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

MakeEmLaugh

the_djoker wrote: »

Just got to see this today, overall - E P I C ! ! !

But one thing I thought would have been better was Bruce Wayne should
have been killed of, a great way of Nolan signing off - they can always reboot the series.

But I'm sure studio execs forced Nolan's hand on this.

9/10 - would have been 10 but just for that last part.

What if it had cut to black after we see Alfred toasting, and not shown Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle? After all, when speaking earlier about the cafe in Florence, Alfred said, "I had this fantasy, that I would look across the tables and see you there."

Cutting to black may have implied that Alfred was fantasising, or it may have implied that Bruce Wayne had survived. But it would have been left open to interpretation.

PS: I know I'm far from the first person on this thread to suggest this alternate ending!

MJ23

Seen it 5 times now. Anyone know how much longer it'll be in the cinema?
Might go one more time

the_djoker

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

What if it had cut to black after we see Alfred toasting, and not shown Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle? After all, when speaking earlier about the cafe in Florence, Alfred said, "I had this fantasy, that I would look across the tables and see you there."

Cutting to black may have implied that Alfred was fantasising, or it may have implied that Bruce Wayne had survived. But it would have been left open to interpretation.

PS: I know I'm far from the first person on this thread to suggest this alternate ending!

Yeah, I would have liked that , too cheesy aswell with cat girl there aswell...
Cut to black would have been much better, but Hollywood wants it spelt out...

Professey Chin

Why do so many people think that it was the studios and not Nolan who decided the ending?
Is it that hard to believe that he wanted a clear cut ending to show that it was the end of Bruces story instead of having it be guess yourself like Inception was?

Handsome Bob

MJ23 wrote: »

Seen it 5 times now. Anyone know how much longer it'll be in the cinema?
Might go one more time

I wouldn't say much longer, it generally seems to be down to 2/3 viewings a day. I'd be surprised if it's still showing in 2 weeks time.

Fair play for seeing it 5 times anyway, i've seen it twice. Might go one more time if times suit me.

e_e

MJ23 wrote: »

Seen it 5 times now. Anyone know how much longer it'll be in the cinema?
Might go one more time

I reckon it'll still be in a few places by October. Sure it's still doing well in the top 10.

Also it's already made more money than Inception and I even saw that in Dundrum in October that year.

Rabidlamb

What film did I watch then, I saw a different film, I've never let gaping plot holes annoy me but Nolan really phoned this in.
The only reason he took on the franchise was to get a blank cheque for Inception & it really shows now his real baby is out of the way.

What really annoyed me
Caine's constant whinging, thank god he fecked off.
Clean slate being explained over & over.
Wayne's lost fortune during Bane's heist, surely an investigation would reverse illegal transactions.
Batman having no decent toys on his belt when he needed them in the fight.
Bane leaving Gotham just to settle Bruce in to a prison half way around the world.
Bruce's protruding vertebrae being cured with a punch to the back & a bit of rope.
Bruce falling 30+ feet & being whiplashed by the rope on the same bad back.
Bruce leaving the prison in god knows where & getting back to Gotham with no money, ID or passport.
Blake recognising Batman from Wayne's visit to the orphanage.
How every cop went down the sewers, every cop from every shift at the same time.
Stupid nuclear bomb that would blow up if anyone tried to escape but would also go off in 5 months due to radioactive decay.
Batmans super kevlar suit couldn'y deflect a poxy knife.
Super duper Bane turned into a blubbering mess then getting blown away, was that it, really.
Sending people out on the ice to die but that didn't bother Gordon, his cohorts or Batman who even lit a nice fire on it.
How nobody noticed that both Batman & Wayne died at the same time.
How one of the worlds most recognisable young billionaires could appear in a Piaza in Florence & not one person know it's him, no disguise, nothing.

I'll watch the DVD when it comes out just to confirm my reservations but I cant see my opinion changing.
Out of this years blockbusters The Avengers & The Hunger Games were far superior.

