After 1997’s Batman & Robin, the Caped-Crusader’s time on the big screen came to a disastrous end. The campy, pun-heavy movie was essentially a feature-length toy commercial, and while not without some charm, it was universally panned worldwide.
Eight years later, filmmaker Christopher Nolan would reignite the DC franchise with 2005’s Batman Begins. The gritty new origin story was a resounding success and sparked off one of the most successful film trilogies of all time. Despite everything the series does well, there are still elements that rubbed fans the wrong way and these points continue to be discussed to this day.
10 Katie Holmes’ Performance Wasn’t Well Received
In a series that’s highly praised for some truly excellent casting, one addition in the first entry, Batman Begins, does stand out as somewhat misplaced. Katie Holmes, most famous for her role on TV’s Dawson Creek, portrayed Rachel Dawes, a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne and present-day assistant D.A.
While not giving a bad performance as such, Holmes just didn’t quite seem up to task compared to her co-stars, including the likes of Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. Her character had a strong presence and potential for future storylines, however, and the next film would see Holmes replaced with the superior choice of Maggie Gyllenhaal.
9 Gotham’s Visual Style Changes Drastically
Batman Begins features a living, breathing, and even depressing version of Gotham City. It looked like something ripped straight from the comics page and even the Batman: Arkham game series. This gave the film a strong visual style to differentiate it from the likes of Superman or Spider-Man movies. This version of the city didn’t last into the sequels, unfortunately.
From the opening shot of 2008’s The Dark Knight, Gotham was a very different environment and this continued into the next entry. Gone were the dark, wet and steamy alleys and instead there were skyscrapers and clean office buildings. With that change, a sense of uniqueness from the first film was lost.
8 The Age Ratings Were Too Much Or Not Enough
Batman fans can often fit into two camps, those who prefer their stories to be less intense and violent, perhaps even kid-friendly, and others who want hard-edged and brutal epics. Every entry in the trilogy was rated PG-13 which most would agree was a suitable classification, while others would argue against it.
The PG-13 rating allowed for moments of fairly strong suspense/borderline horror and exciting action but this could alienate younger audiences and those who prefer a lighter tone. Others wanted R-rated and brutal thrillers intended only for mature viewers with more violence and darkness.
7 Christian Bale’s Batman Voice Became Widely Mocked
Michael Keaton was the first live-action Batman to change his voice while in costume to help distance the persona from Bruce Wayne. When it came to Bale’s turn, he didn’t push his Batman voice too far with the first film. That would change noticeably with his second round.
The Dark Knight is still considered one of the best comic book films ever made and possibly the best Batman entry ever, but Bale’s new take on the voice has become a common punchline. Far deeper than before, many viewers genuinely struggled to understand what he was saying while in costume.
6 Joker’s Scheme Didn’t Always Make Sense
Heath Ledger’s Joker may be the single most loved element of the entire trilogy and his presence in The Dark Knight is undeniable. A big part of his appeal was that despite claiming to not look like “a man with a plan,” his grand scheme was complex and engaging to watch unfold. Apart from one thing.
In his attempt to assassinate the Gotham City Mayor, Joker went undercover as a police officer during a memorial for the previous police commissioner. While it comes as a surprise to the viewer, it’s hard to believe that the other officers wouldn’t have noticed both Joker and one of his goons among their numbers.
5 Harvey Dent Didn’t Return For Part 3
The ending of TDK appeared to clearly show Harvey Dent/Two-Face falling to his death and for many, this was a satisfying conclusion to his tragic story arc. Others would hold out hope that he was lined up to make a return in the next film and that the fall had only injured him, rendering him unconscious or possibly putting him into a coma.
Dent wouldn’t make a miraculous recovery and was confirmed to indeed be dead as a result of the fall, and while many comic book movies feature characters returning from the afterlife, the Nolan films didn’t allow for that. Dent’s actions and death did play a large role in the storyline for the next film, so while not technically involved, he still impacted the continuing narrative.
4 John Blake Susses Bruce Out Instantly
In The Dark Knight Rises, Detective John Blake, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, approaches a now-retired Bruce Wayne at his home. After some back and forth, Blake reveals to Bruce that he knows he’s actually Batman. Bruce is rightly taken aback by this, just like the audience.
Blake, also an orphan, saw Bruce briefly as a youngster and recognized the pain he was hiding behind his eyes. Somehow, this lets him figure out that Bruce and Batman are one and the same because of that look they share, and Bruce makes no real attempt to dismiss the theory and lets Blake in.
3 Batman Appeared Less & Less Through The Series
TDK featured a strong supporting cast of characters, including Jim Gordon, Harvey Dent, and Alfred Pennyworth and because of that, Batman himself had a little less screentime. This seemed fair in the context of that storyline, but fans started to get annoyed when the trend continued into TDKR.
The final chapter in the series had very large chunks of the runtime with no Batman to be seen, and while it makes sense earlier in the story due to Bruce’s 8-year absence from the role, fans were upset to see the suit vanish again due to Bruce’s injuries and the long build-up toward the finale.
2 Tom Hardy’s Voice Also Received Ridicule
TDKR introduced viewers to a new iteration of Bane, whose last movie appearance was the doomed Batman & Robin. Most elements of this version were praised, such as the casting of Tom Hardy, his appearance, and his role in the plot, but there was another familiar problem: his voice.
Due to his mask, Hardy’s voice was extremely muffled and his accent choice was also peculiar. The combination of these elements had audiences puzzled when the early trailers dropped. The reaction was so mixed that Nolan eventually decided to alter the voice (a little) to make his dialogue clearer.
1 The Finale Was Underwhelming
TDKR had to deliver a satisfying conclusion to a 7-year storyline and not leave fans with lingering questions or annoyances. While the ending to the film wasn’t a disaster, it wasn’t all that strong, either.
A big complaint is that Bruce should never have been able to escape the nuclear blast after carrying an atomic bomb away from Gotham in the Batwing. A lot of fans felt that having him sacrifice himself to save the city would have been a better fit, rather than faking his death and tricking those closest to him. Alfred does get to find out the truth in the closing moments as he spots Bruce and Selina Kyle sitting nearby at a café in Florence, while John Blake follows Bruce’s instructions to the Batcave to potentially become the next Dark Knight.
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