The Dark Knight Rises Reflections of a Trilogy

[jmc]

We're a little over two months away from the end of what's arguably the best series of films ever made for a comic book character, a series that is going to have a definitive end and live long as a benchmark for the genre. With the conclusion of the series coming ever closer I thought it would be a great time now in the lead up to July 20 for people to share their memories and thoughts from the last 7 years, what you loved, didn't love, your experiences online or at the cinema, where you were with the character before and after Batman Begins, what your hopes were for the character and the series before anything hit the screen, and ultimately where it will leave you as a Batman fan once all is said in done. I think it would be a great to read peoples own journey over the last 7 years from the diehard fan who's been waiting for this series of films to happen his entire life to the lost fan who's love of the character was rekindled after becoming disenchanted after 1997. Time to start the group therapy session.

 

[CapedCrusader14]

I know when Begins came out I wasn't really into Batman much for a while (mind you, I was about 9 years old ) but I went to see it casually and I was in love with it after I saw it.

In the lead up to TDK, my Batman mode turned on again and I decided to get into the graphic novels and I've been reading them ever since. My first graphic novel was The Long Halloween

TDK was the first time I called a film my favourite and it was the film that really made me get into film in general.

This is just a small post which I may elaborate on later (I'm getting tired ) but in short: TDKR is a big deal to me as it is the conclusion to my favourite character of all time since I've been a child (I was a fan many years before Begins mind you, like when I was 4 years old) and it is the conclusion to my favourite film series.

It's been a hell of a ride.

 

[xTheSandyClaws]

I had always been a big batman fan ever since I was a child I remember looking at the old batman series with Adam West in it every weekend with my brother (who was also a big batman fan). I loved the Tim Burton Batman movies so much but after them came Batman Forever and Batman and Robin which I HATED SO MUCH. they really made me lose faith the in the batman world.

I remember when I first heard of begins I was a little bit worried. Were they going to do a good job? Had gotten a good cast together? I remember after I saw it I feel in love with batman all over again. Nolan made the series so realistic that I could imagine this happening in the real world.

I remember hearing that Heath Ledger was going to play the joker and I hadn't seen any footage of him in the role. The only movie I had seen him in was A Knights Tale and I did like him in that but I wasn't sure if he was Joker material. To me the Joker was the most terrifying villian in Batman (he terrified me as a child I have a serious fear of anything Clown like). Then I saw the movie and He was ..... a word can't really describe how good he was. He was a very realistic villian. I don't think anyone could do a better preformance of the Joker. He really did make the movie what it is. TDK was absolutly amazing. I saw with all my friends. none of them had ever had an interest in the comics. We really all went to see it for Heath Ledger. There was one part of the movie where Rachel had just died and Harvey was all burned. the whole screen just went silent and my friend beside was crying, which made me cry and it is really hard to get me to cry at a movie. The movie had me at the edge of my seat the whole time and there are very few movies that have made me love every minute of it.

I really can't wait for the TDKR but at the same time I really don't want it to end. the trailers so far have been great and I love the cast in this movie and Bane does look scary .

 

[EliteF50]

Begins remains my favourite comic book movie of all time. I hope TDKR can top it.

 

[Alchemy Arcade]

I know I've posted something like this before, but growing up as a Military Brat and moving all over the planet friends were in short supply, so comics became my world, and Batman was the thing that world revolved around. As a kid the Burton films captured what I was always hoping they would and the Schumacher films defied and spit in the face of everything I loved.
The adult I became was very apprehensive of a reboot, especially with Ra's as the first villain. It wasn't very long into Begins that I was quickly eating crow with my popcorn, and my faith in Batman Movies was restored.
From the announcement of a sequel until opening night of The Dark Knight I was shaking with anticipation, and that film was everything I was hoping for and more. Christopher Nolan took the character Harvey Dent and gave him the greatest tragic transformation in film, basically doing what took George Lucas 3 films to do in just one film. And Ledger's interpretation of the Joker made me trust Nolan with anything.
But Begins still remains to have that special place in my heart for restoring my faith in the Film Industry's understanding of greatest character in modern history, and for exceeding my expectations for what a Batman film "should be".
Right now I can already predict The Dark Knight Rises will exceed that special place Begins has just by the "full circle" mix of the last two films it has already shown us with just a minutes of footage.
This trilogy means a lot to Batman fans and Film fans alike, and it will be referred to for years to come through comparative conversations about both subjects.
The Dark Knight Trilogy has been the greatest ride I've had while sitting still.

