The Dark Knight Rises - seen thread *SPOILERS WITHIN* See Mod Warning in first post

frostie500

I have to say that I was disappointed by this. I didn't expect it to be as good as Dark Knight, basically because i think it's one of the finest films ever made, but this one just seemed flat. The ending offered us very little payoff other than leaving it open for someone to take on the franchise with Blake as Batman.

I definitely agree that it looked like the studio forced them to put in the scene at the end of Bruce and Selena in the cafe and that the film would have had a much stronger ending if it finished with Alfred crying and saying that he had failed.

Personally I think that it would have been much more fitting for Wayne to have died to save the city. Batman sacrificed so much for Gotham in the opening two films that it would have been good to see him pay the biggest sacrifice so that his city and its people could survive.

It was nice for Bruce Wayne to move on from the turmoil of his life etc. and settle down but ultimately I think it would have been better for him to have died saving millions. I dont read comic books so I'd love to know how these compare to the film.

The one thing I would say is that when both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight ended I immediately thought, "I've got to get back in and see this." When The Dark Knight Rises ended I thought, "I wouldn't mind seeing The Dark Knight again." I'd say I'll go see it again this week though all the same and maybe on second viewing I'll have a different view but right now I would say this is the weakest of the trilogy and I'm disappointed that a terrific trilogy ends like this.

hightower1

Just back from it... tbh I dont think it was the hype but I just found it a bit dull.

Begins for me was about overcoming adversity , using the pain it gave you as strength and become something greater than the sum of your parts.

TDK was about your resolve and morals, it felt like a tense tug of war between batman and joker with Gotham caught in the middle...


TDKR though didnt seem to have a message as far as I saw, it just felt like a story with no real meaning or heart like the others did. More like a movie that was made because it had to be.
Still good compared to most tripe these days but just not on the same level as the other two.

Seeing batman and catwoman on screen at the same time just felt a bit too much fantasy for the nolan universe.

Taking a city hostage with a nuke felt ham fisted like a micheal bay movie plot

and the Bat just seemed a step too far into fantasy land for my liking.

I definitely appreciated Micheal Caines performance though and the lack of music for the

Bane / Batman fight scene, made it feel very up close and personal, very much like a brawl or cage fight

Cash in is a little too harsh but it just felt like begins was great, TDK raised the steaks in film terms but the dark knight rises was a step down in nearly all aspects.

Pepe LeFrits

hightower1 wrote: »

I definitely appreciated Micheal Caines performance though and the lack of music for the

Bane / Batman fight scene, made it feel very up close and personal, very much like a brawl or cage fight

I was a little disappointed with the Bane/Batman duels, particularly the second one. Speaking of cage fights, I watched Warrior recently and I thought the fight scenes in that were excellent - ironically also featuring Tom Hardy playing a Bane-style monster against the plucky underdog.

hightower1

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

I was a little disappointed with the Bane/Batman duels, particularly the second one. Speaking of cage fights, I watched Warrior recently and I thought the fight scenes in that were excellent - ironically also featuring Tom Hardy playing a Bane-style monster against the plucky underdog.

Yeah the second fight could have been better, really should have focused on how Batman usually fought larger opponents (use of gadgets, agility and surroundings) rather than a fist fight that was shot a bit too close.

In regards to the whole movie I think I always liked the image of batman the great detective which we definitely saw in a small (and totally inaccurate but never the less appreciated for the effort ) way in TDK but that notion was completely done away with in TDKR where Batman shows up simply for action scenes.

maximoose

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

I was a little disappointed with the Bane/Batman duels, particularly the second one.

Really? I thought their fights were flipping fantastic

First one Batman gives it everything he's got and gets totally dominated, thought it was a great scene and his desperation/banes superiority really was convincing.

Second was just awesome IMO. I do hate the standard 'two main characters find each other in the middle of war' crap that's in nearly all films, but once you get past that the fight is brilliant. Batman holding his own against Bane an then when he firsts damages the mask and enrages Bane and his attacks are coming at mental speed, knocking chunks out of pillars etc... To the moment Bats kicks him through the glass and whales on him. Loved it all.

QikBax

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

I was a little disappointed with the Bane/Batman duels, particularly the second one. Speaking of cage fights, I watched Warrior recently and I thought the fight scenes in that were excellent - ironically also featuring Tom Hardy playing a Bane-style monster against the plucky underdog.