James Forde

Rabidlamb wrote: »

What film did I watch then, I saw a different film, I've never let gaping plot holes annoy me but Nolan really phoned this in.
The only reason he took on the franchise was to get a blank cheque for Inception & it really shows now his real baby is out of the way.

What really annoyed me
Caine's constant whinging, thank god he fecked off.
Clean slate being explained over & over.
Wayne's lost fortune during Bane's heist, surely an investigation would reverse illegal transactions.
Batman having no decent toys on his belt when he needed them in the fight.
Bane leaving Gotham just to settle Bruce in to a prison half way around the world.
Bruce's protruding vertebrae being cured with a punch to the back & a bit of rope.
Bruce falling 30+ feet & being whiplashed by the rope on the same bad back.
Bruce leaving the prison in god knows where & getting back to Gotham with no money, ID or passport.
Blake recognising Batman from Wayne's visit to the orphanage.
How every cop went down the sewers, every cop from every shift at the same time.
Stupid nuclear bomb that would blow up if anyone tried to escape but would also go off in 5 months due to radioactive decay.
Batmans super kevlar suit couldn'y deflect a poxy knife.
Super duper Bane turned into a blubbering mess then getting blown away, was that it, really.
Sending people out on the ice to die but that didn't bother Gordon, his cohorts or Batman who even lit a nice fire on it.
How nobody noticed that both Batman & Wayne died at the same time.
How one of the worlds most recognisable young billionaires could appear in a Piaza in Florence & not one person know it's him, no disguise, nothing.

I'll watch the DVD when it comes out just to confirm my reservations but I cant see my opinion changing.
Out of this years blockbusters The Avengers & The Hunger Games were far superior.

Get the fūck out. The Hunger Games?

Riddle101

Rabidlamb wrote: »

What really annoyed me[/B]

Caine's constant whinging, thank god he fecked off.

Annoying yes, but understandable from Alfred's point of view.

Clean slate being explained over & over.

It was all Catwoman really cared about, that's why it was explained. Plus it was hinting at the ending as well.

Wayne's lost fortune during Bane's heist, surely an investigation would reverse illegal transactions.

One error I can't explain.

Batman having no decent toys on his belt when he needed them in the fight.

He had a few tools with him, but the ones he used didn't effect Bane. The batarangs as well as the device that turned the lights off. Besides i'll add the Bat as another tool he used, even though it didn't fit on his belt. Also the leg brace as well.

Bane leaving Gotham just to settle Bruce in to a prison half way around the world.

A bit of a James Bond cliché, but as Bane said. Batman doesn't fear death, he wanted his punishment to be more severe, by making him watch the city get destroyed, while he watches helplessly.

Bruce's protruding vertebrae being cured with a punch to the back & a bit of rope.

The film is made within the time span of 5 months. Bruce was locked in the prison for just about 5 months, his back could have healed in the prison depending on how seriously hurt he was.

Bruce falling 30+ feet & being whiplashed by the rope on the same bad back.

Another error but forgettable.

Bruce leaving the prison in god knows where & getting back to Gotham with no money, ID or passport.

Maybe he had a few tricks up his sleeve. He's a smart man after all.

Blake recognising Batman from Wayne's visit to the orphanage.

Yeah that was stupid alright.

How every cop went down the sewers, every cop from every shift at the same time.

Was supposed to be a big operation, they would need a lot of cops to deal with Bane and all is men. I don't know how much cops are in Gotham city but I think it can be overlooked.

Stupid nuclear bomb that would blow up if anyone tried to escape but would also go off in 5 months due to radioactive decay.

The bomb was initially going to go off anyway. The whole plan was to fulfill Ras Aul Ghul's destiny and destroy Gotham. The bomb going off if anyone tried to escape was just a fail safe to stop people from trying to escape. On the other hand, maybe they were lying and it was just a way to scare people into not trying to escape.

Batmans super kevlar suit couldn'y deflect a poxy knife.

There could be weak points in the suit. Maybe the knife used was a special knife.

Super duper Bane turned into a blubbering mess then getting blown away, was that it, really.

