7. The Title Character
Any one of Nolans Bat-flicks could have been called Bruce Wayne. The final film in the trilogy could be called Bruce Wayne Rises, and would apply almost more-so than the title given. It is Bruce Waynes story, not Batmans. Its a tale of a man who wants to create a symbol, and wants to inspire change before he can finally find peace and move on. Man of Steel spends half of the movie establishing that Clark Kent is as human as it is possible for him to be. It shows a boy subject to bullying, and a boy who is trying to come to terms with who and what he is, both to himself and to the world. The action seems secondary compared to the character study, and in fact the action was the least interesting part of Man of Steel in my opinion. What helped both characters is the fact that they were played to a tee by their respective actors. The most inspiring scene in Rises isnt Batman saving the city from a bomb its Bruce Wayne climbing out of the pit. I believe the most successful factor in regards to the modern DC film is the firm focus on the character, and the development of a character that goes beyond the basic elements of the comic book character we were once taught to expect. The films humanise their main character, but it doesnt stop at the title character. Another thing Nolan did so well, and what Snyder may perhaps need to work on, is making the secondary characters feel so integral that we want them to succeed just as much as the main protagonist.