 

[fire_rising]

Begins was the greatest moment I had ever had in cinema. 12 years old, didn't know anything about the Bats, and I came out of that theater with a whole new perspective on superheroes.

I'm not expecting a movie that is perfect or a movie that will bring me to tears. But when I see TDKR, I want to feel a bit of what I felt when I saw BB. I grew up with this Batman.

 

[TheFuture]

I was 18 when BB came out and I was skeptical at the time, Ra's Al Ghul and Scarecrow? They didn't excite me, and it kind of felt like they were scraping the barrell in terms of the rogues gallery. But my god, I ended up finding it to be the most engrossing experience I ever had watching any superhero film, never mind of the Batman films. I loved Bruce's character arc and for the first time was able to relate to the character on screen. The villains, while not A-listers, were just so well written with great performances to the point that I felt that were stronger than previous villains used on screen. Loved the look of Gotham as well.

TDK was a true spectacle, and while I initially preferred watching BB over it, I have recently developed a real appreciation for what Nolan and co. achieved with this film. People complain about the action and yeah, while that aspect can be better, these films were never about being flash. They were about the story, the characters, the performances and most of all, having heart.

The main thing I'll take from this trilogy is that they are just perfectly crafted, so much so that they go beyond mere comic book adaptations. They actually mean something to me to the point where if I'm ever feeling down, I can watch these films again and they'll pick me up. I know that sounds corny, I just connect to these films on a very special level.

 

[bullets]

When Batman Begins came out I wasn't following the production. I remember at one point David Boreanez was rumored to plat Batman and it would of been a prequel. I'd really lost hope for the franchise and also thought it might revert back to the campy Schumacher style at some point.
I'd see the poster at bus stops and finally decided I have to see it anyway. The film had already been in the theater for two weeks. I literally had not seen a trailer beforehand but found out they cast Christian Bale , which was promising.
I saw the film and was completely blown away. I think a reviewer summed it up best when he said if they started showing a sequel with Joker instead of the credits everyone would of remained seated.
So then I started getting amped for the sequel and was shocked at the casting of Heath. I thought he was cast just so they would have a Joker that could be somewhat of a physical threat. I went opening day in IMAX and it was one of the best moviegoing experiences of my life. Everything was great and they took it up a notch. I had seen Nolan's other films so I had an appreciation for him and most of the the cast as well. I didn't know who Aaron Eckhart was until TDK but thought he was fantastic. Heath surprised me and it deeply saddens me that his life was cut short.
I honestly thought Nolan might not do a TDK sequel. I would of understood if he stepped away. I'm glad they didn't try to rush it into production and in between we got Inception. Another great film.
I think a lot of people were wondering " how can you top tdk" or will it live up to the hype but this film looks epic. It's gonna be great and I'm glad we got to see it come full circle.

 

[Closerframe]

I remember sneaking into Batman Begins when I originally bought a ticket to see High Tension because my girlfriend at the time wanted to see that. It was a weird experience because it was a completely different take on Batman that I had to get adjusted to. I remember seeing Liam Neeson and immediately thinking how Nolan messed up for simply making him Henry Ducard and having Watanabe, a Japanese' actor, as the infamous Ras Al Ghul. Of course, this was never the case and I was impressed with the twist because I was so focused on Scarecrow and Falcone, I never thought about Neeson actually being Ras. Finally, the ending with the Joker card sent shivers down my spine and everyone in the theater started applauding. My friends of course were confused and didn't understand everyone's excitement for a 'simple' playing card.

