Batman and James Bond’s reboots might be gritty in way, but it’s not the choice of a darker color palette, more plausible narratives, or the nihilistic beliefs of their characters that makes them worth talking about, hence why most of their copycats feel short of the two’s success.Įven Nolan’s Gotham is not nearly as dark as Burton’s, let alone what Matt Reeves is trying with The Batman, as the City still retains a pristine look in most shots and is hardly a big draw for many viewers. This Batman era's scores also see the Hans Zimmer and Nolan partnership team up for a musical backing that's anything but grounded as it features the massive sound (which arguably suits Batman) that's typically associated with the composer's work. Those two endings perhaps help distance the original “gritty reboots” from the rest that followed, as Hollywood splashed the 'gritty' buzzword in everything from The Amazing Spider-Man, Planet of the Apes, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and even Snow White and the Huntsman, all which suffered from lacking a coherent enough structure, especially the ones that got sequels.

It’s no secret Paul Haggis had Batman Begins on his mind when writing Casino Royale going as far as to say they wanted to do for 007 what that movie did for Batman, nevertheless, both movies’ ending show that those attempts were initially planned as part of a largely streamlined and carefully planned story.Īfter all, Batman Begins wraps up with the card-shaped warning sign that the Joker is coming and Casino Royale’s ending was designed to tie directly into its sequel as Bond struggled to cope with Vesper's betrayal and death. Batman Begins’ immediate “gritty successor” was none other than James Bond, another glorious hero from the 60s who much like Bruce Wayne descended towards borderline ridicule after Batman & Robin and Die Another Day resulted in one of the biggest busts each franchise had ever seen.

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