I don't know what you mean by blubbering mess. But maybe the fact that he had mask, meant he needed something to live. When Batman did something to his mask during the fight scene, it could have caused Bane to get weaker. As for him getting blown away. Well that was just a way to make it look as if Bane was just about to finish Batman off before he was saved by Catwoman. Another movie cliché. As well as that, I would imagine the cannons on the Batcycle would be pretty powerful, not so hard to believe Bane got killed by those things.

Sending people out on the ice to die but that didn't bother Gordon, his cohorts or Batman who even lit a nice fire on it.

There was a certain distance the ice would break. Which might explain Gordon and Batman not getting sunk if they didn't go out too far. The fire I can't explain.

How nobody noticed that both Batman & Wayne died at the same time.

There was a lot of stuff going on at the time. But nobody mentioned much about the deaths. There could have been a cover up or some sort. Who knows.

How one of the worlds most recognisable young billionaires could appear in a Piaza in Florence & not one person know it's him, no disguise, nothing.

Can't explain. Just another error I guess.

Overall I think a lot of the plot holes can be overlooked. It was still a fun and entertaining movie, regardless. As for Nolan phoning it in, really? The guy legitimized a film like Batman. Not many Batman movies in the past could do that. He gave Batman a proper backstory and ending. He didn't fuss around with it either. A lot of the stuff was well done, and he put a lot of effort into making the movie. Do you know how long Nolan worked on the Batman movies? 9 years. He was hired back in 2003 to make the first Batman movie, although it wasn't named at the time and there was no real script. He worked on it though and made Batman Begins, he later followed up with The Dark Knight even though he only signed on to Batman Begins with he notion of doing one movie. But he continued and made the second one and finally this one. I don't think Nolan phoned it in at all, I think Nolan put a lot of heart into it. He breathed life into Batman, and I think he deserves a lot of credit. Especially for the recent one since it has done a good job so far. It's still in the top movie charts, even after being out for over a month.

coolisin

In the dark knight fox points out his suit is less effective against knife attacks.

Mark Hamill

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Caine's constant whinging, thank god he fecked off.

Fit in with how his characterisation went, I thought.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Clean slate being explained over & over.

Because it was catwomans motivation

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Wayne's lost fortune during Bane's heist, surely an investigation would reverse illegal transactions.

Yes, Freeman explained as such, but it would take too much time, and Daggat would get his hands on the company in the mean time.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Batman having no decent toys on his belt when he needed them in the fight.

Maybe he didn't think he needed them. Its a cliche that Batmans belt accounts for all posibilities, but he probably can't carry that much. He had smoke bombs and the mini emp device. Admittedly hitting Bane with a few tranquilizer darts wouldn't have gone amiss.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Bane leaving Gotham just to settle Bruce in to a prison half way around the world.

Because he was told to. Remember that Banes motivation is actually Talias' motivation and she wanted Batman to suffer.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Bruce's protruding vertebrae being cured with a punch to the back & a bit of rope.
Bruce falling 30+ feet & being whiplashed by the rope on the same bad back.

Yeah, these were ridiculous. Backs can mend, but as someone who has displaced vertebrae, if that was done to me I wouldn't be able to walk for about a year.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Bruce leaving the prison in god knows where & getting back to Gotham with no money, ID or passport.

Over the space of at least a few days. And its possible Batman still has contacts or money caches abroad in various locations.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Blake recognising Batman from Wayne's visit to the orphanage.

I liked his explanation.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

How every cop went down the sewers, every cop from every shift at the same time.

Yeah, was a bit stupid.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Stupid nuclear bomb that would blow up if anyone tried to escape but would also go off in 5 months due to radioactive decay.

No more stupid than a microwave weapon that boils water, but only water in water pipes, not the water that makes up 70% of a human body.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Batmans super kevlar suit couldn'y deflect a poxy knife.

Explained in the second film, the suit has less armour to make it more manoeuvrable. I think Alfred even specifically mentions that its vulnerable to knives/stabbing.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Super duper Bane turned into a blubbering mess then getting blown away, was that it, really.

