Big summer blockbusters don’t have to be terrible. The original ones — Jaws, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark — weren’t, and harnessing the considerable resources of Hollywood talent at the service of a large-budget, crowd-pleasing entertainment is something we do better than anyone; it’s one of the few things (like bombers and motorcycles) that America still builds well. The trouble is, so few filmmakers bother with matters like characterization and wit and intelligence, and those that do are often hamstrung by the creativity-by-committee that is the bane of studio “tentpoles,” and that’s why Christopher Nolan is so valuable. His Batman trilogy (and The Prestige and Inception, which he made between them) serve as a forceful reminder of the kind of quality that the marriage of art and commerce can birth — and the use of “art” here is a deliberate one, a word choice not made lightly. In the seven years since Warner Brothers handed the keys to their biggest franchise over to a British filmmaker best known for a twisty indie, Nolan has done nothing less than redefine blockbuster cinema: what it is, and what it can be. … Read More