User blog comment:Night Watch the revenger/Miss worded last blog/@comment-5190500-20120625233359/@comment-3361105-20120626191828

I agree with you on Christian Bale. But, there are a number of other elements that contribute to the Nolanverse's failure to fully bring Batman and Gotham to life.

a) Rachel Dawes - who is she? why does she even exist? Why did Batman reveal his identity to her in Batman Begins? Katie Holmes was not good in the role, Maggie Gyllenhaal was better, but the character should not have existed.

b) Realism - Yes, Batman is a hero without powers, but there's no reason to completely throw stylistic and artistic license out the window. The "tumbler" version of the Batmobile is my main gripe, here. In the comics, he had the batmobile specifically designed for his needs. In the movie, he just yoinks a military vehicle. I used to look on Batman Returns as the closest possible interpretation of the Batman "style", but looking back on it now, it was a little over the top. Even so, Gotham City needs to be the kind of place where you can imagine a Killer Croc or a Riddler existing. The world of Batman Begins makes sense when it's just Batman, but the realism kills any opportunity for the villains to be little more than pale shadows of their comic-book selves. Even in the case of the Joker, in my opinion.