I didn't like this myself. Seems to be a cliche that when some big badass head villain is shown to be a henchman for some other secret boss, they automatically become 50% dumber and 100% easier to beat.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Sending people out on the ice to die but that didn't bother Gordon, his cohorts or Batman who even lit a nice fire on it.

Well Gordon and his cohorts didn't get very faw (although they all stuck together, the idiots) but, yeah, Batman strolled across the ice fairly nonchalantly. also nice of him to take the time to soak the bridge in petrol.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

How nobody noticed that both Batman & Wayne died at the same time.

Why would they? Bruce Wayne disappeared before the city was overtaken, Batman "died" 5 months later.

Rabidlamb wrote: »

How one of the worlds most recognisable young billionaires could appear in a Piaza in Florence & not one person know it's him, no disguise, nothing.

The film doesn't really indicate how long after the Gotham incident that scene was. That could have been a year after Wayne was last seen by the public.

Mark Hamill

While I did like the film a lot, there where few things that did grate with me:

The demise of Bane was too easy. Even Batman getting the upper hand was a lucky shot that just happened to catch on Banes face mask in the right way.

Nolan really needs someone who has seen an actual skilled mma or boxing fights, because whoever choreographed the Batman films has only ever seen fight scenes on Star Trek. The fighting was awful. Bane and Batman are supposed to be two of the best fighters in the world, both trained by the League of Shadows, but the fight scenes looked like they were from the old Star Trek Tv show. The punches were ridiculous, they were both sloppy as hell, Katie Taylor would knock the snot out of them both, at the same time.

indough

they were supposed to be ninja, not boxers

Riddle101

Mark Hamill wrote: »

While I did like the film a lot, there where few things that did grate with me:

The demise of Bane was too easy. Even Batman getting the upper hand was a lucky shot that just happened to catch on Banes face mask in the right way.

Nolan really needs someone who has seen an actual skilled mma or boxing fights, because whoever choreographed the Batman films has only ever seen fight scenes on Star Trek. The fighting was awful. Bane and Batman are supposed to be two of the best fighters in the world, both trained by the League of Shadows, but the fight scenes looked like they were from the old Star Trek Tv show. The punches were ridiculous, they were both sloppy as hell, Katie Taylor would knock the snot out of them both, at the same time.

Forgive me I got this from wikipedia. Don't know if this is much help. But maybe it was the change in the fight team. Christian Bale probably had to adjust to a new fighting style and it didn't fit him as much since he was used to the other method in Batman Begins and Dark Knight. As for Tom Hardy, same thing probably had to adjust.

Fight choreography utilized the Keysi Fighting Method which itself gained fame after it was used in the movie Batman Begins and its sequel, The Dark Knight, however it was not used in The Dark Knight Rises due to a change in fight team. The method is a self defense system whose training is based on the study and cultivation of natural instincts.

Nervous Wreck

How one of the worlds most recognisable young billionaires could appear in a Piaza in Florence & not one person know it's him, no disguise, nothing.

In fairness, Wayne hadn't been seen in public in years. And tbh, I didn't know what Steve Jobs looked like until about 2 months before his death and he was ridiculously famous. In the Dark Knight Trilogy's continuity, Bruce Wayne disappears for years, reappears and lives it up in Gotham for about a year and a half (that's the approx timeline of BB and TDK together iirc), then (from what we can tell from TDKR) dials it all down after Rachel's death and soon, after the clean energy project becomes a bust, becomes a total recluse for years to follow. He then reappears on the scene in Gotham for one outing where he dances with Selina Kyle and one where he goes to the doctor and disappears again (due to being broken and tossed in a pit halfway around the world), presumed dead. He then resurfaces on the opposite side of the planet, an indeterminate amount of time later and has a coffee, and should, according to some posters here, be recognised by everyone around him? Because he spent a year being a big-shot on the opposite side of the world nearly a decade ago? Yeah, alright.....

Mark Hamill wrote: »

The demise of Bane was too easy. Even Batman getting the upper hand was a lucky shot that just happened to catch on Banes face mask in the right way.