Three years later, The Dark Knight is about to be released and I'm in my senior year of high school. Ever since I was a kid, I was a big fan of the Joker, so Ledger as the Joker didn't scare me after the first still was released. There were plenty of jokes made about "Crow Joker" or "Emo Joker", but I had utter faith in Nolan. The day it was released I saw it with several friends and family. I told everyone to remain quite the entire time so I could fully enjoy the inevitable masterpiece. When it concluded, I never felt the way I did after watching a movie in a theater. I was in a trance that I didn't wake from until several days after the film had fully marinaded in my mind.

Now, in 2012, The Dark Knight Rises approaches. The trailers are bleak, barely getting any viral stuff, and where are all the posters? I'm excited for Bane and possible Talia, but I have to say my excitement isn't as high as it was for TDK. I'm actually looking more forward to Prometheus, but I have no doubt TDKR will be a awesome and possibly better than its predecessor, but I just don't have as much excitement as I wish I had.

 

[paulvonzeppelin]

I remember when I saw Begins at the Horton Plaza theater on the day of 6th Grade graduation. I was young, and I kind of was more interested in seeing batman beating up bad guys then training with ninjas, but I realized while watching that this was a very special movie. The excitement, the drama, the visuals. It was truly an epic experience, it was creepy and dark and really just a crazy movie. I remember getting it for my birthday with an episode of The Batman (I still wish I would have gotten the version with special features instead, but it's the thought that counts right? ) and watching it on the car ride to disneyland.

The Dark Knight was a movie I was like twice as excited for even though I wasn't as into batman as before. I was watching the cast on TV. I knew the entire cast, I knew who they almost casted (apparently James Gandolfini was in the running for Sal Maroni) I was under the impression that the sequel (the 3rd) was going to involve the Joker on trial and Harvey becoming Two-face, so when I saw the clip of Dent and Wertz in the bar I was a bit shocked. I got Batman Gotham Knight at blockbuster. I was a bit apprehensive of the Hong Kong sequence I kept hearing about. This was when I was starting to figure out the internet more and I was vaguely familiar with Why So Serious? but I never got into it. I wanted to see it opening weekend but I got into trouble and was forced to see it on Monday or something. Then I saw it again with a friend on Wednesday. It remains the only movie I've ever been able to see more than once in theaters that I actually wanted to see more than once in theaters. Like the training sequence, the Hong Kong sequence blew me away. The movie was such a tour de force. I remember all sophmore year people were quoting it or referencing it or something. I got into comics a bit again because of that movie. I still sometimes read The Long Halloween in the voices of the characters from The Dark Knight and Begins (Batman, Joker, Gordon, Maroni, Dent, Falcone, ect.)

Now I immediately was waiting for a sequel. I had heard all the rumors. Catwoman and Riddler. Riddler and Penguin. I remember IGN speculating on potential ways to incorporate villans like Poison Ivy and Penguin and Blackmask in a nolan-esque manner. I even heard back in like 2009 that Joseph Gordon Levitt was possibly a choice to replace Ledger as joker. I heard every casting rumor from Angelina Jolie as Catwoman, to Johnny Depp, David Hyde Pierce, and David Tennant as the Riddler. When I first started hearing about The Dark Knight Rises being official and hearing about some of the great cast members whose prior work had impressed me(JGL, Hathaway, Modine), I knew I had to keep up with this movie. The previous Summer I had tracked much of Scream 4's production via set photos and I had really enjoyed seeing the process so I decided I would try and do the same with TDKR. Though I didn't really find much till Pittsburg, once I saw the giant riot on the cityhall steps, I knew that this was going to be a great and unique movie. the more I saw, the more I loved. I started lurking Nolanfans and here, and sometimes I periodically even post. I did operation Early bird, I saw Sherlock holmes twice because I didn't see trailer#2 the first time, I did the Gotham PD scavenger hunt. I am just thrilled for this movie. I have facebook group with my friends so I can alert them of any viral events that we can participate in. I don't know if I have ever been so excited for something.

