I'm seeing Part I tonight. I haven't been a fan of the last few movies, but at this point, might as well finish the series.
Side note: if anyone's interested in what Rowling's been up to, check this out...
J.K. Rowling's New Pottermore Site Will Change Digital Publishing - Nicholas Jackson - Technology - The Atlantic
Pretty cool, and good for her.
It looks like the recipe for a good movie is to make it more dark these days. People seem to relate more I'm guessing.
Batman is a prime example. They tried to go the "funny" but action route with Green Lantern and Superman but didn't do that well because of it.
That sounds right. The books definitely became darker as the series continued. The movies needed to follow suit, especially since Rowling has huge influence with the studio. But to your point, films that dig into the pit draw folks in.
Tangent...
About Superman, I had high hopes for the reboot coming in 2012. At first, Nolan was taking it. He's dark and awesome behind the camera, but he's since bailed to focus on Batman. Superman still has Goyer writing the screenplay, though. Goyer's very dark. He wrote the last two Dark Knights, Blade II, The Crow, Dark City, etc. Unfortunately, Zack Snyder is doing direction (I'm not a fan).