2. The Dark Knight Trilogy
Warner Bros.
Best film: The Dark Knight
Most enjoyable: The Dark Knight Rises The Dark Knight blew everyone away on its release. The story, the score, the cinematography, the performances, they were all brilliant. Christopher Nolan brought a level of brutality and darkness that we hadnt seen in a comic book movie before and it rightly received universal critical acclaim. For all its qualities its not as satisfying a watch as the sequel. The third act drags a little after the Jokers last appearance and at the end you feel a little exhausted. The Dark Knight Rises actually does a better job of ramping up the tension towards the end of the film. The stakes seem higher and the final moments are more satisfying. It also packs more of an emotional punch than The Dark Knight thanks largely to a great performance from Michael Cain in a few short scenes. Adding a great Catwoman into the mix makes Rises an incredible amount of fun. Where it is let down is in the films logic. Bruce Waynes speedy recovery from a broken back, Miranda Tates reveal as Talia al Ghul and Bruce Waynes survival at the end of the film all feel a little contrived. But who cares. Suspend your disbelief and enjoy Batman before Zack Snyder gets his hands on him.