Not irony.

Sorry to be a d*ck. Annoys the hell out of me.

Pepe LeFrits

Apologies professor, coincidentally then.

tupac_healy

Wow I'm glad there are so many people out there that are honest about tdkr...

I thought if anyone spoke out against it they would be flamed big time! Anyhow I agree with most of what was said regards the negative aspects of the film, it just never grabs you the way the other 2 did..

Whilst there were a lot of thigs I did/didn't like I have to say the biggest problem was the ending. Could not understand why Nolan would have sold out and gone for the 'Hollywood' ending, as someone pointed out, it should have ended with Alfred crying at the grave, it would have fitted perfectly with dents saying 'die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the Villan'

And I also feel as though bane was underused.... Bar the fight scenes we mostly see him intimidating people, or just hanging around, compare that with the antics the joker got up to! Never was he just hanging around!!!

Overall, I think this was just too built up, it's probably a fine movie in itself but the weight of expectation killed it for me at least

Dman001

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

I was a little disappointed with the Bane/Batman duels, particularly the second one. Speaking of cage fights, I watched Warrior recently and I thought the fight scenes in that were excellent - ironically also featuring Tom Hardy playing a Bane-style monster against the plucky underdog.

As was I. I really thought that the main focus of the film would be Batman's struggle to overcome an enemy who is physically stronger and bigger than him. But it was very much pushed to the side. There seemed to be this build up towards it, but instead we got a few minutes of a fight which was interrupted by the revelation of R'as Al Ghul's daughter and Catwoman's entrance, who ultimately brought Bane down.

The first confrontation between them was fantastic though, the best scene in the film. Very dramatic as Batman struggled to have any effect over Bane. I assumed Part 2 of the fight would have been even more dramatic, and a much lengthy brawl given how much Wayne overcame to return to Gotham. Instead the bomb became the ultimate foe, which was far less interesting to watch.

OldeCinemaSoz

I loved the incessent pounding soundtrack and the 164 minutes of running
time passed really fast. Some great stuff in there.



Unlike certain OTHER dull as dishwater SUPERHERO rubbish i've had the misfortune of sitting through over the past couple of years.

:rolleyes:

Dempsey

The best part of the film was the 1st fight between Bane and Batman, the stopping of the music and the sound of the actual fight ringing in your ears gave it a better edge than any piece of music could.

I couldnt stop laughing at Batman roaring at Bane for the location of the bomb, it was like something out of one of those youtube clips ripping the piss.

Major plothole, imo, why didnt Batman fire a rocket at the rooftop that Bane was standing after the scene where Batman first teams up with Kyle and we could of had a nice film short!

The scene with alfred at the cafe after pouring his heart out at the grave seemed like a studio tacked on ending to me. It didnt fit in with the themes that ran through all 3 films.

krudler

Turtyturd wrote: »

TDK does have probably the dodgiest moment of the entire series when Joker tries to blow up the hospital though.

whaaaat? one of the best moments of the three movies!

Overature

Dempsey wrote: »

The scene with alfred at the cafe after pouring his heart out at the grave seemed like a studio tacked on ending to me. It didnt fit in with the themes that ran through all 3 films.

yeah i agree with ya, the film was to hollywood for my liking, the film wasnt as dark as the other 2 and i thought Nolan would have put some deeper plots into it

e_e

Am I the only one who thinks that The Dark Knight is the weakest in the trilogy?

It's more a film of (admittedly great) moments than a really compelling and tight narrative and it was like they just stopped writing at 150 pages. Begins and TDKR are a lot more cohesive and have a more solid start, middle and conclusion and justify their length by slowly developing the characters and not just being a cluster**ck of events and ideas. Great film still, but on reflection the pacing is a little erratic and ill disciplined, I don't have that problem with Batman Begins or the first time watching TDKR today.

Scanlas The 2nd

Overature wrote: »

Dempsey wrote: »

The scene with alfred at the cafe after pouring his heart out at the grave seemed like a studio tacked on ending to me. It didnt fit in with the themes that ran through all 3 films.

yeah i agree with ya, the film was to hollywood for my liking, the film wasnt as dark as the other 2 and i thought Nolan would have put some deeper plots into it

I disagree, the ending was excellent. He finally learned to overcome his pain and move on with his life.