The demise of Bane was, I thought, pretty much perfect. Batman had him beaten psychologically from the moment he escaped the pit. The second fight was essentially won before it started because Batman went into it with the passion he had in his younger days before he lost Rachel. And the punch to Bane's mask wasn't lucky, it was tactical.

Mark Hamill wrote: »

Nolan really needs someone who has seen an actual skilled mma or boxing fights, because whoever choreographed the Batman films has only ever seen fight scenes on Star Trek. The fighting was awful. Bane and Batman are supposed to be two of the best fighters in the world, both trained by the League of Shadows, but the fight scenes looked like they were from the old Star Trek Tv show. The punches were ridiculous, they were both sloppy as hell, Katie Taylor would knock the snot out of them both, at the same time.

Don't really see your point here either. Batman's fighting style in all the films has been brute strength whenever possible. Some fancy stuff thrown in, sure, but most punches thrown by him in the trilogy have just been viciously forceful rather than fancy crap. And no, Katie Buzzword Taylor would knock nothing from either of them. Don't be silly now...

Tom_Cruise

I had high hopes for this,i loved the two previous movies and pretty much everything Batman over the years.

I found it some what entertaining,but i also felt it was rushed maybe? Or that the script could of been much much better.

Some scenes were terrific,such as the Bane and Batman fight underground,and the starting sequence.There were also alot of scenes that didnt make much sense to me, - at least not from the first viewing so im going to wait until i watch it again before i expand on this.

I didnt think there was any need to include a bomb in the storyline,im sure they could of came up with something alot more original - especially for a Batman movie.

Anne Hathaway was fantastic i might add.

Anyway for all its faults,it is not bad,but maybe i was expecting to much from it and a few viewings might change my mind for the better.

6.5/10 from my first viewing.

iColdFusion

The Black Oil

I went into this without having read or heard a single review. I had only seen the trailers, not the prologue. I'm glad I hadn't read anything, that way I had no expectations around performances to look out for. I thought it was the weakest of Nolan's three films. Let's take this one on its own merits, though.

I felt the pacing was poor for the first 90 minutes or so and I didn't really get swept up in it until the latter portion. I think sheer size of the film was a bit of a weakness, but not from being unwieldy, just that it sucked the life out of it a bit. A shame given how he was able to handle Inception.

OK, so people have complained about Bane's voice since it was first heard. To me, at an aesthetic level, most of the time it felt outside of the film, as if it was only recorded in a booth. It did improve later on, however there was no issue with comprehension, imo. As for Bane overall, he felt a bit thin to me, but that's kinda standard for blockbusters. I'd say the same of Catwoman, really, though I enjoyed her dynamic with Batman.

The main weapon/energy device (season 2 of 24) wasn't great and it seemed not much different than the notion of poisoning the water supply as done before.

When the Special Forces guys were hanged I couldn't help but think of Iraq when those soliders (or Blackwater private military contractors) were very publicly hanged. Think that was around 2004.

Favourite bits - the one on one fighting between Bane and Batman, plus Batman's physical and mental recovery. Also Blake, really liked him. I also liked the social economic context, but that'll be shot down as leftie nonsense.

Batpod, Batpod, Batpod! :cool:

Despite the ending, they didn't push much on the emotional side. I would have been happy for it to end just when Robin's revealed, when he collects his bag at Wayne Enterprises.

pixelburp

I find it bizarre, this notion that somehow the Florence scene would have been better had it ended ambiguously; ditto the idea that because it didn't, it's some sop to the multiplex audience. Why? Ambiguity doesn't automatically make a scene better, or cleverer for that matter; in fact it just comes across as being a bit pretentious tbh.

This wasn't Inception: at no point during the 3 films was it implied that directorial tricks were going to be used to fool the audience, or have scenes open to interpretation. In fact 3 films in, the idea that Bruce Waynes story wouldn't be given a proper ending, a true conclusion to this mans arc & whether he lived or died trying to save Gothams soul, would seem like the bigger cheat.

