Tim Burton’s BATMAN vs Chris Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT

With the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises, the third in a trilogy of highly successful Batman movies by Christopher Nolan, and the recent release of the hotly anticipated video game Arkham City, its really never been a better time to be a Batman fan. The past few years have seen a gigantic leap in popularity for DC Comic’s surly, brooding poster boy, a character that has always held a large amount of public affection in its near 80 year history.

With this in mind, WhatCulture has decided to do an article comparing the two most beloved Batman movies: Tim Burton’s Batman from 1989, the iconic and most endearing interpretation of Batman, and The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan’s second take on the World’s Greatest Detective from 2008, the highest grossing and critically revered Batman film to date. As soon as I heard of this, I practically pleaded for the opportunity to write it. I happen to be a huge fan of Batman and all things Batman: the movies, the tv shows (yes, even that one), the video games, and especially the comic books. And to my eternal gratitude, our editor Matt Holmes let me have it.

Just some of my Batman collection.

The two films will be analysed and compared in various categories including characters, music and story with a watchful eye on how true they are to the source material, namely the legion of Batman stories DC have published over the years. Before we get started, I’d like to point out that this isn’t a definitive “which is better” or even the thoughts of the WhatCulture staff as a whole, this will be purely be the opinions of myself, in all my Batman-obsessed glory.

With that said, get your Batarangs sharpened and don your finest cape and cowl, it’s Batman vs. Batman time!