Absolute Batman

Rating: 10/10 (23 July 2012)

I had the delightful experience of watching the Batman trilogy at the BFI IMAX cinema in London, on the day of it's UK release. First of all, I'm so glad that Christopher Nolan chose to shoot in IMAX and not 3D. I'm not a '3D' fan and this would have killed the movie. I admire Chris Nolan for doing what he wanted and not just jumping on the bandwagon. IMAX definitely enhanced the films overall. The scenes that were shot with IMAX cameras, totally filled the 26mx20m silver screen and I felt fully immersed in the story. Ultra high definition and true depth of field certainly made this an experience to remember. I doubt I will ever enjoy normal cinemas as much.
I'm a massive Batman fan. I loved the cartoons when I was younger and had all the toys. I still read the comics now and Batman is in fact the only comic I read. The characters are so complex and interesting, that I have no need to read any other comics nor the time. I understand the great depth of each character and it is clear that Christopher Nolan also shares this knowledge.
I was disappointed by the Original Batman Movies and as a fan, I felt let down. In my eyes, the Batman films were forever dead. Memento is one of my favourite films, so when it was announced that Christopher Nolan was making Batman Begins, I started to believe that Batman would finally get the screen time and a decent story that he deserved, although I was still sceptical. Thankfully the first film exceeded expectations and the ending made me very anxious to see the next film. Batman was dark and mysterious, just like he was meant to be.
My favourite Batman character is of course the Joker and the second Christopher Nolan film, The Dark Knight, ticked every single box. Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger both had a great vision and created the perfect Joker. The character was so complex and was depicted exactly how he was in some of my favourite Batman comics.
After watching The Prestige and Inception, Christopher Nolan soon became my favourite Director of all time. He consistently surpasses my expectations and is such a creative and talented Director. Despite rumours that he wouldn't come back to make a third Batman movie, I believed that he would want to make the perfect ending to the perfect beginning of a famous icon. Thus The Dark Knight Rises was announced.
Despite the opinions and bad reviews the title for this new film received, I personally thought it made sense and fitted well within the Nolan story arc. I saw many rumours of whom was being cast for the new film, including Johnny Depp as the Riddler. This was entertaining to read and exciting. As soon as Tom Hardy was confirmed as Bane, I started researching the Actor as I had only seen him in Inception.
After watching Layer Cake and Rock'n'Rolla again, Bronson, The Take and Warrior, I realised how talented an Actor Tom Hardy is and soon became a big fan of his too. I had every faith that Christopher Nolan had picked the perfect actor to play such a fantastic and iconic Batman villain, despite what others were saying. I spent the following year looking forward to the next and final instalment of Nolan's Batman franchise.
Leading up to the release, everyone had high expectations of this film due to the success from its predecessor. Many believed it would not be as good because Heath Ledger was not in it. I had my own expectations and was anxious but I believed in Christopher Nolan.
I'm happy to say that this final film, was a complete success in my eyes. It successfully connected the dots from the previous films and gave a fantastic ending that was true to Batman, as well as keeping with Nolan's signature story-telling and vision. I totally got what Nolan was trying to achieve and could only wish that I could have the opportunity to work with such a talented person.
The story was interesting throughout and had many references to some of my favourite comics, as did the previous two films. The sound and music was ear-popping and exactly how it should be. Seeing this at the IMAX really helped enhance the experience.
All actors were fantastic and played the characters perfectly. Christian Bale once again portrayed Batman in a way that is true to character. Anne Hathaway went beyond my expectations for her role as Catwoman. Tom Hardy continued to strengthen his talents. His eyes are piercing and demonstrate so much emotion without the need to see his face. Very few great actors can do that. Bane was realistic and certainly on par with Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. Despite what others think, I believe that the audio for his voice was perfectly clear and understandable. I look forward to seeing Hardy as Mad Max.
As far as the story goes. It lives up to what has already happened in Gotham City and goes beyond this. It has its twists and turns, as well as its puzzles and complexities, like all Nolan films. I understood the ending and have my own interpretation of it, just like Nolan expects. Some people may not like this film and may feel let down because it is not how they expected it to be. At the end of the day, if you think you can do better, good luck to you. As a genuine Batman and Christopher Nolan fan, I am entirely satisfied with this film.
May the people that tragically lost their lives to this film rest in peace now. My thoughts are with their friends and families. I hope that one day, they will be able to watch this film and appreciate it for what it is, without being reminded of the horrible events that occurred.