The Dark Knight vs. Inception

Right. So. I'm very, very unsure of my opinions here. Both are wonderful and brilliant movies made by one of my favorite filmmakers, so deciding which of them is the best is... very, very hard. Bear with me. 

Let's do the cinematic experiences first: I had a BLAST watching INCEPTION at the movies. It is, quite possibly, the best experience I have ever had in a cinema. However, when I saw The Dark Knight at first, I was a bit underwhelmed. Yes, it was good, and cool, and interesting, but really? Everyone had hyped it so much that I expected way better than what I was delivered. It wasn't until I saw the flick again on DVD (twice in one day, I might add) that I was able to see how excellent this film was. Inception, however, was a movie I read about, theorized about, tried to understand, and was, quite honestly, obsessed about, the hours and days after I saw it for the first time. I went back to the cinema with some friends who HADN'T seen it, and loved it possibly even more the second time. It's a hard choice, yes, but Inception wins this round. 

TDK = 0 points

Inception = 1 point

Over to other stuff, starting with things IN FRONT OF the camera.

Both Inception and The Dark Knight are incredibly well-directed, with fantastic stunts and gripping action scenes. I am reminded of the original Star Wars-films, where, in each and every action scene, something big, large, HUGE is at stake. The action isn't simply because "we have to get away" or "we have to kill this guy" - there are things at stake which could change the world, the characters and/or the course of the entire film. I really don't know which movie who has my favorite, and the most engaging, action scenes. They're both astronomically good. We'll call it even.

TDK = 1 point

Inception = 2 points

To the actors, which in Inception help ground the film and in The Dark Knight help elevate it. Really, the actors get so much more to work with in The Dark Knight, because it's the CHARACTERS that drives the movie, as opposed to Inception where they're all inside a dream, trying to achieve something. In the acting department, The Dark Knight wins, mostly because TDK is a character-film, while in Inception it's the world and the ideas who are the main characters. The Dark Knight win this round.

TDK = 2 points

Inception = 2 points

Next, we have the pacing, which is really quite excellent in both of these (as so many other things). The Dark Knight keeps raising the stakes from the very first heist (which also does an excellent job introducing the Joker), while Inception has the final heist-sequence at the end, which builds on everything we've learnt so far, and ties all the various storylines together, while delivering one of the most excellent sequences I have ever seen. Inception wins this round.

TDK = 2 points

Inception = 3 points

Ah, the opening sequence. It's the scene which sets-up everything that is about to come, while at the same time reeling you into the movie's universe, introducing the characters, the world and the situations that our characters needs to resolve. I've already talked about the excellent opening sequence in TDK, which introduces what mastermind and madman the Joker is, but let us take a minute to think about the opening to Inception. This is a film that takes place mostly in people's dreams, and even if the opening scene of the film thrusts you into this world and sets it all up, it just feels a tiny, tiny bit clunky. The first time I saw the film, this was the one scene I could honestly say that I did not like. When the dream begins to fall apart, I had no knowledge of what was happening, which made the whole thing a wee bit boring. Then there's the fact that Mal is introduced, then thrown away, then reused again, which quite honestly, still feels a bit "off" to me. Even if this is the ONLY "dull" sequence Inception has (and it really is far from dull), this round has to go to TDK, for its excellent heist-opening where you're introduced to the shitstorm which is about to hit Gotham City.

TDK = 3 points

Inception = 3 point

Now let's discuss the general idea of the films for a bit. The Dark Knight is, stripped-down, the tale of what can happen when you "introduce a little anarchy". It is the tale of two masterminds battling, with an entire city as their battleground. It is the sort of tale we've gotten since the 1800's, with Sherlock Holmes vs. Moriarty. It is the tale of a hero and his archnemesis. These stories are supposed to be a true glory to behold, which Christopher and Jonathan Nolan certainly have understood (actually, if you know any more movies/books/television like this, I'd love to hear about it). Inception, on the other hand, is an entirely different thing. It is the vision of what is inside our dreams, and if we can be manipulated while we're sleeping. With Inception, Nolan takes this idea and investigates all (well, most of) the pros and cons this sort of technology could have. Can someone extract, or better yet plant, an idea in your mind? And if so, what are the effects, the consequences, the result? Will you go mad? Will you embrace the idea? Or will you resent it? These are the questions explored in Inception. As for which of the movies' ideas are the best, I have absolutely no idea. Why? Because whatever the original idea, they've been well enough thought-out to fuel a whole 2 1/2 hour + film, in a logical way. There are no plot holes, or logical breaking points for either of these flicks. Here too, the score is even.

TDK = 4 points

Inception = 4 point

Then to the overall writing. Inception and The Dark Knight are, as you all know, both Summer Movies. Yes, they're different summer movies, but what we want to see in them are action, adventure and entertainment, not a sombre drama about Leonardo DiCaprio struggling to overcome the death of his wife, or a bunch of lawyers trying to win a big case (though we get that too). Fact is, both Inception and The Dark Knight are two of the finest written, paced and cut MOVIES I have ever seen. They are engaging, intelligent, exciting, jaw-dropping and fulfilling, whichever way you look at it. What it comes down to here is which of them I prefer (which is, after all, the original question). And here, I have to go with... 

ah fuck. I have no idea. Both of these films are so very good that I simply can't choose. I just hope Nolan keeps making films this good. I for one cannot wait for The Dark Knight Rises - if it's half as good as TDK, I will be pleased, but, knowing Nolan, I can't help shake the feeling that he has something truly special in store for us.