Superhero cinema these days seems unwaveringly dedicated to never-ending stories. But a full decade ago, Christopher Nolan followed his groundbreaking 2008 blockbuster The Dark Knight not with another sequel but with the grand finale of his interpretation of the Batman mythos. But does 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises end the trilogy on a satisfying note?
Film critic Richard Newby joins us to delve into the installment of Nolan’s Batman trilogy. We’ll discuss the decision to leave Heath Ledger’s Joker unaddressed, how the movie redefined Bane as a character, and why The Dark Knight Rises‘ themes feel more resonant today. Also, we’ll address whether we want to see the DC Universe explore more of the Nolan-verse.
Plus, we’ll reveal which entry in The Dark Knight trilogy is our guests’ favorite!
Batman Begins singlehandedly revived the DC superhero’s film career. And The Dark Knight, well, it ensured that Batman would never stray far from the silver screen again. In this 2008 sequel, director Christopher Nolan took Christian Bale’s Batman down a deeper, more morally complex path by pitting him against his ideological opposite: Heath Ledger’s indelible Joker.
Darin Lundberg of NostalgiaCast joins us to talk all about how Nolan and Bale expanded on their version of this iconic character. We’ll discuss whether The Dark Knight lives up to its sterling reputation, which cast member gives a wildly underrated performance, and how the film’s focus on theme and character set a new template for comic book movies.
Batman was in a characteristically dark place in the early 2000s. After 1997’s Batman & Robin, Warner Bros. struggled to figure out what its next move would be for Bruce Wayne’s DC Comics alter-ego. Then an up-and-coming filmmaker named Christopher Nolan came in, and the resulting trilogy would leave an impact that still lingers within superhero movies.
Film critic Nguyen Le joins us to kick off our mega-series on Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy with an in-depth chat about 2005’s Batman Begins. We’ll discuss Christian Bale’s indelible performance in what is the first live-action Bat-movie about Bruce Wayne, Nolan’s grounded approach to Gotham City and the Batman mythos, and how Batman Begins paves the way for what would come next. Are you ready to begin?
