7. Nolan Set the Tone of This Universe
Batman Begins set a fire to the DC comic world in 2005. Its successful release proved that Batman and Robin was merely a fluke, and that it wasn't a trend so much as an unsuccessful director's fault that the franchise almost bit it. Its success could also be attributed to Christopher Nolan, strangely enough, taking a page from Bryan Singer's book. A book that begins with the X-Men franchise, and how Singer took a comic book source and heightened the emotional and dramatic weight behind what was once merely fantastical entertainment. True, Tim Burton kinda started the ball rolling with Batman '89, but he still indulged in comic book imagery and left the door open for the Schumacher treatment of harsh neon glows and cheesy zingers. Singer's X-Men films kept funny (and sometimes cheesy) one-liners in check with the heavy story-lines of the Mutant Registration Act's echos of the Holocaust, young Rogue trying to find her way in a world where she didn't belong, and Wolverine becoming more of a team player. With Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films (excluding the third) sealing the deal, Comic Book movies weren't afraid to be serious. Nolan took it a step further and proved that not only are comic films not afraid to be serious, they aren't afraid to be brutal. The Dark Knight is one of the most brutal PG-13 films in terms of its violence, and even its emotional and frightening content. While it isn't exactly the Watchmen treatment of Batman, it surely isn't a film you could easily take a 6 year old to see. Explainations of the film's core themes, as well as the brutality witnessed throughout, are needed in order to understand just what is being seen. And ultimately, that's they type of superhero film we should be striving for as an audience. We want to be engaged visually, as well as thematically. Make us question what we see, while at the same time wowing us with what we're seeing. Nolan has prove time and again that this is the type of superhero film he wishes to make. If we loved his Batman so much, wouldn't we also love an approach similar to his used on another childhood favorite?