 

[A.Stabelli]

My first Batman film was Batman Forever. And I will forever hate that film for not taking Batman seriously and treating him like a clown. I grew up on Batman The Animated Series, so I already knew that Batman was a dark, serious, figure of the night that lurked in the shadows and beat criminals to a pulp. So I wanted too see that on the big screen. Flash forward to 2005. Batman Begins is filming and is set to be released. I never heard of Christopher Nolan or Christian Bale. All I was focused on was Batman Begins. When the first teaser was released, I watched it and was taken aback. Nolan was taking my favorite character in comics seriously. This was going to be the Batman I've always wanted to see on film. Opening night, I was psyched as all hell. I saw the movie, and was blown away. Christian was great as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Gary Oldman was fantastic as Gordon, Michael Caine wowed me as Alfred, Katie Holmes did a great job as Rachel Dawes. The entire cast was great. We finally got to see the Batman's origin on film. Of course I wanted a sequel. So we hit 2008, and The Dark Knight. I'm pumped as all hell. When Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker, I remember having no problems. I thought Heath was a fantastic actor and that he would do an excellent job as the Joker. When he passed away, I was crushed. But I was still looking forward to his preformance. July 18th hits. And I actually painted my face to look like Heath's Joker. I see the movie with my friend and once again, I am blown away at what Nolan and his team were doing with Batman and his world. Heath took the Joker and made that character his own. He owned it. And was magnificent like I knew he would be. We end the movie with our hero Batman, on the run from the cops. So we are know in 2012. And The Dark Knight Rises. We are two months away from the conclusion to this fantastic trilogy. Tom Hardy is Bane, Anne Hathaway is Selina Kyle and Catwoman. I cannot wait for Rises. But at the same time, I'm sad because this is Chris Nolan's final Batman film. So to Chris, Christian, Gary, Michael, Heath, Morgan, Anne, Hans, James, Emma, Charles, Wally, and everyone who has worked on these three films. Thank you for making Batman cool again, and giving us a trilogy we will forever hold close to our hearts. Thank you.

 

[AnneFan]

I'll start with BB first I guess. I took the day off school to see it on the first day. I sat next to some guy and before it started we spoke about how great the cast was, how the movie would be excellent and restore some pride to the franchise. One of the main things I remember is being taken aback at how angry and forceful Bale was in the swear to me sequence. I knew it was going to be gritty, but perhaps not to that extent.

 

[whirlwindboy]

i'm not going to lie i didn't watch Batman Begins until two weeks before The Dark Knight. All the super hero movies prior had left a crappy feeling in my stomach. Once i seen Begins i was amazed and i have been a huge Batman fan since. I've started reading graphic novels, collecting statues and toys, framing and collecting the movie posters, went to the prologue, and watch the trailers more than is healthy. Now that the series is about to end i don't know what i'll do.

The Mayans were right, In 2012 my world is coming to an end.

 

[gillberg2k1]

Oh boy, mine's going to be a long one...but I'll save that for the 'Gill Tells All' thread further down the line.

Good stories

 

[BatLobster]

oh boy, mine's going to be a long one...but i'll save that for the 'gill tells all' thread further down the line.

Good stories

epic.

 

[Brother Jack]

I saw Batman Begins with my cousin. I was 14 at the time and had no idea who Nolan or Bale were or anything about the film except that it was coming out. I had always loved Batman with the The Animated Series and the comics, but that interest had waned in my adolescent years with the absence of any new film. Batman felt almost old to me in those days. The theater my cousin and I watched Begins in was pretty vacant except for a group of what looked like college kids sitting close to us. They evidently enjoyed it; I remember they were audibly excited when Batman overpowers Ra's in the train. As soon as the "wing flap" sound started pulsating in the opening studio credits and then with the bats forming the symbol I knew this was something drastically different to anything Batman I had been exposed to prior. The movie humanized Bruce Wayne for me in a way he never had before; perhaps for the first time I felt I could relate to him. Batman was new again.

 

[TCCB]

Great thread idea jmc!

After reading these posts I can see some similarities in how I felt watching Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and alot of differences, which is great. These movies are different to everyone and that's why it's great to have a forum to discuss them together.

