Trilogy Rewatch - The Dark Knight
I just realized that this title is inaccurate because it won't be a trilogy REwatch since I'm only seeing TDKR for the first time tomorrow. Oh well, semantics, lol.
So, TDK is actually still a pretty solid movie. Even ignoring that the editing is spotty, the "plans" in the entire movie are totally over-convenient and contrived, and how nothing really feels as "smart" as it did the first time, especially when you know everything before hand, the actual moment to moment scenes are pretty well shot and there's some powerful stuff.
But watching BB and TDK again so close together really shows how superior one movie is to the other in terms of overall composition, thought, and timelessness. BB feels like a product of a true desire to tell a good story, one which did not focus on tricks and twists, but rather a story of humanity and characters developing into something more. TDK is a high concept glitzy film meant to titillate and thrill, appealing to those with certain special interests with bold themes and concepts, but never really being a cohesive and honest stroke of storytelling.
Another comparison would be that BB is like a classic myth or fairy tale, where while the text itself may not be complex or flowery, the tale itself strikes a chord with readers. TDK is more like a philosophical poem, where the appeal is in the parts rather than the whole. Selected quotes and passages can hold a strong impact for some who are drawn to the style or the ideas, but when taken as a whole and judged as a narrative, it might be lacking.
Either way, it's interesting to me how Nolan made two Batman movies so stylistically, thematically, and narratively different. It is probably a feat in itself that he chose not to repeat himself in the process of making a sequel. I'm pretty excited now to see what he has to offer with his conclusion. Hopefully it is also something different from both movies before it, so even if it does not surpass the work before, it can stand alone as something unique in the saga.