i.e. the play by play durring the final fight)

The first Superman movie captured the character perfectly. I also think that the first Batman movie did that as well. The problems with it, was the lack of focuson Batman, and overemphasis on non essential characters like Vickey Vale.

In that same light Batman Begins succeeded, because it captured the essence of the character, and the writers went back to the comics for their source of inspiration. As I said above, my problem was they felt the need to explain every little detail, which I felt was annoying. I think Iron Man was much more efficient with Stark creating the armour while still developing the overall story arc.

Nolan is a very talented director (see Momento), but sometimes I feel he is his own worst enemy. He tries to be too cerebral at times, which interferes with the story telling (M. Night Shamalyan has the same issue).

 

[Hush]

I think that Batman Begin is a better start to a franchise simply because Iron Man is really just a stepping stone for The Avengers movie. I like Batman Begins alot but Iron Man beats it action wise. To be honest though character developement wise I would say BB dominates on all levels, not to undermine the great work the cast did on Iron Man but BB is just a better start to a Franchise, Iron Man is a great start to a series of films that lead to a bigger one.

 

[Ultimate_Superman]

IMO Batman Begins is a better start. I think Iron Man was a good movie but the story was lacking if I am looking for a movie with alot of action and jokes but a lacking storyline then you would want to watch Iron Man and X3 and Spider-Man but if I am looking for a movie with action but also with a great mature storyline then I will watch Batman Begins, Superman Reutrns, and Punisher and X-Men 1 and 2.

See IMO that is where Marvel and DC differ in comics and movies. Marvel as far as their movies go mainly do stuff with tons of action but have a bad or poor story to go along with it. While DC on the other hand has a great story but little action and is more for teens (16 and older) and adults while Marvels is for kids of all ages. Thats the problem DC did the popcorn flick type movies with Superman III and IV and Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. Those didn't work for them but Returns and Begins did. IMO even though both are comic book movies they are approaching them in two different ways that work for the both of them.

 

[Dangerous]

truely the only films to compare are: Iron Man VS The Dark Knight

and obviously, TDK wins by default

(don't even have to see the film to know it's going to completley annihilate Iron Man) the previews alone prove this

You sir, are a dumbass.

 

[luca_frontino]

I voted for Iron Man even if I've not seen it, because Begins lacked of the presence of Joker.
Scarecrow and Ras were just lame.

 

[Bubonic]

You sir, are a dumbass.

I was sort of thinking the same thing.

I understand what he's saying about Iron Man possibly having the advantage due to people being freshly geeked about it, but rating it up against a sequel is ridiculous.

I invite anyone who has the time to rewatch BB now that IM is fresh in their mind and vote here, on the grounds that they are both origin superhero movies.

Not on the tone of either movie, whether it be dark or lighthearted shouldn't cloud someones decision as to whether or not one movie is overall better then the other.

Instead consider casting, directing, scripting, visuals, and whatever you think might factor in to make one edge out the other.

The reason that rating it up against TDK is unfair is because sequels to these movies have tended to almost always be better then their opener, they learnt from the mistakes of the first one, they've gotten the origin out of the way and already started developing important characters, basically everything is set in place for a win if you had a good concept to begin with.

What amazes me with Iron Man is that it got past that initial first movie flawlessly in my eyes, and for once I didn't leave the theater saying "this was good, but they've got things to fix for the sequel."

 

[Darkfly]

I was sort of thinking the same thing.

I understand what he's saying about Iron Man possibly having the advantage due to people being freshly geeked about it, but rating it up against a sequel is ridiculous.

I invite anyone who has the time to rewatch BB now that IM is fresh in their mind and vote here, on the grounds that they are both origin superhero movies.

Not on the tone of either movie, whether it be dark or lighthearted shouldn't cloud someones decision as to whether or not one movie is overall better then the other.

Instead consider casting, directing, scripting, visuals, and whatever you think might factor in to make one edge out the other.

The reason that rating it up against TDK is unfair is because sequels to these movies have tended to almost always be better then their opener, they learnt from the mistakes of the first one, they've gotten the origin out of the way and already started developing important characters, basically everything is set in place for a win if you had a good concept to begin with.

What amazes me with Iron Man is that it got past that initial first movie flawlessly in my eyes, and for once I didn't leave the theater saying "this was good, but they've got things to fix for the sequel."

Watched it in the last 2 weeks & I still think Iron Man is better, I personally never based it on the mood of the film or realism BS. I just have so many nit picks with Batman Begins. Acting wise I didn't like Christian Bale as Batman that much don't get me wrong he's a great actor but it didn't quite feel right for me. Katie Holmes, do I really need to explain & the fact they created up a character called Rachael Dawes when they could of picked so one of the many interesting girls from the Batman Comics. Cillian Murphy was a wasted opportunity, great actor, great performance, shame they gave him little on screen time & a poor story. Liam Neeson was much the shame, & Ra Al Ghoul should of never been killed. Gary Oldman was the only thing I truly loved about the film but failed to get enough screetime, he really is the perfect Gordon. Michael Caine as Alfred was an usual choice but he pulled off a great performance & some much needed comic relief. The finale was poorly executed & very dull for a Comic book movie especially around the time that water-air-molecular thingy machine came into the equation. I disliked the tumbler from the moment I saw it, again they could of taken some inspiration from the comics. The script was weak at times in so many places, the dialogue was sometimes out of place, but at times had some truly original idea's (probably Nolan's bits).



