Batman vs. The Dark Knight

Introduction

     In the summer of 1989 I was six years old, and my father thought it would be a good idea to take me to the movies and see Batman.  I remember walking out of the movie theater and thinking that this was the best movie in the world, and apparently the rest of the world thought the same as I did.  When Batman was released in 1989 it was automatically jettisoned to the top of superhero movie lore.  Batman was filled with wonderful actors, such as, Jack Nicholson as the Joker and Michael Keaton as Batman.  In 2008, Batman was remade into The Dark Knight which was directed by Christopher Nolan.  The Batman franchise has transformed comic book fun and light hearted comical TV shows into the mainstream dramatic  movie production of Hollywood.  (1) In 1989, Batman left behind the light-hearted views of superheros of the past and pushed all barriers to become a dark crime fighter movie.  (2) Batman and The Dark Knight are based on the same characters but their actions and decision making of the different characters is what really sets these two movies apart.  (3) The Dark Knight has left an unforgettable impression on movie critics and moviegoers alike, and, consequently, set the expectations for all superhero movies in the future. 

Batman

     During the production of Batman, Warner Brothers was less than excited about the movie due to going skepticism from comic book fans.  At one point Warner Brothers had received 50,000 letters protesting their choice of Michael Keaton in the leading role of Batman.  To please the majority of comic book fans Warner Brothers brought on the    co-creator of Batman, Bob Kane.  When Batman was released in 1989 it was the biggest movie for that weekend and in ten days it grossed more than $100 million dollars, which set a record for sales (“Batman (1989): Film Review” Wikipedia.com 1-12).  Filming Batman was no easy task due to the overwhelming media attention; the movie had many rewrites and plot revisions.  At one point the Jon Peters, the writer of Batman reworked the climax of the movie and did not tell Tim Burton. When Burton was interviewed after the movie was complete he talked about that specific time: “Here were Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger walking up this cathedral and halfway up Jack turns around and says, 'Why am I walking up all these stairs? Where am I going?' 'We'll talk about it when you get to the top!' I had to tell him that I didn't know" (“Batman (1989): Film Review” Wikipedia.com 1).  Batman transformed the viewing pleasure for most fans from the sly quips like BAAAAANG and CRAACCKK to the more dark and serious under tones of crime fighting which Batman was intended to be in the comic books.  Batman opened a whole new genre in movies and did so well that it spawned a whole slew of comic book movies and a sequel Batman Returns in 1992.

     In Batman, Jack Napier is transformed into the Joker after an accident at a chemical production company that he was trying to raid.  The movie progresses while the Joker is trying to take control of Gotham City by influencing the mob and producing a chemical in hygiene products that actually causes people to laugh to death.  Throughout the movie we get to catch a glimpse of Bruce Wayne’s (Batman) childhood and the heartache he had to deal with after his parents were killed during a botched robbery.   The movie ends with an epic battle between good and evil, with the ultimate demise of the Joker. 

 

The Dark Knight

 

 

In The Dark Knight, there is not transformation into the Joker like in Batman.   The Dark Knight starts out with the Joker robbing a mob controlled bank and killing all of his accomplishes in the process, at one point at the end of the robbery the bank manager asks the joker what he believes in and the joker replies “I believe whatever doesn’t kill you, simply makes you stranger.” This quote is proof on how crazy the joker really is.  The Dark Knight takes the role of Batman and the Joker to a new level.  This movie breaks down the very essence of each character and how they are basically the same person but on either side of the good and evil spectrum, basically soul mates.  Throughout the movie the Joker tries to make Batman break his one rule, which is never to be an executioner, and unfortunately through the twists and lies that the Joker tells Batman he ends up breaking his one rule.  At the end of the movie we really see how identical the two foes really are, after Batman throws the Joker off of a building he catches him with his grappling hook and lifts him back up to be arrested and this is when they have the best conversation of the movie:

 

 

Impact

When The Dark Knight was released to theaters in 2008 it instantly became one of the biggest box office hits for the summer of 2008.  In its first weekend the movie grossed $158 million, which set a box office records.  The Dark Knight has gone on to gross more than $500 million, which is one of only four films to do so.  Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times describes The Dark Knight as a “haunted film that leaps beyond its origins and becomes an engrossing tragedy." He praises the performances, direction, and writing, and says the film "redefine[s] the possibilities of the comic-book movie". (“The Dark Knight” Wikepedia.com 13-14)

 Batman and The Dark Knight are movies two completely different movies but yet are very much the same in a more common sense.  Batman and The Dark Knight are feature films that have been at the top of many critics top movies list for a long time and won’t be going away anytime soon.  Both of these movies brought imagination and inspiration into the limelight and showed the American people how well movies can be made and how comic book and superhero fiction are more than a pastime.