The Dark Knight Trilogy Is Overrated, According To A Growing Number Of Batman Fans
Between 2005 and 2012, Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy took the world by storm. Following an extended hiatus from the big screen due to the critical and financial failure of "Batman & Robin," the character of Batman saw a massive transformation thanks to Christian Bale's acclaimed turn as the DC Comics hero and Nolan's vision for a grittier, more realistic version of the Caped Crusader and his home city of Gotham.
This fresh take resonated with contemporary audiences and helped the trilogy break box office records; "The Dark Knight" was the first superhero film to cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office. Both that film and its underrated followup "The Dark Knight Rises" rank as the highest-grossing "Batman" titles to this day. The franchise even achieved the once-thought-impossible feat of being nominated for several Academy Awards and even winning a posthumous supporting actor award for Heath Ledger's iconic turn as the Joker in "The Dark Knight." The trilogy was an undeniable achievement for its time, elevating the image of superhero movies from campy popcorn entertainment to legitimate cinema that would go on to dominate the box office.
But that doesn't necessarily mean that the trilogy has held up for everyone. To a group of vocal fans, this Batman was never the hero we wanted or needed to begin with, such as Redditor u/BreathAgreeable2604 who said, "I found them boring and still do. Never understood the hype." Plenty of other fans also had their bat knives out for the series.
Some found the filmmaking and aesthetic choices distracting
"The Dark Knight" trilogy birthed a vision for Batman, his rogues' gallery, and Gotham City that many fell in love with — but you won't find such admirers here. Even those who enjoyed the films as a whole found elements worth criticizing. One of these individuals, Redditor u/colddeaddrummer, is a fan of the trilogy, but found an issue with the setting, commenting, "My big issue didn't even have to do with Batman or his villains, but rather Gotham City. It sucked ... It had no character, no menace, no texture. It always blended so much to the point you needed Batman in a shot to remind you where you were." They went on to comment how Matt Reeves' "The Batman" fixed this problem for them.
Some were not impressed by Christopher Nolan's filmmaking choices. Redditor u/Suitable-Employment5 had a hard time following the films due to one glaring distraction. "I think the cinematography can be hit or miss in the trilogy," they commented. "Way too many close up and jump shots during fight scenes to even understand what's happening half the time." As a result, others didn't believe that the series deserved its many accolades, such as u/AlphaBetaOmega20 who believes that, "'The Dark Knight' really didn't warrant any Oscars other than costume design, sound effects, makeup and maybe adapted screenplay etc. As for best picture, no ... it's not on the mantle people put it on."
While fans found plenty to critique in each entry, one film was hit the hardest.
The Dark Knight was hard to get through
As arguably the most revered entry of the trilogy, it's no surprise that "The Dark Knight" received the majority of complaints. One user even went as far as saying, "Didn't think any movie could bore me more than 'Batman Begins'. Then 'The Dark Knight' was all, 'hold my beer.'"
Meanwhile, others found issues with many of its aspects. Redditor u/Correct-Chemistry618 enjoyed the scenes with Heath Ledger's Joker, but not much else, commenting, "The rest is a film ... smothered by too many unnecessary subplots ... too many Hollywood clichés ... and above all little care for the three protagonists." The user believes that, without Ledger's performance, the film would be remembered as a decent watch at best.
Redditor u/ConsiderationOk9004 perhaps disliked the film the most, stating that any scene outside of the Joker's were insufferable. More than anything, the user was strongly opposed to Christopher Nolan's vision for the trilogy as a whole. "I also strongly dislike Christopher Nolan's direction and the general pretentious vibe the film has," they said. "It always felt like Nolan was trying so hard to make these really prestigious award films with his Batman trilogy so he could boast to his buddies how he made Batman, which was historically thought of as a silly comic book character, serious and 'award-worthy' ... I just can't take them that seriously ..."
Whether or not you find "The Dark Knight" trilogy award-worthy or chuckle-worthy, it seems these films will always get strong reactions from fans.