Just because a story ends without any sly nods or winks doesn't make it worse, and certainly doesn't make it lowbrow. Since when have people become too good for classic storytelling?

jaykhunter

Completely agreed with Black Oil and pixelburp.

pixelburp wrote: »

Why? Ambiguity doesn't automatically make a scene better, or cleverer for that matter; in fact it just comes across as being a bit pretentious tbh.

Definitely. It does seem incredibly out of place, having told you the story for about 7 hours total, for the end to 'leave it up to you'...to suddenly relinquish auteurship. Not sure why Nolan thought this'd be great in a Batman film rather than a conceptual one-off film like Inception. I feel like he kinda chickened out of killing off Batman. Batman's finished his story (so did Gordon, actually, you could've killed him off too) and it's a sacrifice angle, so why not? It would've meant more that way.

the_djoker

Mark Hamill wrote: »

... like they were from the old Star Trek Tv show. The punches were ridiculous, they were both sloppy as hell, Katie Taylor would knock the snot out of them both, at the same time.

God willing...

Gamb!t

Rabidlamb wrote: »

What film did I watch then, I saw a different film, I've never let gaping plot holes annoy me but Nolan really phoned this in.
The only reason he took on the franchise was to get a blank cheque for Inception & it really shows now his real baby is out of the way.

What really annoyed me
Caine's constant whinging, thank god he fecked off.
Clean slate being explained over & over.
Wayne's lost fortune during Bane's heist, surely an investigation would reverse illegal transactions.
Batman having no decent toys on his belt when he needed them in the fight.
Bane leaving Gotham just to settle Bruce in to a prison half way around the world.
Bruce's protruding vertebrae being cured with a punch to the back & a bit of rope.
Bruce falling 30+ feet & being whiplashed by the rope on the same bad back.
Bruce leaving the prison in god knows where & getting back to Gotham with no money, ID or passport.
Blake recognising Batman from Wayne's visit to the orphanage.
How every cop went down the sewers, every cop from every shift at the same time.
Stupid nuclear bomb that would blow up if anyone tried to escape but would also go off in 5 months due to radioactive decay.
Batmans super kevlar suit couldn'y deflect a poxy knife.
Super duper Bane turned into a blubbering mess then getting blown away, was that it, really.
Sending people out on the ice to die but that didn't bother Gordon, his cohorts or Batman who even lit a nice fire on it.
How nobody noticed that both Batman & Wayne died at the same time.
How one of the worlds most recognisable young billionaires could appear in a Piaza in Florence & not one person know it's him, no disguise, nothing.

I'll watch the DVD when it comes out just to confirm my reservations but I cant see my opinion changing.
Out of this years blockbusters The Avengers & The Hunger Games were far superior.

But he did.
He used that rare flower bud from his league of Shadows training.
He also used Darkness to try defeat Bane.

Also people that were saying he might have died and Alfred might have been imagining it,I recall in the movie when they were reading out Wayne's will his mothers pearl necklace wasn't on the list..

The King of Moo

Mark Hamill wrote: »

While I did like the film a lot, there where few things that did grate with me:

The demise of Bane was too easy. Even Batman getting the upper hand was a lucky shot that just happened to catch on Banes face mask in the right way.

Nolan really needs someone who has seen an actual skilled mma or boxing fights, because whoever choreographed the Batman films has only ever seen fight scenes on Star Trek. The fighting was awful. Bane and Batman are supposed to be two of the best fighters in the world, both trained by the League of Shadows, but the fight scenes looked like they were from the old Star Trek Tv show. The punches were ridiculous, they were both sloppy as hell, Katie Taylor would knock the snot out of them both, at the same time.

I think that was a tactical move by Batman. The two fights with Bane make more sense when seen in terms of the similar fights in the comic The Dark Knight Returns with the Mutant Leader (mild spoilers for that follow).
In their first fight, the aging Batman tries to match the ferocity of the Mutant Leader and fight like a young man, and gets his ass kicked.
In their rematch, he doesn't try to match his brute strength, instead taking a tactical approach ("You don't get it, boy. This isn't a mudhole... It's an operating table. And I'm the surgeon.")

