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Posted December 30, 2011 by Dane Jackson in Features
 
 

Ten Reasons The Dark Knight Rises Will Be Better Than The Hobbit

By now, we’ve all seen the first official trailers for two of next year’s most anticipated movies, right? In one corner, you have Christopher Nolan putting the finishing touches on his interpretation of the world of Batman with The Dark Knight Rises, and in the other corner you have Peter Jackson returning to the world he knows and loves as he brings Bilbo’s journey to the silver screen with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. So, which of these two movies will be the most anticipated geek movie of 2012?

Yes, I realize I’m leaving out The Avengers here. Rest assured, I do think Joss Whedon’s movie will be absolutely amazing (he’s a genius if you didn’t know already), I just think when the dust settles on 2012, most of the geek focus will be on Batman and Bilbo Baggins. To me, that battle has already been won by the Caped Crusader. So, here are ten reasons that I’ll be hanging out in Gotham instead of the Shire in 2012.

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  1. If the Mayans are right and the end of the world occurs on December 21st, that’ll only give The Hobbit a little over a week in wide release

The theatrical poster for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”

With that in mind, The Dark Knight Rises will definitely be the box office winner by default. Hell, who knows, maybe the blatant studio cash grab that is The Hobbit is the event that triggers the apocalypse.

  1. The Dark Knight Rises is a sequel, while The Hobbit is a prequel

Christopher Nolan has completely reinvented the Batman mythos with his trilogy. After seeing his treatment of the Dark Knight, the Joel Schumacher films have finally been reduced to nothing more than a distant (and very bad) memory. Instead of making his movies campy and too “superhero,” Nolan has treated them like a gritty crime drama. He has built characters we can care about and has focused on plot and character. He approached the series in an intelligent way, which shows in the delivery and enjoyment of the movies. The Hobbit is simply a prequel to the events in The Lord of the Rings. Sure, I’m simplifying things here, but when you boil it down to the core elements, it’s a prequel…nothing new is gained or resolved by watching The Hobbit and it won’t lead to greater enjoyment of the Lord of the Rings flicks.

  1. Christopher Nolan has more artistic license than Peter Jackson does

Director Christopher Nolan on the set of “The Dark Knight Rises.” Photo by Ron Phillips – © 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Legendary Pictures Funding, LLC.

Peter Jackson is already starting behind the eight ball with The Hobbit. Because he has J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material and the previous three films that he needs to deal with, Jackson will have little to no maneuverability in the movie. If you’ve read the books or have seen the movies you know exactly what to expect, which means there will be no surprises. Nolan, on the other hand, is able to take creative freedoms with the Batman universe and make it his own. If he followed a “by-the-numbers” approach with his movies, wouldn’t we have seen villains like The Penguin and The Riddler instead of ones like Bane and The Scarecrow? I honestly don’t know what to expect with this final movie, and that sense of wonderment and intrigue really tips the scales in Nolan’s favor for me.

  1. While Peter Jackson may be the right choice for The Hobbit, he’s also the “safe” one

Director Peter Jackson on the set of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” © 2011 – New Line Cinema.

To be honest with you, I was more intrigued with The Hobbit when Guillermo del Toro was attached to direct. I thought he would offer a fresh, and potentially bold, treatment to the world of Middle Earth. Instead, he bailed after numerous delays and Jackson was brought on board. I get it; it makes perfect sense. He was masterful with the first three flicks. Sadly, it just feels like he’s retreading old ideas. Another Hobbit going on a quest but this time, instead of Mordor, we get to see the Hobbit head towards a dragon.

  1. The source material suggests The Hobbit doesn’t need to be split into two movies

One of the covers of the many editions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s single-volume novel “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again.”

I’ve read the book. I know how long it is and, with that in mind, there’s no reason it needs to be split into two movies (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012 and The Hobbit: There and Back Again in 2013). Feels like a cash grab ala the recent trend in the final book to movie adaptations of certain book series.

  1. With previous and potential future flops (Green Lantern and Man of Steel), the fate of the DC Universe falls on the Dark Knight’s shoulders

Christian Bale in “The Dark Knight Rises.” Photo by Ron Phillips – © 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Legendary Pictures Funding, LLC.

There really isn’t much else to say here, it’s just plain facts. Because of this, expect the full DC and Warner Bros. marketing muscle to be out in full force to make sure that The Dark Knight Rises is a huge hit. This is probably something the Hobbit marketing team won’t be able to match.

  1. The Dark Knight Rises viral marketing and pre-release hype

Tom Hardy in “The Dark Knight Rises.” © 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures.

One thing that made The Dark Knight so cool was the extent they used viral marketing to promote the movie, build buzz, and spread the word prior to release. I spent hours trying to figure out all the codes, riddles, fake websites, etc. attached to the movie. Because of that, I felt completely invested in the movie. The marketing folks behind the new Batman movie are doing the same thing. It makes everything a bit more exciting and heightens anticipation.

  1. The trailer for The Dark Knight Rises elicited more emotions than The Hobbit’s did

After watching the Batman trailer, I had two things on my mind – 1) is it July yet? and 2) when will these goose bumps go away? After The Hobbit trailer, my only reaction was “meh.” The Batman trailer really elicits a sense of dread and finality. I actually fear for Batman. With The Hobbit, I already know the story, so my only real investment is to see how close Peter Jackson gets to my imagination on the big screen. I’m ready and willing to be awed, but I have no real emotional attachment to The Hobbit movie. As a rule, book to movie adaptations are rarely better than the book (and that includes the LOTR movies). Believe it or not though, I do have a Batman complaint, if Nolan doesn’t figure out a way to make Bane more understandable, that will really kill my ability to enjoyment a large portion of the movie. It’s a risk having Bane as the main villain as it is, so Nolan has to get it right.

  1. In a battle between Christian Bale and Martin Freeman, Bale wins hands-down

Martin Freeman in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” Photo by James Fisher – © 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.

Sure, he has an unnecessarily gravelly voice when he has the Batman cowl on, but when it comes to star appeal, Bale wins handily. I love Martin Freeman and I think he’s inspired casting for Bilbo Baggins, but I have to go with the Oscar winner on this one.

  1. The Dark Knight Rises is the end of an era, while The Hobbit is the beginning of one

The poster for “The Dark Knight Rises.”

That fact alone has my anticipation meter off the charts for Nolan’s final Batman flick. He has completely made me a believer in his treatment of these characters that I love so dearly (trust me, when Heath Ledger was originally announced as The Joker, I was pissed – boy was I wrong about that), that I just need to see what he means by “The Legend Ends.” I may not “want” to see his answer, but damn it, I need to see it. I’ve read plenty of comics featuring Bane and I’m fully aware of the “Knightfall” story arc, so I really don’t know what to expect. This sense of unease and nervous excitement is something rarely felt in the movies these days, and I’m honestly not sure I’ll feel it again anytime soon.

Dane Jackson

Dane Jackson

Dane Jackson has been writing about movies since high school when he had a monthly column in the school paper about cult movies. His cinematic tastes have matured (slightly) since then.