I've been a Batman fan since the age of 4 or 5 years old. Started watching the reruns of the 60's show. In 89 I was just shy of 7 my mom took me to see Burton's Batman after much begging. We sat in the back of the theatre, I was blown away. Here was something different, something darker, something adult. Also for the longest time I didn't know if Nickolsons Joker survived the fall because I was too freaked out that he was laughing still and supposedly dead...but anyway, after that Batman would be one of the only constants in my life. I saw Returns in theatres, skipped Forever and saw Batman & Robin in the cinema as well, at 15 years old, it wasn't THAT bad, but Adam West was my first introduction to Batman after all.
In the meanwhile between B&R and BB I watched all of the animated series and was fairly content with Batman being a cartoon for the rest of my life.

I remember watching American Psycho BEFORE Batman Begins and really liking Christian Bale and told my friends I thought he would be a great Bruce Wayne, just by how he looked. (And needless to say his acting was wonderful) Then when I found out he WAS going to be playing Bruce and Batman I was very excited.
During Begins I was entranced by the respect and new vision this movie had for my beloved Caped Crusader. I felt like I did when I was 6 years old, seeing an entirely new version of Batman, one I didn't expect, but one I was always hoping for. I left the theatre with my friends elated....FINALLY someone got Batman right and oh my god, they showed a Joker card at the end!
I couldn't wait to see Begins again and for the sequel.

I was pretty heavy into following the viral campaign for The Dark Knight and my friend (and Batman Buddy) Joe and I went to Chicago for the last one. Saw TDK opening night at the IMAX and I had some kind of out-of-body experience. I remember being scared of Heath as the Joker, (the magic trick and LOOK AT ME! scenes especially) my heart broke for Bruce, Harvey, Alfred and Gordon, my jaw dropped with scenes like the Bat-pod ejecting out of the Tumbler and Batman gliding through Hong Kong. I sat stunned at the ending and then saw it again 8 or 9 times, enjoying it more and more.

I absolutely am invested into Christopher Nolan's vision of and Christian Bale's portrayal of Batman. I cannot wait to see Tom Hardy's Bane (I've been championing him since the announcement) , I am finally on board with Anne as Selina. I cannot wait to see this film and yet as excited as I am, I know that with that comes finality. And part of me doesn't want it to end. With such an amazing team of people making these GLORIOUS Batman films, I never want this echelon to be diminished by anyone else trying to carry the torch.
They will make more Batman movies, I have the hope that they will see what Nolan and the entire cast and crew have done and leave it alone to forge their own vision of The Dark Knight, he is such a multi-faceted character there is almost nothing you cannot do with him.
Nolan's films were at the perfect place and time for me as a fan of Batman. It was like reading a classic novel again and it meaning more to you now as an adult then it ever would have when you first turned those pages.

All I can say is thank you Christopher Nolan and I am so excited to see the grand finale!

 

[chintai80]

I've been reading Batman comics since i was a kid. Really enjoyed the Burton Batman movies, thought Batman Forever was ok, and couldn't sit through Batman and Robin. So after B&R, I nearly lost faith in Batman on film. I thought the franchise was dead in the water.

I started visiting Superherohype and the forums when news of a Batman reboot was ramping up (circa 2004) - I was hopeful yet a tinge skeptical. Then it was announced that Christian Bale would be playing Batman - then I was almost for sure this one would be great!

I saw some of Bale's movies by then and in all those Bale would always give a performance that would knock it out of the park, imo. (Equilibrium really cemented it for me that he can play brooding action heroes)

So all through 2004-2005, I was devouring every news I can about Batman Begins. When the first photos of the new Batmobile/Tumbler were released, it was something unexpected yet exciting to me. I got where they were going with this. Nolan and co. wasn't going for the stereotypical bat-fin designs. They were attempting something more grounded and real, and that was something new and different for a Batman movie.

Every picture and every interview, I would just obsessively read over.
Because as much as I liked the other Batman movies, they never felt like the stories from the 70s/80s/90s Batman comics, which were my favorite era for the story arcs. But everything I was hearing about Nolan's reboot pointed to the 70s-90s era's tone and influence.

Then when I saw Batman Begins in the theaters, it became my favorite Batman movie ever. And probably still is, even though The Dark Knight is a very close second.

After the release of BB up until TDK, I keep trying to catch up on every new info about the movies (minus the major spoilers ). And now it feels to me like I can't watch one movie without the other. Both are like pieces to a bigger picture. With the final piece of The Dark Knight Rises coming soon to complete that picture - which is, if not the definitive portrayal of Batman in the movies, is probably the closest it's ever going to be for awhile.

 

[Goku Goes Crazy]

Oh boy, mine's going to be a long one...but I'll save that for the 'Gill Tells All' thread further down the line.

Good stories

We know that's you, Wally.

 

[batlovescatDC]

I grew up in the '90s and Batman was my favorite superhero from the very first time that I saw Burton's Batman on vhs when I was 5. Batman Returns was the very first Batman movie that I saw in theatres and it just blew me away (mind you I was 7 years old and didn't really know much about the Batman comics). I was obsessed with B:TAS throughout it's entire run. Loved Batman Forever (once again, didn't know much about Batman comics) and then I started reading the comics and I was hooked. Then, thanks to Batman, I was introduced to the entire DC Universe. It sucked me in and never let me out again.

After reading the comics I realized that the movies weren't that great in contrast to reading the character. I've hated Penguin in BR and have thought of Forever as only okay in parts and elements ever since. B&R was such a huge disappointment, an absolutely travesty. I was devastated and lost faith in the series but I was still excited to see what would come next. Would they go back to the dark and serious tone for Batman in the next sequel. Could Catwoman make a return (she's always been my fave supporting character for Batman)? Then news of Batman: Triumpant peaked up my faith. A dark movie featuring The Scarecrow. That would be awesome. But then Triumphant was cancelled.

Next came a 7 year journey that was heart wrenching, as it was for any Batman fan. So many proposed and cancelled projects. Then when Batman Begins was confirmed and everything started rolling, we all felt a sense of relief but at the same time a tinge of doubt. Would Christopher Nolan, who had only done two psychological thrillers before, be able to do a Batman film? I wasn't sure. But when they cast actors like Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine my faith was concreted in the film. When I got to see a pre-screening (thanks to one of my friends' brother) 2 weeks before the film came out I felt so honored to get to be one of the first people to see it. It blew my mind and instantly became my favorite film of all time.

The Dark Knight then became the most anticipated sequel of my life. Who will the villains be next (besides The Joker, obviously)? How will they be able to top Begins (wanted to kick myself for thinking this after watching TDK)? It was once again another wild ride leading up the release and had the most exciting marketing for a movie than I had seen in a long time. And of course, I was absolutely taken back by the film and it replace BB as my favorite film... with BB trailing along closely as the second.

Ever since then I have, of course, been anticipating TDKR. And I have been waiting ever since Batman Begins to see Nolan's take on Catwoman so the fact that she is in this already makes it a very satisfactory conclusion to the series. Ever since it was confirmed that Catwoman would be in this, it immediately replace TDK as the most anticipated sequel of my life. Trailer #3 has had me so pumped ever since seeing it, and the marketing getting ready to jump into high gear makes me even more excited. I, as with all the other fans of this series, have a very split feeling with this film. It is a new piece to add to the Batman film history, and yet it is the last of one of the greatest eras for Batman than have ever existed. Like TDK did to BB, I have a feeling that this film is going to replace it's predecessor as my favorite film.

I cannot wait to see TDKR in theatres on July 20, 2012. And thank you to Nolan, Bale, and all the others who have been making my Bat-dreams come true since 2005. And a special thanks to Anne Hathaway for what seems to be the first faithful adaptation of my favorite member of Batman's rogues gallery... cannot wait to see you as Catwoman on the big day!!!!

 

[jmc]

I may as well add to my own thread.

Before Begins came out I was a Batman fan in limbo, always loved the character since childhood (except a brief period where I went through a Superman phase), from the 60's show to Burton's film to the animated series but after Batman and Robin came out things went sour. I didn't realize it at the time coz I was only about 14 when that film came out but that movie almost killed the character for me subconsciously, after 1997 I simply forgot about Batman.

8 years later in the midst of a wave of superhero films, some good, most of them crap, Begins arrives. I never really took much notice of the production of the film, I do remember being really impressed with the cast and raising an eyebrow at the Tumbler, but other than that wasn't really keeping an eye on it too closely. I don't remember their being much hype for the movie, in fact I don't think I even saw it the first weekend it came out, but I vividly remember at the end of the movie running out of the theatre throwing my fists up to the air and screaming 'YES!!!'. The flame was rekindled and my love of the character returned.

Fast forward a couple of years and after lurking for a while I joined the Hype to follow the development of the inevitable sequel, but sadly couldn't be involved with the viral campaigns due to my location. Not to matter though because given my location I was one of the first on the Hype to bare witness to the glorious sequel. Mesmerized, blown away, awestruck, name your cliche, I walked out of the theatre literally speechless having just witnessed not only the best superhero movie ever made but one of the best films of the last 10 years.

Now we're just over two months until the final movie graces our screens, how good it is will be anyone's guess but whatever the result I'll be able to look back at this time with fond memories knowing this series of films brought me back to the character I loved as a child.

 

[Ramsay Snow]

I am not much of a Batman fan and back when I was young, I was even more clueless about the Batman universe. You could say that in that aspect, I'm a bit like the general audience.

When I was really young, I used to watch many things on TV. The Adam West TV show was one of the shows I watched and really enjoyed it. I didn't know anything about Batman, just loved the show but then again, I loved all the shows I was watching.

After watching bits and bats of most of the Batman films amongst other films, that was it. It must have been the 8-year gap but I never thought of Batman obviously. Then, about 5 years ago, I saw my friend was watching this new Batman film and I began to watch it with him but only passively. Since I was so ignorant of Batman's universe, I thought Jonathan Crane was some kind of Joker since I had no idea that Batman had a villain called Scarecrow.

Remember, I wasn't the type who took notice of who directed a film and all that. I just used to watch films and that's it.

Now, fast-forward to 2008. I didn't have regular access to the Internet, but I noticed that there was massive hype for this film called TDK. I watched a clip of Joker crashing a party and I heard that many were saying that he was fantastic. So, after doing some research I watched Batman Begins first and fell in love with it. I watched parts of it again and again. I thought to myself, wow this Batman is awesome and I really care about him. This film just clicked with me.

Next, I saw TDK - mind blown. Again, this film clicked with me and I loved everything about it. The fullscreen IMAX scenes were something I never experienced before.

I don't know how, but when Inception's teaser was announced, I noticed Christopher Nolan's name and thought this this film might be something spectacular. And again, I was blown away by Inception.

Now, the fact that this is the final film gets me very excited. I love things that have a clear ending. I have a feeling that TDKR will be fantastic, just by Nolan's track record.

 

[AnneFan]

Before Begins came out I was a Batman fan in limbo, always loved the character since childhood (except a brief period where I went through a Superman phase), from the 60's show to Burton's film to the animated series but after Batman and Robin came out things went sour. I didn't realize it at the time coz I was only about 14 when that film came out but that movie almost killed the character for me subconsciously, after 1997 I simply forgot about Batman.

Very much the case for me as well. BB really re stoked the fire.

 

[Mysteryman]

I remember I had homwork for my writing class the night of the BB midnight screening .
I didnt get it done .
But I did buy the novelization to BB and a book on the art of the film.
My writing teacher was not impressed .

 

[Bathead]

I know when Begins came out I wasn't really into Batman much for a while (mind you, I was about 9 years old ) but I went to see it casually and I was in love with it after I saw it.

In the lead up to TDK, my Batman mode turned on again and I decided to get into the graphic novels and I've been reading them ever since. My first graphic novel was The Long Halloween

TDK was the first time I called a film my favourite and it was the film that really made me get into film in general.

This is just a small post which I may elaborate on later (I'm getting tired ) but in short: TDKR is a big deal to me as it is the conclusion to my favourite character of all time since I've been a child (I was a fan many years before Begins mind you, like when I was 4 years old) and it is the conclusion to my favourite film series.

It's been a hell of a ride.

Ha! When I was 9 years old, Adam West was Batman.

(God I feel old!)