Christopher Nolan's Batman movies are just one of many Batman adaptions throughout the years, but it sure did make an impact on viewers. With a brilliantly talented and memorable cast, three high stakes films, and an intense soundscore, how could it not? When a film is made into a trilogy, it allows viewers to understand and further grasp the storyline.
They have been there from the very beginning and have created a connection with the world of the characters. Trilogies and series allow a universe of depth to form, characters to develop, and countless details to emerge.
Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul is introduced in Batman Begins as Bruce Wayne's 'wise' mentor. He provides many life lessons, such as how he taught Bruce to confront his anger after learning "to bury [it] with [his] guilt." Ra's al Ghul gives Bruce the test of killing a man and Bruce defies him, escaping.
Ra's al Ghul returns only to be killed by the end of the first film. But he makes an appearance in The Dark Knight Rises as his story is connected to his daughter and Bane's mission.
The Progression Of Fault
In The Dark Knight trilogy, there are two scenes with Alfred and Bruce that are similar. In both, they have a conversation after someone loved by Bruce dies. The conversation progresses like so; Alfred says he has prepared supper/breakfast to no response and says "very well." Bruce then says "Alfred?" to which Alfred answers, "Yes, Master Bruce/Wayne?"
In both, Bruce is seeking comfort from Alfred. However, as one user points out, the conversations unfold differently. In Batman Begins, Alfred does his best to dissolve any guilt Bruce had over his parents' deaths. In The Dark Knight, Alfred tells Bruce that he should know there are consequences to what he does as Batman.
Bane & Batman's Affinity For Darkness
When Bruce Wayne is training with Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins, he is taught the art of blending in with his surroundings and using it to his advantage. "You know how to disappear. We can teach you to become truly invisible." When Batman faces Bane in The Dark Night Rises, he finds he cannot hide from the supervillain.
"Oh, you think darkness is your ally. But you merely adopted the dark; I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding! The shadows betray you because they belong to me!" Bane also has a connection to Ra's al Ghul.
A Path Determined By Tragedy
When Bruce Wayne was young, his parents were murdered. This led him on a journey of discovery, creating his Batman identity in order to seek justice. It was a path determined by tragedy.
In The Dark Knight, Harvey Dent became Two-Face after The Joker gave Batman the choice of saving either Rachel or Harvey. Bruce went to save Rachel but was tricked. Harvey survived while the woman he loved died. "The Joker took the best of us and tore him down."
The Dark Knight & The Dark Knight Rises Endings
In both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises' endings, Commissioner Gordon (Oldman) narrates powerful words as Batman seemingly disappears from Gotham. In one film ending, Batman is hounded and Gordon must lie. In another, Batman is beloved and Gordon sits as they unveil his statue. "Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight."
In The Dark Knight Rises, he quotes Charles Dickens' A Tale Of Two Cities, " I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous, and happy. I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."
The Theme Of Each Film
The Batman trilogy begins grimy and dirty with a rusted and darkened hue. There is crime and injustice in Gotham, then The Batman makes a change and calm falls over the city with deep blue tones.
But the calm turns into darkness, and the night is set aflame with the bright colors of The Joker as he watches the world burn. And from the darkness, from the fall, the Dark Knight rises. A light, a beacon. The posters also convey the story through the color scheme and palette of each film.
Character Driven
In each Batman movie, the characters are the focus. The villains needed to be substantial threats to Bruce Wayne and Gotham City. There needed to motive, a developing tension, slow-burning conversation, and things needed to get personal. In the first movie, Ra's al Ghul and The Scarecrow created an atmosphere of fear.
In the second movie, The Joker fueled chaos in a world with no rules, while Harvey Dent was driven to become a card in his game. In the final installment, the narrative returned to Ra's al Ghul, his daughter, and Bane. Each found a way to be personally connected to Bruce Wayne.
Breaking The Batman
Christopher Nolan's Batman challenged Bruce Wayne over and over again. Each film has characters who broke Batman in different ways. But no matter what they threw at him, Bruce Wayne survived, coming back stronger each time. The first film broke his trust and his mind. He overcame his past, his fears.
The second film targeted his spirit, his hope, and his heart. He took the blame and protected Gotham City from the reality of Harvey Dent. The final film broke his body, but he rose from the pit and healed through the pain.
The Batman Logo
Every Batman film includes the Batman symbol in a way that is meaningful to the narrative. The Batman Begins symbol appears as a swarm of black bats in a brown-hued sky, referencing to the bats that surrounded Bruce while he was in the well as a child. Their erratic pattern is similar to the effects of The Scarecrow's fear-inducing gas.
The Dark Knight symbol appears through a cloud of blue flames, taking on the color scheme of the film and the quote, "Some men just want to watch the world burn.” The Dark Knight Rises symbol appears as the ice cracks and splinters, a reference to the thin ice of which society stands and the fragility of the Batman, including his broken spine.
"Why Do We Fall?"
In Batman Begins, the quote "And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up," comes full circle in The Dark Knight Rises. When Bruce Wayne was a young boy, he fell into a well on the Wayne property.
Rachel went to find help and Mr. Wayne came down to save him. But in the final film, only Bruce could take himself out of the pit. There was no one to save him. He had to rise through the pain and save himself.