In the first fight with Bane, Bane says "You fight like a younger man, with nothing held back. Admirable but mistaken." Then in the second fight, Bane still has a strength advantage, is still able to throw Batman around, but Batman focuses on his weak point, and wins.


Tangent:

I also don't get the idea that the film's ending would've been better with some degree of ambiguity, or if Batman had died. A downer ending isn't always necessarily deep, and not always the most appropriate one.
One of the main emotional threads throughout the trilogy was Alfred's desire for Bruce to move on from the pain of his parents' death. As such, I think the end, in which Bruce finally manages to do that, puts Batman behind him, and lives out his life with some degree of peace and happiness brings that thread to a satisfying and logical end.

I also still think the end is bittersweet. Sure, Bruce gets to go globetrotting with Selina, but he still sacrifices a lot. He gives up Gotham, the city he swore to protect, as his parents tried to do. He gives up Batman. Even though the films went to great lengths to question the idea of Batman and show that it's hardly a healthy thing to be, physically and mentally, it was still such a big part of his life that he's giving up.
I think the shot of him in the Bat before the bomb goes off sums up his feelings: there's relief in his eyes but also a lot of sadness, in my opinion.
He's sacrificing a lot, just not his own life.

Also think about how depressing and horrible the ending would've been if he had died, from Alfred's point of view. He believed that his whole life, serving the Wayne family, was a complete an utter failure. He was a broken man.
Maybe the film could've ended with the shot of him sobbing at the Waynes' graves, followed by a title card saying "ALFRED DIED ON THE WAY BACK TO ENGLAND," then the credits.

I think the ending as it is is perfect.

Mickeroo

pixelburp wrote: »

I find it bizarre, this notion that somehow the Florence scene would have been better had it ended ambiguously; ditto the idea that because it didn't, it's some sop to the multiplex audience. Why? Ambiguity doesn't automatically make a scene better, or cleverer for that matter; in fact it just comes across as being a bit pretentious tbh.

This wasn't Inception: at no point during the 3 films was it implied that directorial tricks were going to be used to fool the audience, or have scenes open to interpretation. In fact 3 films in, the idea that Bruce Waynes story wouldn't be given a proper ending, a true conclusion to this mans arc & whether he lived or died trying to save Gothams soul, would seem like the bigger cheat.

Just because a story ends without any sly nods or winks doesn't make it worse, and certainly doesn't make it lowbrow. Since when have people become too good for classic storytelling?

Dead right. The only reason people think its ambiguous is because some of Nolan's other films end that way. There's nothing in the entire trilogy that suggests ambiguity. You'd swear people thought M. Night Shymalan directed this or something.

Professey Chin

Mickeroo wrote: »

You'd swear people thought M. Night Shymalan directed this or something.

Thats a terrifying thought.
Bane really was Batman, Alfred killed Bruces parents and Selina is a hallucination from pollen

Mickeroo

The Great Chinholio wrote: »

Thats a terrifying thought.
Bane really was Batman, Alfred killed Bruces parents and Selina is a hallucination from pollen

Bruce was killed with his parents. Alfred halluicinated the whole thing. The whole trilogy is a representation of his internal struggle to come to terms with his grief.

johnny_ultimate

Bane's weakness is water.

The wind did it.

Etc.

iColdFusion

It was a pretty asshole move for Bruce to make Alfred think he was dead though, I wanted the ending to be Alfred walking over to their table and start beating him across the head with a cane shouting "Can't murder a dead man!!"

Colmo52

iColdFusion wrote: »

It was a pretty asshole move for Bruce to make Alfred think he was dead though, I wanted the ending to be Alfred walking over to their table and start beating him across the head with a cane shouting "Can't murder a dead man!!"

I'm guessing Bruce will have told him already and they arranged to meet up at the cafe.

Rabidlamb

Those who liked this film seem to really like it, 4.5/5.
Those, like me, who were annoyed with the plot holes, rate it 2.5/5 or lower.
There seems to be no middle ground here.