The Dark Knight Rises *SPOILERS*

[CelticPredator]

 

[jye4ever]

Well probably cause I pretty much haven't watched it since then and was hoping some of those issues would fade a bit but for me they are still prevalent. I'm trying to be specific though and not just say it's crap outright.

Fair enough.

Still better than The Avengers.

 

[Adolfo]

Still better than The Avengers.

yup...

 

[Sachiel]

 

[a-dev]

Well probably cause I pretty much haven't watched it since then and was hoping some of those issues would fade a bit but for me they are still prevalent. I'm trying to be specific though and not just say it's crap outright.

I agree with your review.

Another thing I didn't like, though admittedly its a silly complaint, is that all those camo-tumblers...they made the batmobile less special. Its not the batmobile anymore its just a lumbering tank-car because now every Bane thug in Gotham has one. This film actually made me want to sell my HT Tumbler.

 

[thundergod]

I've tried to stay away from this thread ( posting , at least ) because I don't have the energy for a "this films crap"/"no it's not , it's brilliant " , sort of argument , but I feel I have to make at least an effort to put my opinion forward . I had issues with the film when I originally saw it in the cinema , but still thought there was a lot to enjoy . But , in the months following , these "issues" wouldn't go away , in fact they grew ( festered , would be a better word !) into MAJOR problems I had with the film . When it was released on DVD , I felt obliged to watch it again , to see if my opinion had changed any . If anything , it had gotten worse , as now , even the "good" points of the film had disappeared ! I hated it , pure and simple . And I'll keep my reasons short and to the point . NONE of the 3 main characters (Wayne/Batman , Alfred ,Gordon ) behaved in the manner in which they had been portrayed in the earlier films and/or comic book mythos . Wayne would NEVER give up being Batman , Alfred would NEVER give up on Wayne/Batman and Gordon just acted like a weak fool . Nolan proved himself to have absolutely NO interest in putting an accurate portrayal of the character on screen , being more interested in giving us HIS version of Batman ( weaknesses , foibles and all ) because , truth be told , he's above doing a silly "comic book" story , isn't he ? It seems to me that it's a classic case of "Emperor's New Clothes " and the success of "The Dark Knight" and the plaudits landed upon it , made it difficult for critics and to a degree , the viewing public , to actually admit that "The Dark Knight Rises" ( even that title bugs me !) was in fact , a hugely disappointing finale to the "trilogy" .

 

[batfan08]

Never say exactly about your own post. Dat's taboo.

 

[crows]

I rewatched this on HBO with some friends and I still have all the same problems.

There are giant blatant continuity errors like when he stops the motorcyclist on the Pod and is being surrounded by cops. He turns the Pod to fire at the tow truck and the camera angle changes about 3-4 times during which the position of the injured Biker and his motorcycle changes each time, at one point he's just blatantly not in the shot because I guess they forgot, and then when he goes to take off, his bike is convienantly on the other side of the pod and now out of Batman's way to a straight jump. I guess it goes to shooting with Imax and not being able to get another take but this isn't the technical proficiant director I know at work.

The final police/merc fight is just riddled with problems everywhere you look. The obvious being in a hail of automatic weapons fire about 3 cops actually go down. Then you have this scene where like 100 cops are beating up another 100 inmates all extras, and you look around and none of it is convinving. I mean it is really really bad stuff that shouldn't have made it into a scyfy channel original let alone a Chris Nolan film. Theres literally a point where as Batman is walking through the crowd watching cops get the **** beaten out of them and he's behind the criminals and could literally just give them a quick punch in the back and turn the tide for like a good dozen cops that way as he's walking but he just looks around for Bane. Now he finally comes face to face with Bane and you have far and away the most awkward shot Chris Nolan has ever put in any of his movies anywhere. Batman is standing completely still telling Bane about why hes back and its a full shot of Batman down to his legs and his stance isn't like poised and ready or detirmined, he's just sort of wavering back and forth to the left and right a little and carelessly there like it's not even being shot and just a practice read through. And to make this like a million times worse, you have this cop punching a merc to his left and it's clear this guys stopping short his punches a good foot and a half of the mercs stomach whos reacting a few seconds too late because he can't tell when the cops gonna pull his fake punch. It's such a Brett Ratnet level of awfulness it's not even so bad it's funny funny.

There are weaknesses like that everywhere, most of the mains are completely out of character as a result of being rushed along
to this place where everything sort of feels like it's ending way too prematurely. Nolan tries so hard to convince us Batman is tired but it's the most contrite stupid stuff like legitimately awful amatuer film school looking hair dye on Bail's wings. He looks like Pauli from The Sopranos, it's way too obvious and unblended. And other desperate things like the doctor who tells us he's broken everywhere. This scenes like another complete joke right down to the famous comedian playing the doctor. And that's thrown out the window 10 mins later when he can kick through concrete walls, or break his back and still come back and climb a sheer rock face. The Robin character is the biggest bastardisation of comic material this genre but I won't even get into that. I'll just say I was an orphan and I can assure you that we can't i.d. one another via eye contact.

The end chase scene is so vanilla, even with the Bat involved it feels like we've seen it before and a way less fun and interesting version of the TDK's Big Rig chase which had far more interesting events play out like Batman blocking a missle with the Tumbler, The Pod reveal, the chopper going down, the game of chicken with the Truck and Pod. Here the only clever piece of writing like that is when he leads the missle back to the Tumbler that fired it at him. And the whole time Fox does his best impression of the guy from Begins who keeps reminding us the pressures gonna blow! Miranda's death is another funny joke, combined with the Gordon revelation which is way too obviously spelled out for audiences, combining a flashback with him physically saying Wayne's name outloud just in case some dumbass watching still couldn't put two and two togeather. And then you have Batman able to blow a hole in a building with missles big enough to fly through when the very same missles couldn't penetrate a truck windshield a minute earlier. Combine that with the completely brainless police force, including Gordon who we've seen has some sort of alzheimers now to have forgotten that he already knew Batman was Wayne in TDK. His story isn't even wrapped up properly to boot, we see him on the roof next to the Bat signal but why? Is he commisioner again now? Even after the letter and admitting all this was his fault? Batman, the Mayor, Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne, and Bane are dead, the country and world are going to want somebody to blame and he admitted that he illegally put hundreds of men in jail and broke his own laws. There seems to literally be zero blowback for the only man still alive to answer for the entire 8 month hell disaster. And what about his family who were in the other 2 films? Did it cost him his wife and kids? We don't know at all. And that Orphan house X-Men ending, just wow. Hey 60 kids are running around Wayne Manor now, kids who love to explore every nook and cranny surely won't find any hidden entrances to the Batcave. You know the thing every criminal in Gotham would want to blow up and that sits right below where they all sleep and play.

All in all it's not the worst movie ever made or even a terrible movie by comic book standards but when I factor in that it's the same team(writing, cinematographer, actors, director) for all 3 then it just doesn't live upto the rest of what we got. Theres some great stuff in there but alot of it just feels sloppy and rushed to me. Nolan also got caught up in all the typical third act crap that people are sick of. I don't get this idea that things can only be a trilogy and the hero's story needs to wrap up by the end of 3. I thought we we're past that, especially with Marvel but they too look like they will now end on IM3 which is the exact same formula we've seen time and again. Heres hoping that Spiderman planning 4 movies right away like this will be able to avoid that curse. Sorry about the long rant.

6/10

I don't know, a lot of problems with the movie it almost feels like Nolan just wants the whole thing to be over with. I don't feel he cared as much as he did with the other two. Sometimes it almost feels like if it was directed by someone else and not Nolan. It almost feels like if he gave the movie over to someone else to do or something.

Some of the stuff you mention I can let pass but I still hate the Character of Miranda/Talia. She really ruins the movie. Specially the ending with her death. I really wish they never used her in the first place. She sucks so bad. Even thought I like the movie now she is the one thing I cannot get over about. She sucks......

As for Robin, I guess that was the only way Nolan would ever even have the character, so I don't mind he is not really Robin.

 

[Deckard]

Except he is Robin. They call him it outright which is like a million times cornier than if it was the exact same story but his name was **** Grayson from the get go. Except than they wouldn't have that little "ohhhhh" retard reveal when that secretary awkwardly and forcifully calls him "Robin".

I get why it's sloppy because of Imax, but the overall story and being afraid to embrace your source material is where I lose repsect for Nolan. He thinks **** Grayson is silly but an M. Night Shamalayan twist gimmick isn't.

I guess the biggest wtf for me, is how the hell do you go from making Inception to this and honestly convince yourself his heart was completely in it?

 

[CelticPredator]

He did it so he could make Inception.

 

[Deckard]

Are you being serious or is that an inception joke? I honestly don't know but I have a hard time believing he couldn't get a movie made after TDK.

 

[CelticPredator]

What I meant was, he was given a **** load of movie to do his dream project, but only if he did TDKR right after.

He would've gotten a movie made, but not with that kind of budget.

 

[Deckard]

So he was forced into this movie. Basically what I've more or less suspected all along, he was tired of Batman and didn't want to make anymore.

 

[CelticPredator]

He said he didn't want to make another one after TDK. He felt that was the best he could do with the franchise.

 

[crows]

So he was forced into this movie. Basically what I've more or less suspected all along, he was tired of Batman and didn't want to make anymore.

He said he didn't want to make another one after TDK. He felt that was the best he could do with the franchise.

so it is true then. He didn't really care.... I didn't know this Celtic, that's interesting.

 

[YoNoSe]

The good thing about not loving TDK is that TDKR doesn't have to live up to some crazy standard. I still like it. Even the nipple bed.

 

[crows]

The good thing about not loving TDK is that TDKR doesn't have to live up to some crazy standard. I still like it. