Which Nolan Batman film is better of the two?

[Moonloop]

Batman Begins is by far the better film.

This is my opinion, while the Dark Knight was a excellent film....I believe that a lot of the raving reception is because the film was so hyped: The fact that is was the 2nd Batman film to the highly successful reboot of the series, villains whom non-Batman fans know such as the Joker and Two Face were in it (making the film more friendly to the average person), the re-introduction of the Joker (put Joker in any movie and you got hype), after the quiet success of the first film people were able to get very very very excited for TDK as they couldn't for the first film, etc.

I love both films, I just think that Batman Begins is overshadowed by the TDK. It seems as if everyone has forgotten that BB was ever made and that TDK is the first of a new Batman franchise and it is the greatest movie ever. I personally am surprised at how low of votes BB is getting.

I enjoyed BB much more and BB was also a far better movie. The acting was better, the story was better, the cinematography was better, I preferred the character centric story. The film didn't have as many cuts and scenes, it was pieced together better; TDK had too much going on, it reminded me of Spiderman 3.....everything was better in BB.


Now please I love both movies, I may be seeming to talk TDK down and I am. BB deserves a lot more credit that it gets.

Basically I am saying this: if the TDK is a 10/10, then Batman Begins is a 15/10.

 

[intothevoid]

Well, to me me TDK took everything in BB to another level. They are very different films and have very different themes and moods. I love both, but I love TDK a lot more - because of Heath, because of the amazing interpretation of the character of the Joker and particularly the emphasis on how both the Joker and Batman are 'freaks' and outcasts of society, and how Batman would never kill the Joker because of his moral standards, and how the Joker feeds off of that, and how therefore Batman is responsible for the Joker's existance in the first place - which connects to the escalation idea from the ending scene of BB, because of Harvey and his amazing story arc, because of the relevance of the themes to the world of today.

Long rambling blurb there, but just some thoughts on why i love TDK. This is coming from a long time reader of the Batman comics, i'm 23, and i've been reading Batman comics since I was 9.

 

[DKDetective14]

I prefer TDK over BB. I think that BB is a great origin movie in itself, but is blown away by TDK. I love how dense TDK is. It feels like the story is always moving, always advancing. I love Heath's performance as the Joker, but I think what I love most of all is just the cohesiveness of the story. Every character is affecting the other characters with every action and choice they make. I also really like Harvey's story arc. I think it was really well done as he technically counts as a second villain in the story (by then end, at least) but it isn't forced at all. Harvey becoming a villain is a natural progression, rather than just another supervillain being shoehorned into a story.
I dunno, that's just my take on things.

 

[plasmid303]

If people could just consider the two Nolan movies as one film split into 2 acts, it makes this poll moot and makes both films more meaningful because you don't have to cheapen one by choosing the other.

 

[DiFabio]

I refuse to pick one over the other. Lots of the scenes in The Dark Knight were very similar to scenes in Batman Begins, most of which the latter was better. One that comes to mind is the scene with Alfred and Bruce, where they are getting ready to puruse Lau in Hong Kong. The whole scene, even the music, is reminicint to the scene in Batman Begins where Bruce is becoming slowly becoming Batman, from going into the cave to building onto his suit. All the cues are similar they feel like the same scene. You can't tell me that planning to get Lau is more interesting and visually exciting than Bruce's origin. Even the end fight between the Joker and Batman reminds of the Ras and Batman monorail scene.

The Joker really makes The Dark Knight, but without him, TDK would be the same as Batman Begins. With Ledger's Joker, The Dark Knight, inevitably became bigger than its predecessor, which isn't a bad thing. I just hate seeing polls like this where Begins is always looked down upon as a "thing of the past" when in reality it's basically the same as Knight, right down to the same cast and crew. Both have their flaws and strong points.

And you can't tell me, in terms of ending, that The Dark Knight's hero speech is better than the Joker/escalation theme in Begins. I went into Begins with VERY low expectations and went in with very little information and was blown away by not only the film but THAT ending, an ending that could very well be a worthy beginning for TDK. For the Dark Knight I expected to love it because of Begins.

