Face-Off: The Dark Knight vs The Dark Knight Rises

For now, we may have Robert Pattinson as our newest iteration of Bruce Wayne aka Batman, but it wasn’t the first time the character has been given a dark, gritty reboot. That honor is held by Christopher Nolan’s 2005 film Batman Begins, which singlehandedly saved the franchise from its rubber-nipple-induced isolation brought on by Batman & Robin. Then in 2008, superhero movies were radically changed forever with the gargantuan release of The Dark Knight, which took the goodwill earned by Begins and pushed the envelope in every conceivable way.

After delivering one of the best films of all time featuring an Academy Award-winning portrayal of the Joker by Heath Ledger, Nolan was faced with the truly impossible challenge to top The Dark Knight and complete the journey of Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne. We now have The Dark Knight Rises10 in 2012. This movie is a satisfying and ambitious conclusion to this story that stars Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, and Tom Hardy as Bane. It gained a hefty amount of praise upon release though not as much as its predecessor.

But while it may not be as groundbreaking of a film, Rises doesn’t rest on its laurels and certainly swings for the fences. Which film will win when it is thrown into the Pit? It could be a close fight, so get ready! It’s Chaos vs Pain and Fire vs Ice — it is The Dark Knight vs The Dark Knight Risings only… FACE OFF!

This episode of Face Off was written by Paul Cooper, narrated Shawn Knippelberg and edited by Paul Cooper. But don’t let us have the final word — tell us in the comment which Nolan Batman flick is your pick — The Dark Knight or The Dark Knight Rises?