This is probably an unpopular thing to say, but I liked Batman Begins better. Don’t get me wrong, The Dark Knight was more than worth the price of admission, but the movie got a little slow toward the end.
I think The Dark Knight was probably a better made movie, as far as production value, but I thought the Batman Begins story was a lot more interesting.
That said, and I don’t want to seem like I’m jumping on the bandwagon here, but I call it like I see it, Heath Ledger will win an Academy Award for his Joker performance. It was the creepiest movie villain I’ve ever seen. Creepier than Hannibal Lecter.
Who else has seen The Dark Knight? Did you love it or hate it? Was it better than Batman Begins?
thatsbutter.wordpress.com 
July 21, 2008 at 10:23 am
Your opinion is flawed. Here’s why:
1. Filming. I still have nausea from Batman Begins’ fight scenes. It was like Blair Witch meets Bruce Lee. Dizzying.
2. Katie Holmes. Boooooring. The character isn’t interesting either. I can’t believe they recasted the character, but Gyllenhal is way better for the role than Holmes.
3. His voice. Okay, he doesn’t change this in the second film. It’s still weird. I just want to hand him a spit cup and get him to take care of that problem. If it’s an identity issue, as soon as Bruce Wayne gets a cold and tries to talk with some phlegm in his throat, gig’s up.
4. Better bad guys. The Dark Knight even gives reasons as to why there are better bad guys. Qui Gon just wasn’t very convincing or menacing. Ledger just entered the acting Hall of Fame with his take on the joker.
All that being said, Batman Begins was a pretty awesome movie. This new one just edges it out. I’ve seen it twice already, and it was just as good the second time.
July 21, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Rebutting your arguments:
1. The motorcycle scenes were just as dizzying, if not more so, in TDK.
2. Maggie Gyllenhall is a better actress, but not attractive enough to be believable as Bruce Wayne’s love interest.
3. His voice is MORE raspy and annoying in TDK.
4. Badder, but not necessarily better. I would argue the Raz Al-Ghul was a more complex character because he had compelling reasons, if not misguided, behind creating the League of Shadows and wanting to destroy Gotham. Joker was just a wack job devoid of any emotional complexity. Plus, I think Raz Al-Ghul could kick Jokers butt in a fight.
Additional argument:
Part of the allure of Batman is that he doesn’t have any superpowers — just good training and equipment. I felt like they made him a little too difficult to injure in TDK, thus cheapening the story. He made a couple of falls that he shouldn’t have walked away from so easily, even with his multi-million dollar suit.
July 21, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I think it is great that this debate is going on…because we are talking about a superhero. This is the first franchise that has successfully made you believe that a superhero COULD exist in our society. I totally disagree that the first movie was better. I loved Batman Begins, but the Dark Knight will go down as one of my favorite movies ever. The Dark Knight was an excellent crime drama FIRST, and a superhero movie second. I love the fact that the movie wasn’t really even about Batman. Harvey Dent was the central character and Batman and Joker were supporting figures. I agree that the Joker as portrayed by Heath Ledger may go down as the greatest movie villian EVER. Every scene he was in was the best scene in the movie.
The Dark Knights intention was not to explore the physical dangers of being Batman. It was to explore the emotional dangers of being Batman.
In fact, I think the next movie would be an excellent place to give Batman a true physical test. A bunch of clown mask wearing thugs were never going to be a physical test for him and the Joker was never a bad guy that tested Batman’s physical limits…in the same way the Riddler never really tested his physical limits. A character like Bane or Clayface is a punishing physical threat.
July 21, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Harvey Dent was one of the least developed characters in this film and it was difficult to understand his transformation because we didn’t really know the man before he turned. Why was justice such a passionate drive for him? What about him did Bruce Wayne like (or was it an attempt to impress Rachel)? Why was he called two-face when he worked for Internal Affairs (maybe this was explained and I missed it)?
July 21, 2008 at 3:03 pm
I couldn’t disagree more with regard to Harvey Dent. I think there will always be some questions that remain unanswered (such as the Two-Face issue). Take the Joker for instance…we knew nothing about him other than his desire for mayhem and chaos, but we embraced the character for what he was.
With Harvey, you know that he is someone who is passionate about protecting Gotham (like Bruce Wayne/Batman)–in fact, that was probably the single strongest driving force in both of their lives and Bruce saw that passion in Harvey.
As far as the justice issue…why does that need to be explained. Some people simply are and that is enough for me. Why do I have a passion for Bacon Pizza? — I just do, and that is enough for me=)
I didn’t have trouble with his transformation, because if I put myself in his shoes, having TOLD Gordon his unit was tainted (with Gordon blowing him off multiple times in the movie), and it literally coming back to burn him; not to mention killing the only love of his life other than bringing justice to Gotham it is easy for me to see how a man could turn so quickly. We see this evidenced in life all the time. People lose a loved one and go bonkers. Not sure how I would react if that ever happened…I hope I never haev to find out.
July 21, 2008 at 5:51 pm
kudos to the makers Dark Knight for their record breaking opening weekend… it’s no wonder there’s talk of another one coming out ASAP
July 21, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I thought this was superior to Batman Begins in every way. The themes of morality, vigilantism, and the complex questions of how good and evil feed each other are developed much more strongly in this second installment in the series. Nolan also seems to have improved his sense for action scenes, and the fights are staged with much better clarity and precision here.
I’ve written a more in-depth review of the film:
http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2008/07/719-dark-knight.html
And a short essay in response to a negative review:
http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2008/07/on-violence-and-restraint-in-dark.html
July 21, 2008 at 8:44 pm
What? Both were great. This has been a great summer and I have yet to see the Hulk.
July 22, 2008 at 7:18 am
The hulk was alright, but certainly not a movie that can be held in the same class as a movie like this or Iron Man
July 28, 2008 at 8:39 am
Saw The Dark Knight last night and was blown away. I loved every second of it. It’s better than Batman Begins, IMO. For one, the villains are much more compelling. I wasn’t a fan of Scarecrow.
Anyway, if you want me to nitpick, I loved Harvey Dent till he became Two Face. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it’s because his ‘burns’ were too over-the-top to be viewed as realistic in a series that has obviously taken a more believable approach than previous Batman films. Two Face looked like he was straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean. A simple nasty-[realistic]-looking burn on his face would have sufficed.
But anyway, I loved it. It’s too bad that Heath Ledger won’t be able to reprise his role. If Nolan/Bale make another Batman movie, it’s tough to imagine which direction they’d take. Penguin, Catwoman, and, to a lesser extent, the Riddler all seem too ‘far out’ for the current state of the series. However, if anyone could pull it off, it’d be Nolan (or Guillermo del Toro; don’t get me started).
July 29, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Ok, I have to be the one to throw a wrench into things. I *hated* this movie. My hubby did, too. We really just wanted our 2.5 hours back. The $20 wouldn’t hurt either.
I just couldn’t get into it. It was very cheesy, and for the most part, I thought that the acting was horrible, even Heath Ledger, RIP. I liked Rachael and Lt. Gordon, but other than that, the acting was deplorable and the movie just ugh…
Yes, I’m getting ready to shield myself.
July 30, 2008 at 9:33 am
Sarah: Out of curiosity, what are some of your favorite acting performances in films? Also, did you like Batman Begins?
I’m respectively baffled. 😛