The worst thing about the movie IMO was the large scale wars. The best aspect of batman is his ability to become "invisible" and exploiting his environment to his advantage especially in the dark, we didn't see enough of this. The final battle with bane needed some league of shadows style fighting, not just a simple punch up. The first fight between batman was more in that tone with batman trying to use the darkness to his advantage.

Overature

I read somewhere that Banes mask was actually suctioned on to Hardys head and was actually very painful to wear, let alone act/speak in. Apparently they had a 3D model of his head that they created it off!

Joeyjoejoe83

Looking at the trilogy as a whole, I feel it was right to show Bruce at the end. The whole film revolves around him not being able to move on from parents death. Here it shows he has.

Also I couldn't listen to the conspiracy theories if it just showed Alfred nod and smile..."Alfred went senile and was imagining it" or "it was actually Bruce's parents he was smiling at, they faked their owns deaths" ir "it was Bane in the cafe, they turned Alfred years ago"

Basq

I'd have preferred the whole Robin ending left out of it..

.. Alfred pouring his heart out at the grave scene. Then the scene in Florence with him looking off screen, a smile and a nod.

* cut to black *

But what do I know, I ain't a screenplay writer!

I know WB are planning to reboot the series.. but a little ambiguity would have a went a long way.

krudler

Basq wrote: »

I'd have preferred the whole Robin ending left out of it..

.. Alfred pouring his heart out at the grave scene. Then the scene in Florence with him looking off screen, a smile and a nod.

* cut to black *

But what do I know, I ain't a screenplay writer!

I know WB are planning to reboot the series.. but a little ambiguity would have a went a long way.

that would have been perfect. but then again, theatricality and deception are powerful agents..

SimonTemplar

Dman001 wrote: »

As was I. I really thought that the main focus of the film would be Batman's struggle to overcome an enemy who is physically stronger and bigger than him. But it was very much pushed to the side. There seemed to be this build up towards it, but instead we got a few minutes of a fight which was interrupted by the revelation of R'as Al Ghul's daughter and Catwoman's entrance, who ultimately brought Bane down.

The first confrontation between them was fantastic though, the best scene in the film. Very dramatic as Batman struggled to have any effect over Bane. I assumed Part 2 of the fight would have been even more dramatic, and a much lengthy brawl given how much Wayne overcame to return to Gotham. Instead the bomb became the ultimate foe, which was far less interesting to watch.

I agree completey and I think that would have made a better movie. Joker was a powerful intellectual opponent for Batman in TDK, and having his physical struggle against Bane at the heart of TDKS would have been a much better balance in the Trilogy. Of course Bane's power is part of the film, especially in their first fight, but their second fight was a big let down. That showdown deserved perhaps a Bourne type of realism with a 10 minute epic fight (no cut aways, no music, purely visceral) after which Batman finally beats Bane. Batman demands to know where the trigger is, but Bane kills himself rather than let Batman win. Batman is left extremely physically weak after the fight and distraught at unable to find the trigger is then introduced to the true identity of Tate who is furious that he killed Bane...

Also, I'm not convinced that teaming Batman with Catwomen was a right move. It just didn't sit well with the world Nolan established in the previous two movies. By the end of the movie, she was essentially Batgirl. I liked Hathaway's performance though.

I never thought I'd say this about Nolan, but I really got the feeling of lazy writing with this film. Unbelievably simplictic exposition, a cliched ticking time bomb plot device and a anti-climatic final battle are perhaps signs that Nolan was tiring of the franchise. It is a pity because we know he is capable of greatness. It is still a gripping movie, much better than 99% of the stuff Hollywood produces, but is sadly the weakest of the 3.

Dempsey

Shouldnt have referenced robin at all, confused some people into thinking that Blake was going to become Robin to defend Gotham! Pure facepalm moment because the whole "as a man I'm flesh and blood I can be ignored I can be destroyed but as a symbol, as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting." was lost on them even though it was painfully spelled out in the 3rd film.

Overature

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

I disagree, the ending was excellent. He finally learned to overcome his pain and move on with his life.

The worst thing about the movie IMO was the large scale wars. The best aspect of batman is his ability to become "invisible" and exploiting his environment to his advantage especially in the dark, we didn't see enough of this. The final battle with bane needed some league of shadows style fighting, not just a simple punch up. The first fight between batman was more in that tone with batman trying to use the darkness to his advantage.

i think its important to note that this fight took place during the day where batmans hiding capabilities were severly reduced and he was against bane, who is stronger than batman. this wasnt batman sub due some thug, he is fighting for his life against a viscious bane!

