This was fun to read--at least the interveiws with the screen writers. I enjoyed learning about the evolution of the movie series. As a huge Batman fan, I was curious to see why they made the choices they did concerning characters, events to show, and how they set up scenes. Once I got to the actual screen plays I had to concentrate hard. It's much harder to read a screen play than a novel, or even a traditional play. ( )

Book Info: Genre: Screenplays
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of the movies who are interested in reading the screenplays
Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, fighting, treachery, deceit

My Thoughts: I am unforgivably late reading this ARC, but I wanted to watch the final movie before I read it, and it's very hard for me to find time to watch movies. Of course, once I did find time to watch the movie, I became buried under other books that urgently needed to be reviewed... well, it's an old story. So. How to review screenplays and storyboards? It's tricky! I mean, there's no narrative, no need to worry about details like grammar. So, it all falls into how much you liked or disliked the story. I happen to be a fan of Batman from way back, so I mostly enjoyed the movies, and therefore I mostly enjoyed the screenplays. I never much liked their version of the Joker, and of course the nuclear bomb in Gotham's bay should have resulted in a huge tsunami, but those are details. If you enjoyed the movies, and like to read screenplays, then grab a copy. They don't have the complete storyboards, only a sample of each, but those are pretty cool as well. Also, the prequel gives you a look into the minds of the writers of the screenplays, which is pretty cool. I enjoyed being reminded of the movies, and fans of the movies will particularly enjoy this book.

Disclosure: I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY: The Compete Screenplays of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises, with storyboards from each film. There is also an introduction featuring a conversation about The Dark Knight trilogy among the three writers: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer

Christopher Nolan brings The Dark Knight trilogy to its climax.

The trilogy commenced with Batman Begins, which traced the origins of how Bruce Wayne took on the role of the masked crusader to fight the forces of evil.

In the second film, The Dark Knight, Batman found himself battling the anarchy unleashed by the Joker.

Physically and psychologically depleted by the events at the end of The Dark Knight, in The Dark Knight Rises Batman must marshal all his resources to meet the threat to Gotham City posed by the masked villain Bane.

These three films form a trilogy unique in the history of cinema—and express a dark imaginative vision that reflects the uncertainties of the twenty-first century.

This volume contains the complete screenplays of all three films, together with storyboards from each one. ( )

If you are a serious fan of the Batman mythos or a serious student of film, The Dark Knight Trilogy will be a welcome addition to your collection. Part of the Opus Screenplay series, The Dark Knight Trilogy presents all three of the film’s complete screenplays along with selected storyboards.

The collection opens with a bit of a panel discussion between the power players of the trilogy: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer, and Jordan Goldberg. It is an entertaining, but not particularly enlightening, conversation. Much of the subject matter of the discussion has been addressed in other widely published interviews with these gentlemen, but it does serve as a good introduction to the screenplays and provides a bit of a refresher on some of the key elements of the films. I found myself slightly amused when the topic of Batman’s “non-lethal” approach to dealing with criminals (I suppose I should believe that those missiles that shoot out of the Batmobile are non-lethal concussion damage that just knocks the bad guys out?) But that has always been a bit of an odd point for me, even in the comics themselves. But the point segues into the general thought processes at play as the trilogy developed over time.

Actually reading the screenplays after watching the trilogy is an interesting academic activity. But more interesting to me are the storyboards. I’m a bit of a project junkie. I like following a project from start to finish. In this case, reading this collection and seeing the storyboards after watching the films is almost a reverse-engineering exercise. The storyboard selections are generous and well chosen. For Batman Begins, we get the opening sequence of the film. For The Dark Knight, we get the amazing truck chase sequence with the Joker. Finally, for The Dark Knight Rises, we see the opening commuter plane sequence.

I enjoyed this little peek behind the scenes of one of my favorite trilogies, and fellow fans of the franchise no doubt will as well.

Reviewer Note: I was given an advanced review copy for review ( )