The Dark Knight

July 18, 2008

The new Batman movie series, helmed by writer-director Christopher Nolan (starting with the 2005 Batman Begins), deviates most sharply from previous incarnations of the Caped Crusader in how seriously it treats its subject matter.

Every previous adaptation, from the Adam West TV show to the popular animated TV show of the ’90s to Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher’s recent feature-length films, always included some element of camp, as if the material could only be taken with a wink.

But the new direction of Hollywood adaptations ditches this irony in favor of something altogether more serious and studied (see also the rebooted James Bond franchise). The change is welcome.

Read the rest of the review at the United Methodist Reporter.