CL7

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

I disagree, the ending was excellent. He finally learned to overcome his pain and move on with his life.

Agree with this 100% It was a perfect ending. There's nothing original or edgy about killing the main character off at the end of a film. Fine when it fits the story but I think it would have been a boring and clichéd ending here.

eringobragh

Went with my girlfriend..overall thought it was probably one of the better films thats been out in recent months.

...as for the Robin scene..we LOLed in the cinema..only 2 that did, obviously filled with diehard fans....but that was a serious cringeworthy line.

krudler

Dempsey wrote: »

Shouldnt have referenced robin at all, confused some people into thinking that Blake was going to become Robin to defend Gotham! Pure facepalm moment because the whole "as a man I'm flesh and blood I can be ignored I can be destroyed but as a symbol, as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting." was lost on them even though it was painfully spelled out in the 3rd film.

A lot of stuff was painfully spelled out tbh, from the MAGIC USB STICK THAT WIPES YOUR RECORD MS KYLE THAT YOU CLEARLY WANT, BEING A CAT BURGLAR AND ALL to the DEVICE THAT MAY BE A BOMB IF IT FALLS INTO THE WRONG HANDS HINT HINT. I hate how audiences are pandered to these days.

Comic Book Guy

Just home from Cinema and had to log on to make sure i hadn't lost it and there are other people out there a bit disappointed!
Just echoing previous views on here that Bane was majorly underused throughout. First fight scene was epic stuff but after taking a major whipping Batman simply out punches him second time around :rolleyes:.

After BB and TDK i left with the feeling of defo having to watch them again, not so this one.
The hollywood ending didnt sit well with me and was way too light hearted after what had went in previous films.
Dont get me wrong i still enjoyed it but would put it well behind the previous 2 films but maybe thats because i bought all the hype and had expectations that were never ever going to be met.

Thwip!

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

I felt like the twist of Marion Cotillard being the real villain came out of nowhere and didn't really add to the film.

definitely not out of nowhere, the only female character who sounded like they werent from gotham, has scars on her back and is romantically linked to Bruce....stuck out like a sore thumb. Ditto to bane not being the child who escapes which he states himself when he says he was a man when he first saw the light.

On the Bane front, i have problems with his voice...not the understanding of what he is saying, (though admittedly at times it was difficult) i have problems with his accent...sounds like it doesnt match the character, a very over the top dumbledore style voice

Basq

I have just seen a comment under a blog where someone praises the movie, but then corrects the author in saying that "Anne Hathaway was Batgirl, NOT Catwoman".

Jesus wept!

Misty Chaos

Saw this last night, have being digesting this since.

While I will agree that this film is the weakest of the trilogy, that doesn't mean it wasn't a good film in it's own right, it just followed on from one of the greatest Superhero films ever made. It was going to have a tough time surpassing that.

That said, it was still an epic and fitting end to the trilogy. Felt like elements that had being developing since Batman Begins came full circle with The Dark Knight Rises. Also, the fact that Nolan actually went there and had Bane brake Batman's back was great. One of the things I was wondering was whatever or not he'd actually do that. To see him actually do that was both amazing and stunned that I sat there with jaw dropped.

Caine was superb ( especially at the grave scene, Oscar worthy, material there, if you ask me ) and was missed when his character resigned early on in the film. Heathaway was a nice surprise, though I had faith in Nolan and remembered all the skeptics when he cast Ledger as the Joker in TDK, which quickly vanished when the first joker trailer came out. Hardy was a great Bane, you could feel his powerful presence. Everyone else was good as well.

As for the ending, hollywoodish or not, it was a fitting end to the trilogy. With almost all the key characters either now knowing or figuring out who was behind the mask. Batman then ' dies ' to save Gotham but Bruce is shown to be OK and has finally moved on at the end of it all as a new Dark Knight literally rises ( also worth noting that you know the moment that Blake loses faith in official channels which in turn sets him on the route to become Batman, if WB decide to go that route rather then completely reboot the series - AGAIN. )

All in all, a flawed but still damn good movie. Kind of depressed today knowing that it's now all over.

cloud493

I saw it again tonight, even better the second time round :cool: