So, its fairly old news now that the new Nolan Batman film is scheduled for release, and while it's still a while till Summer 2012, the news that the script was due on Monday has basically given me an excuse to rave about how much Iove the first two films and talk a bit about the series as a whole.
 
There are a few rumours kicking around: namely, which part they are looking to fill with the prospective female leads (Talia Al' Ghul, Catwoman or generic love-interest), and who Tom Hardy would be portraying (Max Cort and Dr. Hugo Strange are the characters being bandied about at the moment). How do you guys feel about the bones of the story allegedly coming from the "Prey" storyline? Bear in mind it's unlikely to be a direct adaptation, given Nolan's previous influence from "Year One" and "The Killing Joke".
 
On to the films we've seen!
 
I originally saw Batman Begins before I was hit with pre-release saturation. These days I can barely go into a film without knowing the majority of the plot beforehand. Upon its release, though, I'd only seen a single trailer (attached to another film) and was blown away with hype of my own making. Needless to say, I adored it. In fact, I'm fairly sure I saw it a further 2 times before it left screens.
 
When I eventually got my hands on the dvd things weren't so pretty. The film suffered from a few glaring flaws. Specifically: the 'narrows' looked like a sound-stage bathed in green-light; the film lacked a "true" villain and didn't have a real sense of urgency; and there were definite pacing issues. The middle of the film is flabby and could do with a little more focus.
 
Conversely, by the time TDK came round I'd hunted out any tid-bit I could find: teasers, virals, leaks. You name it, I'd seen it. This saturation almost destroyed the film for me. Almost. Going into the IMAX screening, I wondered if it could possibly be as great as everything pointed to. For that evening it definitely was. The sound was incredible, and the crowd was in raptures: clapping and cheering were pretty common. Mainly, I felt totally enveloped in the film. If you have IMAX in your area try your best to catch something there; the difference is like night and day. It didn't hurt that the film had an absolutely incredible nemesis in Ledger's 'Joker'.
 
Similarly, though, when the Blu-Ray came out I was less than impressed. If it was possible, Katie Holmes had out-acted Maggie Gylenhall's 'Rachel'; Batman moved precariously from one scene to the next on the loosest of principles and the ending was a mess.
 
I think the problem, however, lay as much on my side. I re-watched both films back to back the other day and was surprised how much more I enjoyed them. None of the issues I mentioned were as blatantly obvious; I gave myself up much more willingly when I wasn't influenced by the fantastic memories I had of the first screenings. If you haven't watched either in a while, I definitely recommend you sit down and get a bowl of pop-corn. Nolan has crafted two of the finest comic-book films in history. Hopefully by the time TDKR comes along, we'll finally have the great Batman trilogy we deserve.
 
*SPOILERS*
 
The film is 2 years old, so I can't imagine this will affect many people, but...
 
Given Dent's death, and Batman's fugitive status, do you feel the 'Prey' storyline is the right way to go? For those who haven't read it, the short-series deals with a special unit set-up to apprehend "the vigilante" under consultancy from Dr. Hugo Strange - a psychologist with more than a few problems of his own. To top things off, the unit is led by the equally disturbed Max Cort, who is determined to capture Batman.
 
Seems pretty spot on to me: Batman on the run, two pretty awesome villains and the possibilty of ending the story on a real high. At least, that's what the new title suggests. I'll leave it there, anyway. I'd love to hear what you guys think.
 
Cheers. x