It doesn't really matter, but I think "both" should be added to the list. Obviously The Dark Knight will get most of the votes, not being a year old and fresh in fans minds, but I think most of those votes would have gone to both if it were available.

If people could just consider the two Nolan movies as one film split into 2 acts, it makes this poll moot and makes both films more meaningful because you don't have to cheapen one by choosing the other.

Yeah but then you'll see posts and polls that will ask which act is better. It's inevitable.

 

[Ben]

TDK.........

 

[TwoFace]

I prefer Batman Begins.









Or maybe its just because the general public saying The Dark Knight is the most perfect film ever is a turn off.

Edit: And of course the far fetched parts of The Dark Knight. Sure its a comic book film, but Nolan himself said he wanted it to be realistic.

 

[Riko]

I still think Ra's is a much dangerous villian than Joker. In the films, Joker is here to start Anarchy with Gotham, while Ra's wants to destroy it period.

it's not who they are underneath, it's what they do that makes them cool

the joker was just much more fun and interesting to look at + to think about (chaos and anarchy themes) than Ra's character played in Begins.

sure Ra's character is much more dangerous, but the Joker was much more inpredictable wich made him that special kind of villain.

 

[Johnny Utah]

The music in Begins is so beautiful...especially the training montage.But TDK doesn't feel like a Batfilm...it feels like a crime epic,like Heat or the Godfather Part II.

 

[Riko]

But TDK doesn't feel like a Batfilm...it feels like a crime epic,like Heat or the Godfather Part II.

thank god! (because, isn't that one of the biggest compliments you can give to a movie, being compared with such movies, baring in mind that it's still a comic book movie actually)

 

[Voorhees27]

The music in Begins is so beautiful...especially the training montage.But TDK doesn't feel like a Batfilm...it feels like a crime epic,like Heat or the Godfather Part II.

EXACTLY! Thank you, for whatever reason I couldn't explain it like this but thats exactly why I prefer Begins better. Still TDK is a DAMN close second.

 

[KBA]

The monorail is in TDK. You see it several times.

Didn't see anything like this:

If the monorail was in TDK, I wouldn't even question whether Nolan wanted to tweak his 'Nolanverse' trying to make it as close to reality as possible cutting some stylistic choices out (like the monorail, and narrows even though they aren't shown) or not in his second batman movie.

Even the change to wayne tower making it less stylistic, further raises the question.

 

[DiFabio]

 

[KBA]

Good point on Wayne Tower, never noticed that. But that being the monorail from begins? Come on. There's no three tiered tracks, that one's barely off the ground. In the second picture you posted, we'd see the monorail all over the place in that downtown shot.

 

[Jack Ups]

First time you see the new Wayne HQ where he is asleep, when its got the panning shot of the building down in the left hand corner, its goes by in hd glory lol has the train and everything, thats the only scene i know its def there, and that is it in the otehr pic at night, you can always tell with the weird parachute lookin things that stick up.

 

[DiFabio]

Thanks, I knew there was one more, I just forgot where to look.

 

[KBA]

Great shots. Consider me proven wrong

 

[Starkiller]

I love both but something about Begins speaks to me more. It's more artistically made I think and seeing how he trains and eventually becomes the dark knight is genius. I vote with my heart I vote Begins.

 

[Darth_Fatso]

I gotta go with TDK. I love BB but other than the first 3 Star Wars films, TDK was the only film to "wow" me the first (and even second and thrid) time I watched it. Ledger's performance didn't hurt either.

 

[Rook]

Batman Begins. It had bits of Year One, Long Halloween, and even a hint of The Dark Knight Returns with the introduction of the tank-like Tumbler as the Batmobile. The villains were creepy and insidious, and were never fully realized until the film's climax.

I love, love, LOVE The Dark Knight. It's a cinematic masterpiece, and should be counted among the greatest noir films of all time. But Batman Begins really has me.