The Avengers vs. The Dark Knight Rises

**SPOILERS HEREIN!**

Easily the two biggest movies of the year were the superhero pictures The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. Both films were major movie events for comic book fans and casual moviegoers alike. Both grossed over $1 billion worldwide, though with a nearly half-billion-dollar lead, The Avengers (released on video today) won the battle at the box office.   

But which is the better movie? Here are my thoughts:

 

Story: The Avengers

The Dark Knight Rises packs in enough storylines to make two three-hour movies, and as a result, a lot of plot points are fleeting. The main story of Gotham City being taken over and cut off from the rest of the world is compelling, but Bruce Wayne lingering in a pit for much of the picture, not so much. The Avengers, however, gives each character a meaningful part, while still managing to tell a coherent, if simpler, story. It has the advantage of all the characters’ individual films leading into it, but that is still quite an accomplishment.

Heroes: The Avengers

Not that Christian Bale is a bad Batman, but he’s out of action for much of The Dark Knight Rises. In contrast, every team member in The Avengers gets a moment to be the hero, drop a one-liner, and advance their character‘s story. Robert Downey, Jr., and Chris Evans are great once again as Iron Man and Captain America, respectively, Chris Hemsworth is even better than he was in Thor, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner develop from background characters into strong leads as Black Widow and Hawkeye, and Mark Ruffalo succeeds in taking over as Bruce Banner (though the real star of this role is the CGI Hulk).

Batman can still take them, though.  Just ask the Justice League.

Villains: The Dark Knight Rises

Despite the mask muffling his speech, Tom Hardy is quite imposing as Bane. When he starts throwing punches, it hurts to watch a little bit, especially when he mops the floor with Batman early in the movie. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is entertaining, but he seems more comedic than evil at times, which Bane never does. Bane also gets an edge for taking over Gotham on his own, whereas Loki’s plan to conquer Earth relied on help from the alien Chitauri (and failed).

Supporting Players: The Dark Knight Rises

Oldman's role as Gordon was one of his best.

The Avengers has Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury looking cool in an eye patch and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) revealed as a giddy Captain America fanboy (though his death is surprisingly more emotional than expected). The Dark Knight Rises has Gary Oldman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt protecting Gotham City in the Bat’s absence, Anne Hathaway capturing Catwoman perfectly (though she could have used some more screen time), and Oscar winners Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Marion Cotillard all in major roles. No contest. While we’re at it, Oldman deserves an Oscar for playing Commissioner Gordon!

Fight Scenes: The Avengers

Both have some terrific action sequences with cool special effects, so this one’s close to a wash. But there is one tiebreaker: In The Dark Knight Rises, Batman subdues Bane in the final battle by simply dislodging a small tube from his mask; after a short respite and plot twist, Bane anticlimactically meets his end from a gunshot. In The Avengers…well, just watch what happens to Loki. Take a guess which one got more cheers at the midnight show.

Humor: The Avengers

This one is easy. The Dark Knight Rises has little time nor place for laughter in its super-dark story. In The Avengers, the whole cast has great chemistry, and keeps us all laughing with one-liners, funny gags, and pop culture references (Captain America’s ignorance in that department is also amusing) between—and during—all the action sequences. The short, silent scene after the credits is also an instant-classic.

Sequel Potential: Even

The Marvel Universe films always leave clues to future movies after the credits, and The Avengers is no exception. The movie shows a glimpse of the supervillain Thanos, so we can expect to see him in a future movie. Christopher Nolan has said that The Dark Knight Rises will be his last Batman picture, but the ending leaves it open for the Dark Knight to return, and suggests Gordon-Levitt’s John Blake will take up masked heroism himself. It’s a compelling prospect, as he held his own in the picture alongside Batman and Gordon.  The film does lose points for straying from continuity, though; “Robin John Blake?” Couldn’t he have just been Dick Grayson?

Hype: The Avengers

The Avengers was the massive crossover event that the whole Marvel film series had been building toward since it started with Iron Man in 2008. The Dark Knight Rises was the follow-up to The Dark Knight, not only the gold standard for comic book movies, but one of the best films of the new millennium on any level.  Both films opened with more hype than any picture in recent memory. Amazingly, The Avengers lived up to every bit of it, maybe even surpassed it. While The Dark Knight Rises wrapped up the series well, it didn’t reach the same level as its predecessor (which admittedly would have been nearly impossible). 
 

Winner:

 

The Dark Knight Rises is a well-made and satisfying ending to Christopher Nolan’s Batman series, but it has its flaws. The Avengers is the perfect superhero movie, with just the right balance of humor, character, and action. It’s an excellent example of how to make an ensemble film with so many stars right.

And I say this as a fan of DC more than Marvel. Here’s hoping the Justice League movie is this good (if they finally get the project started already).