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Joss Whedon Reveals His Favorite Superhero Movies; Prefers BATMAN BEGINS To TDK

In an in depth interview, the director of The Avengers discusses what makes a great superhero movie and reveals some of his favorites. He doesn't mention any previous Marvel flicks!..

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By Mark "RorMachine" Cassidy - 5/8/2012
Forbes have conducted a lengthy interview with the man of the hour, Avengers director/writer Joss Whedon. As his superhero ensemble continues to bust blocks and thrill fans the world over, he reveals what CBMs he feels are great examples of the genre and why. He also praises Christopher Nolan's Batman movies, stating that while he loves The Dark Knight, he prefers Nolan's first take on The Caped Crusader..



What, in your view, have been the great superhero movies?

I still think the first two “Spideys” were unmatched. I think they captured the comic and found some cinematic extensions of that that were purely cinematic. Again, I think “Watchmen” was slavishly adherent to the comic, and that sometimes is almost as bad as completely ignoring the comic and just using the title. I think “Batman Begins” is certainly my favorite Batman movie I’ve seen.

Huh, not “The Dark Knight”? Most people would say “The Dark Knight.”

“The Dark Knight,” for me, has the same problem that every other “Batman” movie has. It’s not about Batman. I think Heath Ledger is just phenomenal and the character of the Joker is beautifully written. He has a particular philosophy that he carries throughout the movie. He has one of the best bad guy schemes. Bad guy schemes are actually very hard to come up with. I love his movie, but I always feel like Batman gets short shrift. In “Batman Begins,” the pathological, unbalanced, needy, scary person in the movie is Batman. That’s what every “Batman” movie should be.


I think there are quite a few CBMers that would agree with his assessment. As I said, the full interview is VERY in depth, with Whedon discussing his feelings on Buffy The Vampire Slayer possibly being rebooted under a new creative team, his "failed" tv shows, and his future plans - including the return of Dr Horribles' Sing Along Blog. So be sure to click the link below to check it out.







Source: Forbes.com
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ThreeBigTacos - 5/8/2012, 4:25 PM
He doesn't like TDK as much? Wah Wah Wah... lol

I'm glad he has his opinions, something some people here will forget and get mad about.
MrDuck - 5/8/2012, 4:27 PM
I agree, I feel like Nolan sort of dropped this element he could have used from the first one when he made dark knight. just hope dkr is even better and hopefully brings that back
elcaballerooscuro92 - 5/8/2012, 4:30 PM
he thinks just like me
DukeAcureds - 5/8/2012, 4:32 PM
YES sir. Yes.
elcaballerooscuro92 - 5/8/2012, 4:34 PM
i still think TDK is one of the best movie ever, but i prefer to watch batman begins
DukeAcureds - 5/8/2012, 4:35 PM
Gaston@ Best. Avatar. Ever.
TheActionAce - 5/8/2012, 4:37 PM
that is exactly what I think about BB and TDK
Ashes2Phoenix - 5/8/2012, 4:39 PM
So do I. Batman Begins was the better film in my opinion.
MetropolisMarvel - 5/8/2012, 4:41 PM
Rises is gonna pee on Avengers.
marvel72 - 5/8/2012, 4:41 PM
i think both are good,can't pick a favorite.

batman begins throat cancer voice not so bad,but not a fan rhas al ghul,scarecrow was good though.

the dark knight better villain in the joker but terrible throat cancer voice.
Knightrider - 5/8/2012, 4:42 PM
However in an odd way I always thought that was the point, that we were meant to see more of the Joker and follow him more as the Batman character had been established in BB. In all honesty I put both films on, on a regular occurrence so like them both. I repeat his opinion and see his point, but what he didn't like was what I actually did.
Knightrider - 5/8/2012, 4:43 PM
respect* not repeat!!
MrSuperheromoviefan - 5/8/2012, 4:43 PM
Intruder - don't compare yourself with whedon. he said he liked tdk, but he prefers bb.
ckal - 5/8/2012, 4:43 PM
Joss, whatever do you mean?


The Dark Knight is the best movie of all time...

....Right behind Inception.
cmay13 - 5/8/2012, 4:44 PM
totally agreed that batman begins is better than tdk
LucasMend - 5/8/2012, 4:45 PM
I love TDK, but I kind like BB more than TDK too
UncleTee - 5/8/2012, 4:46 PM
The first two Spidey movies, outside of the Marvel produced movies, were the best examples of proper comicbook movies.
wavehunter - 5/8/2012, 4:46 PM
Sounds to me that he felt that the movie (TDK) focused too much on The Joker and not enough on Batman.
gastitdk - 5/8/2012, 4:47 PM
Well, he certainly does have a very good point stating that TDK is more about Joker than Batman, and that's something I agree with. BB feels more like a comic book movie, it has that Frank Miller's Year One atmosphere in it. Either way, I like TDK better, and I think that Rises will knock it out of the park.
95 - 5/8/2012, 4:48 PM
I can agree with him. Sam Raimi's first two Spider-Man were just awesome. And Batman Begins is Batman-centric.

The notion of The Dark Knight was to explore the possibility of The Joker within the world they created in Batman Begins. The Joker is very interesting character to watch. It's a great film.
gastitdk - 5/8/2012, 4:48 PM
In fact, maybe Rises will turn out to be more Batman centered than TDK.
jazzman - 5/8/2012, 4:48 PM
@Gaston

u speak the truth
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 5/8/2012, 4:49 PM
Heath Ledger was only in ten scenes for a total screen time of like 35 minutes in a 2 1/2 hour movie. If anything The Dark Knight is about Harvey Dent. The whole movies plot revolves around him.
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 5/8/2012, 4:51 PM
Gaston is 100% right. I wonder if that troll who makes all the I hate Nolan and his Batman movies are shit has seen this.
brewtownpsych - 5/8/2012, 4:52 PM
Batman Begins is definitely an inferior movie. Nolan was not a big name at the time (well, not like now where he can literally make ANY movie he wants) so it reeks of studio influence and origin story pacing issues. it also has the awful katie holmes.

kinda beneath whedon to take such a passive-aggressive little snipe. i don't think he's quite in the same league just yet.
JDUKE25 - 5/8/2012, 4:55 PM
I've always liked Batman Begins over The Dark Knight.
DukeAcureds - 5/8/2012, 4:56 PM
Actually I think TDK was about Nolan and his violent inability to nod and nudge and wink to the audience in any way that does not disrupt the flow of the film. He can, howver, suck my balls. Nolan sucks. Apologies for being childish.
SpideyQuad - 5/8/2012, 4:56 PM
Thank you Joss, I felt that way the moment I saw TDK. Not for the same reasons, but something just never sat right with me in that movie. I also agreed about the 2 Spiderman movies.
CaptainObvious - 5/8/2012, 4:57 PM
I love both of them, but prefer The Dark Knight over Batman Begins simply because along with Iron Man, it took superhero movies to new height.

That being said, I love the first two Spidey films. To me, Spider-Man 2 is THE Spider-Man film. TASM won't top that.
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 5/8/2012, 4:57 PM
@brewtoanpsych

I think Katie Holmes is the only person WB forced him to put in his movie. At that time Dawsons Creek had just wrapped up, and they still had her signed long term. They wanted to turn her into the next Angelina Jolie or something stupid like that. Then she became Mrs. Tom Cruise and the rest is history.

It's funny, because the studio was pushing hard for either Ashton Kutcher or Joshua Jackson (with a preference towards Jackson).

Still it's not nearly as bad as what Fox did with Fantastic Four. Hiring all actors save one, that had pre existing contracts with the network. That movie reeked of over exposure. Hmm who can play Dr. Doom, oh I know how about that guy from Nip Tuck. If the movie is a hit, the show will be even more of a hit!
samster10001 - 5/8/2012, 4:59 PM
Hadn't Nolan always planned for the Joker to return in the TDK sequel? That's why he wasn't killed off at the end of the film? It sucks that ledger died because I keep thinking of how awesome it would have been to properly close out that batman/joker rivalry. I got really excited when the joker said "I have a feeling well be doing this for a very long time" until I remebered that ledger was alread dead.
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 5/8/2012, 5:00 PM
@Nomis

I think Batman was done perfectly in The Dark Knight. He was the moral compass to everyone. You compare everyone in that movie to Batman. That movie was about trying to prove to Batman that everyone deep down inside can go crazy if the chips are down. The whole villains premise revolved around the Dark Knight on a philosophical level, not just a, "I want to rule Gotham" level. I don't think the Joker ever wanted Gotham to "rule" over. He knew he wouldn't be able to contain a city that large. However, if he could prove to Batman that even the most righteous citizen can go insane from "one bad day" than he would win. And he does.
AlexDeLarge87 - 5/8/2012, 5:01 PM
I prefer Begins too.

I guess its the city and Liam Neeson as the main villain.
Ledger´s Joker and Eckhart´s Dent were cool too but Neeson was the man!:)
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 5/8/2012, 5:02 PM
@Samster

Those are all just rumors. He never planned on directing one after the Dark Knight, and didn't have a story outlined for the film until December of 2009.

There is some BS about it being a Silence of the Lambs rip off, where Batman needs the joker to catch Harvy Dent, but it's just BS. I'm sure the joker would have had a cameo similar to Scarecrows, but he wasn't to be a major player.
SamHell - 5/8/2012, 5:02 PM
I feel the same Whedon
OdinsBeard - 5/8/2012, 5:02 PM
begins DOES feel like more of a batman movie than TDK
BlueHawaiiSurfer - 5/8/2012, 5:02 PM
^^^^ Agree 100%. Would have been better if Heath was still around. Not only that I think it would have been the difference in a huge box office take vs. a juggernaut. RIP Heath. :o(
AlexDeLarge87 - 5/8/2012, 5:04 PM
Bale was in his best as Bruce and Batman in that too.
spectre88 - 5/8/2012, 5:04 PM
Although I respectfully disagree, I have to admit he does make a fair point. One thing I will say is he is a humble man because his very own Avengers is better than any other CBM!
sexfoodcomics - 5/8/2012, 5:05 PM
The second movie is called the dark knight. Why does everyone assume it's about batman just cause he is called the dark knight in the comics. The second movie is supposed to be about the joker. It's us posses to be the exact opposite of batman begins, when someone chooses the other side.
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 5/8/2012, 5:05 PM
I wouldn't want Heath's Joker to headline another movie even if he were alive. We have already seen that movie, we don't need to see it again. His story was a very interesting and well told one. Move forward, don't go backwards.
antonio - 5/8/2012, 5:05 PM
@Intruder wasn't it YOU who has been spreading anti-Nolan sentiments for the longest time and has said The Prestige is Nolan's only great movie?
DukeAcureds - 5/8/2012, 5:07 PM
BlueHawaiiSurfer@ You mean if Heath hadn't died it wouldn't have done very well?
95 - 5/8/2012, 5:07 PM
Wally Pfister and Christopher Nolan screened both BB & TDK prior to pre-production of TDKR. They both discussed the film they liked more. And they chose differently. Something tells me Pfister chose TDK because he's proud of his IMAX accomplishment-- and I think Nolan chose BB for it's Blade Runner styling and strong theme. I'd like someone to interview them again and hear which one they chose, respectively.
antonio - 5/8/2012, 5:07 PM
I loved Dark Knight because of the many themes it had and just like Iron Man, raised new heights for CBM's the way Batman Begins did in 2005.
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 5/8/2012, 5:08 PM
The second movie is called the dark knight. Why does everyone assume it's about batman just cause he is called the dark knight in the comics. The second movie is supposed to be about the joker. It's us posses to be the exact opposite of batman begins, when someone chooses the other side.


Apparently you missed Gordon's dialogue at the end regarding the Dark Knight...
TexasAvenger - 5/8/2012, 5:08 PM
I prefer The Dark Knight over Batman Begins.
RorMachine - 5/8/2012, 5:08 PM
I disagree with him about TDK. The plot didn't focus as directly on Batman as it did in BB, but the character was reflected in both The Joker and Dent at the same time. The three of them were basically supposed to be different sides of the same coin (I know a coin only has 2 sides but u know what I mean!). Versiosn of how teh same character might turn out if all of his positive qualities somehow turned negative, and even vice versa where the Joker was concerned. There is a lot more going on that just "Batman wasn't in it enough", at least that's my take. I loved BB but the last half hour was a bit all over the place, I think TDK is the stronger movie, and not just because of Ledger.
Batman27 - 5/8/2012, 5:08 PM
People need to realize a lot people love Nolan's Batman films that includes Feige and Wheadon. The hate from Marvel diehards is a small minority.
antonio - 5/8/2012, 5:09 PM
@3D I'm sure Pfister will choose TDKR as his favorite because of what him and Nolan will accomplish in IMAX. Over an hour of IMAX footage.
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