I went into Iron Man thinking its going to be a fun comic book film which will probably suffice my needs. But what I got was that with a semi serious undertone, possibly one of the best casts in any comic book film including Robert Downey Jr., one of my favourite actors. The film stuck pretty damn true to the comics minus switching the captor's. Robert Downey Jr. is possibly the best fit for a character from a comic book yet, Paltrow was great as Peeper Pots, Jeff Bridges put in a solid performance as Obadiah Stane, & Terrence Howard was as likeable as ever. The Mark III suit, was simply perfect as was the other Mark suits. Iron Man had a fantastic first half, while the second half was almost as good but lacked ever so slightly in the finale. I admire the fact that they choose to have Pepper & Stark never actually getting it on, since like so many films they could of just stuck a little kiss in there at the end but I was pleasantly surprised they didn't. Throughout the film you really did see Stark's character go through a change of character. Iron Man's script knew what it wanted & didn't stumble once, great tale of Iron Man's origin's, the film went along at a good pace never getting stuck in one particular part of the story, & the dialogue was snappy & fast.




Batman Begins is a good comic book film & a worthy Batman film but just has a few too many flaw's in my opinion (An opinion cannot be wrong).

Iron Man was a perfect start to a franchise, never really let down in any area (acting, story, effects, music, etc) providing a very satisfactory film, were I never went I wish they had included or done that.



But when it comes down to it both are great movies, I just so happen to think Iron Man is the better film, sue me.

 

[Knightsaber Priss]

This might be a revolutionary response, but how about a Both Option?

 

[Raiden]

you can't compare BB to IM because they're both ORIGIN stories? Begins came out a few years ago whereas Iron Man JUST CAME OUT recently and everyone is still feeling that hype

and given that IM is actually a good film, then of course people are going to go with that over Begins asking that question in this point in time. A lot opinions are going to biased

truely the only films to compare are: Iron Man VS The Dark Knight

and obviously, TDK wins by default

(don't even have to see the film to know it's going to completley annihilate Iron Man) the previews alone prove this

I don't think you can use previews to prove that TDK will "annihilate" IM. Let's face it, when you saw the previews for IM did you think it'd gross 100 mil in its first weekend? Yeah, that's what I thought.

 

[Tony Stark]

IMO Batman Begins is a better start. I think Iron Man was a good movie but the story was lacking if I am looking for a movie with alot of action and jokes but a lacking storyline then you would want to watch Iron Man and X3 and Spider-Man but if I am looking for a movie with action but also with a great mature storyline then I will watch Batman Begins, Superman Reutrns, and Punisher and X-Men 1 and 2.

See IMO that is where Marvel and DC differ in comics and movies. Marvel as far as their movies go mainly do stuff with tons of action but have a bad or poor story to go along with it. While DC on the other hand has a great story but little action and is more for teens (16 and older) and adults while Marvels is for kids of all ages. Thats the problem DC did the popcorn flick type movies with Superman III and IV and Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. Those didn't work for them but Returns and Begins did. IMO even though both are comic book movies they are approaching them in two different ways that work for the both of them.

Yeah because the Kryptonite real-estate story line was really superb to anything Marvel put out.

 

[BMM]

This might be a revolutionary response, but how about a Both Option?

 

[RonStoppablefan]

I like both films but I have to say I just enjoyed Iron Man a lot better. Had some great humor, actors were fantastic, action was awesome and I really liked the finale battle at the end that was great. I really can't wait for the second film.

 

[CWP]

I really enjoyed both of them, but I voted for Batman Begins. It has a pretty awesome soundtrack and has some of the coolest stuff like cast and plot in any movie ever.
Iron Man is a blast to watch though. I liked the cast, I liked the story, I liked the special effects, it's real cool to watch.

 

[Zacky]

I just came back from seeing it i though it was great but i did not like the final fight.BB was great from beginning to end.

 

[The Navigator]

Iron Man seems to be a better execution of the characters' arcs, design, story, pacing and tone. I like BB a lot, but the inclusion of Rachel Dawes--rather distracting, and not in a good way--the meandering story threads which were forced together by a quick pace and music, and the very superhero but very un-Batman monorail climax detract too much to put it ahead of Iron Man.

In addition, Iron Man is more of the self-made superhero I was hoping to see in Batman. I'm willing to watch three different stages of armor transformation because we see Tony himself perfect them by trial and error. But watching Lucius/Alfred explain the nuances of Waynetech gear and basically just handing him everything in the same amount of time gets tedious and drags the movie down.

In all, a stronger start and therefore a better foundation to build on.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Batman Begins, but not by that much.

Though to note: Superman: The Movie is my favorite DC film (BB is 2nd).

 

[Agentsands77]

BEGINS definitely has the edge here. It's just the better package overall, which a much more consistent story and development. Not that BEGINS has a perfect structure (far from it, actually), but in IRON MAN, the story really is all over the place.

The only really distinctive element about IRON MAN are the performances from Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, and they elevate everything around them. The rest of it is just "ok." We have some forgettable action, an execrable villain, one of the worst climaxes in recent superhero memory... it just doesn't all come together. It's probably the best of the MARVEL films, but that's not saying much.

 

[Rac]

Sheesh. I like 'em both very much. Can't decide.

 

[Tony Stark]

BEGINS definitely has the edge here. It's just the better package overall, which a much more consistent story and development. Not that BEGINS has a perfect structure (far from it, actually), but in IRON MAN, the story really is all over the place.

The only really distinctive element about IRON MAN are the performances from Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, and they elevate everything around them. The rest of it is just "ok." We have some forgettable action, an execrable villain, one of the worst climaxes in recent superhero memory... it just doesn't all come together. It's probably the best of the MARVEL films, but that's not saying much.

The story was not all over the place. The storytelling was very cohesive. If you liked BB better, fine, but there was no problem with the storytelling.

 

[Agentsands77]

The story was not all over the place. The storytelling was very cohesive.

Just stating it doesn't really bring anything to the depth of discussion. Care to elaborate as to how or why the film doesn't suffer from any of the allegations I bring against it?