MovieChat Forums > The Dark Knight (2008) Discussion > Nolan didn't show any respect for the or...

Nolan didn't show any respect for the original material

posted 6 years ago by LetThemEatCake (2717)
16 replies | jump to latest

That is why his ridiculous dictum of 'Everything must feel plausible', because he is ashamed of it being a comic book, he has no respect for it, and had to bring it to 'the real world'. It's also why the fanboys and film school dudebros cling so ferociously to the trilogy, they need the reassurance that the trilogy is as good as 'Heat' or 'Scarface' because they want to be taken seriously. Which it isn't, of course, but way worse.

Burton and Schumacher got it right by translating the comics to the screen, and it worked amazingly. Comics are an art like any other and they don't need bonehead Nolan to make them 'respectable', so there really was no love or respect for Batman and his world when adapting this.

[–] Truthtalker (1872) 5 years ago

Absolutely right

NolanTARDS are SNOBS

They love proclaiming that The Dark Knight, in being so “realistic,” is somehow the most true to the dark, psychologically intense world of Batman. They say this because:

(a) They want to convince themselves that Batman comics really are intended to be this realistic and intense and

(b) They want to convince others that what they read is so realistic and intense so that they can feel less embarrassment at still reading them in their 20s and 30s. The reason they overrate that movie so much is because so much personal validation is tied into that movie for them. So the more realistic the movies are, the more comic fans will claim to anyone who will listen that they just witness a movie that is exactly like the books they’ve been mocked for reading for decades."

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 5 years ago

ITT: Two people who have never read a decent comic book in their lives. Someone who thinks Burton and Schumacher made good Batman movies. Someone who is still among the deluded throng that thinks Scarface is a quality movie. Two people who likely think that the 60's Batman tv show was good too.

Nolan's first two Bat movies had more respect for the source material than anything on the silver screen up to that point Yet they were still on the stupid side. For a real view of what it looks like to see source material respected, look at Batman the Animated series. Stop pretending that you know what the source material is.

(I know this sounds catty and, yes, it is kinda. But imagine we are sitting in chairs in the sand at the beach and I am pouring a drink for you while we argue.)

[–] LetThemEatCake (2717) 5 years ago

I've read comics for years and now I am reading the original Batman comics from the 30's. Batman The Animated Series comes from the Burton films.

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 5 years ago

omg. We, the people of Earth, welcome you.

[–] AP (5259) 5 years ago

Don't you claim to hate superhero films? It's weird that you're suddenly interested in comics and comics-based films. Especially since you hate Scorsese films and have said that the film industry was better prior to the 70's.

[–] Bosdog6777 (817) 5 years ago

Exactly right LetThemEatCake this guy brings up Batman the Animated Series as his example as if you can't feel Tim Burton's inspiration all over the series

[–] TJLamb0518 (3316) 5 years ago

Read the first year of his appearances.

[–] LeWildPlatypus (766) 5 years ago

he is ashamed of it being a comic book, he has no respect for it, and had to bring it to 'the real world'.

Because a dark and philosophical retelling of a story can be poignant. Nolan was right to take the direction he took, he gave the world of Gotham new meaning. I've never read the comic books, but no previous Batman movie accomplished what Nolan had. He fleshed out the characters and made them human. For example Alfred was more than just a posh elderly butler, but a wise guardian father figure to Bruce.

"Schumacher got it right" (had to use quotation marks as there's something wrong with the formatting on MovieChat today)

Batman & Robin was more like pantomime than a film. Nothing wrong with panto, it just doesn't capture the essence of Batman. They're like hot wheel commercials in comparison to Nolan's trilogy.

[–] LetThemEatCake (2717) 5 years ago

how do you know what Batman is supposed to be if you've never read a comic book? And he didn't flesh anything out, with his idiotic jokes and snide remarks in every scene.

[–] LeWildPlatypus (766) 5 years ago

Touche, I only know what I know and my image of Batman is a crime-fighting, Gothic vigilante. My dad, a fan of the 60's TV show had always thought of Adam West as his Batman. I introduced him to the Nolan films and he was pleasantly surprised and since saw Batman in a new light. I don't think there is one true incarnation of the character, we all have different ideas of what the character is supposed to be based on what version we grew up with. For me personally, the Nolan films encapsulated the image of the 90's animated series and darker turn the character took in the 70's comic books.

I've never 'read' read the comic books, but I know bits and pieces about them. Also, not sure of the jokes you mention, I remember palliness/flirtation between Bruce and his friends. Apart from the unintentional humour in the movies created by parody videos in circulation over the years, before, I never once found Bale's Batman voice funny. I now look at the trilogy in a different way, the loud screaming of "RACHEEEEL" tickles me, I wish it didn't though.

[–] TheNewResistance (62) 5 years ago

"That is why his ridiculous dictum of 'Everything must feel plausible', because he is ashamed of it being a comic book,"

So was Year One and Legends of the Dark Knight ongoing ashamed of being comic books because they adopted "feel plausible" style to their stories? Especially Legends of the Dark Knight series, which was so grounded in reality, it barely relied on the Batman's rouge's gallery and focused more on widespread social threats - drugs, prostitution, corruption, child abuse, what have you.

"he has no respect for it,"

When making Batman Begins, Chris Nolan have personally met with Denny O'Neil and Todd Levitz, long-time DC editors at the time, to discuss with them what you can and can't do with the character of Batman to stay true to the comics. Nolan have also read through most of O'Neil's Batman run. That's from where he got the idea to use Ra's Al Ghul, a character O'Neil created in his original run, as the main villain, because he was not a well known villain and he reminded him a lot of a classic Bond villain. Besides Nolan, those movies were co-written by David S. Goyer and Nolan's brother, both of who were comic book fans. Goyer even wrote for DC at one point.

"It's also why the fanboys and film school dudebros cling so ferociously to the trilogy,"

Because it tells a compelling story by using a believable tone for the stories? Basically, doing the same thing that every great Batman comic did.

"they need the reassurance that the trilogy is as good as 'Heat' or 'Scarface' because they want to be taken seriously."

Okay... So does that mean that the people who loved Jeph Loeb's and Tim Sale's Batman comics also want to be taken seriously because of the fact that those stories were inspired by the likes of Godfather trilogy and crime novels?

[–] Frogarama (12942) 5 years ago

The OP is a troll, FYI.

[–] TheNewResistance (62) 5 years ago

I know. He kind of sounds like that idiot from YouTube, Andre FutureXmDCcomicsZone. Or one of his followers, because this one is at least capable of spelling properly, wheres Andre can't spell to save his miserable, pathetic life.

[–] TheNewResistance (62) 5 years ago

"Burton and Schumacher got it right by translating the comics to the screen,"

I don't remember Joker being the real killer of Batman's parents in the comics. I do remember, however, that it was a guy named Joe Chill who killed them. Huh... Frankly enough, wasn't the guy in Batman Begins, who killed Bruce's parents, also called Joe Chill? Man, that Nolan hack, he completely changed the comics, dude.

"so there really was no love or respect for Batman and his world when adapting this."

Yeah, right, because it was Nolan turned Batman into a senseless murder machine, and it was Nolan who put nipples on the batsuit.

[–] catsidhe (1649) 5 years ago

I find the difference between the two Batman worlds like the difference between the comics and graphic novels. Targeted at different audiences.

[–] TheReccher (343) 5 years ago

Nolan clearly understand the moral and psychological subtleties that made Batman and the Joker such an iconic rivalry and recontextualized to fit a realistic world. You're saying that he's sticking it to Batman just because you don't like his vision? But Burton letting Vicky into the batcave and admitting he never read a comic is respecting the source material?

F** out of here. Quite talking out your ass.