After the Batman franchise had fallen into embarrassing territory with Batman & Robin, Christopher Nolan was brought in to infuse the franchise with a dark grittiness that had been missing from the more recent movies. He delivered an acclaimed reboot to the character with the origin story Batman Begins. While that movie was a success, it was quickly overshadowed by its sequel The Dark Knight which has been hailed by many as the greatest comic book movie of all time. It's true that The Dark Knight expanded on its predecessor in some bold ways, creating a crime epic within this world Nolan created. But when it comes to a story about the character of Batman, Batman Begins is the better movie.
In rebooting the franchise, Nolan and Warner Bros. made the wise decision of focusing on the origin of this iconic character that had never really been explored extensively in the movies before. Previous movies had touched on the murder of his parents and young Bruce discovering the Batcave, and most audiences were aware of all this. However, Batman Begins wanted to make the audiences be interested in this hero again, and in order to do that, they needed to understand where he came from.
Christian Bale was an excellent choice for the role, infusing Bruce Wayne with a brooding intensity and an unbreakable focus. His performance really made audiences believe this man would go through with his mission to clean up the streets of Gotham. His parents' death further informed the hero he would become. While first consumed with rage and a desire for vengeance, Bruce learns that killing will only make him as guilty as the man who killed his parents. He develops his rule as Batman to never take a life and to be a symbol rather than just a man.
Other Batman movies have failed to get to the root of the Caped Crusader as effectively as Batman Begins because many of them are more concerned with the villains of the story. Looking at what Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher did with their Batman movies, the villains are the bigger, flashier, and more interesting characters. They are given more screen time and have the bigger stars in the roles. This is a similar issue in The Dark Knight as Heath Ledger's Joker is a force of nature that instantly becomes the most interesting thing in the movie.
Unlike some of the other movies, Nolan knows not to use Joker too much, keeping him in a supporting role. However, Ledger's performance and the interesting new take on the classic villain really overshadows Batman. In Batman Begins, the story tries to remind audiences that Batman is the most interesting aspect of his own story. The villains of the movie are memorable and effective, but they never overtake the hero and his story.
However, it is not just Joker who steals the show in The Dark Knight. Given how much of the movie revolves around him and how prominent he is, Harvey Dent could also be considered the protagonist. Dent is Gotham's new district attorney and is seen as the man who can save Gotham the right way. The movie then becomes a battle over Dent's soul with Batman trying to fulfill his heroic purpose and Joker trying to tear him down.
It is through Dent that the main message of the movie is made, "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." That is a message that speaks directly to Dent's arc in the movie which is why he is such a central figure in the story. The audience watches as this man who was meant to save Gotham is corrupted by it. It is only in the end that the message relates to Batman as well. He has been a certain type of hero to the city, but now they need hope. With Dent gone, he is willing to be the villain in order to save Gotham. It is a powerful moment for the character of Batman, but it needed to have Dent's journey in order to really make it land.
Batman Begins has a message of its own with, "It is not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you." Unlike The Dark Knight's message, this is one that speaks directly to the character of Batman. The movie is about Bruce Wayne's journey of finding his purpose and becoming the hero of Gotham. He is willing to sacrifice the life he could have had as Bruce Wayne in order to become Batman. Not only is that a more Batman-centric story than The Dark Knight, but it also sets the stage for how that hero's journey will continue in the sequel.
There is no denying The Dark Knight is an accomplished movie that exceeds Batman Begins in many ways. From its larger scope to its interesting new character to its set-pieces, it is a true triumph of the comic book movie genre. However, with the origin story of Batman out of the way, it seems clear that Nolan wanted to tell a grander story and one that didn't need Batman to be as central. With the ambition of the story, the hero was pushed somewhat to the side. But while The Dark Knight may not be the best representation of Batman, with Batman Begins, Nolan proved he understood and respected the character, delivering what is perhaps the best movie about Batman ever made.