1) Christopher Nolan – The Dark Knight Trilogy
One of the most fascinating things about Christopher Nolan’s Batman films is how they chart his evolution as a filmmaker. Coming in to Batman Begins, Nolan was something of a dab hand in films dealing with troubled characters and their psychology; so Begins focuses on Batman/Bruce Wayne and the psychology of life the man behind the mask.
By The Dark Knight Rises, however, Nolan’s tastes had shifted to making epic high budget movies dealing in big themes; so Rises is a grandiose affair exploring the concept of legacy, and what it means to be a hero.
This is only part of what makes Nolan’s Batman films the most interesting collection of superhero movies ever, not to mention the best example of what an auteur can bring to the superhero genre. The Dark Knight trilogy is what convinced audiences and the studios that superhero movies could be both entertaining and complex, both action-packed and character-focused.
And if the self-seriousness, grit, and practical effects didn’t give it away, you can tell who’s behind the lens just from the cast of actors, people Nolan’s only been too happy to work with time and time again.
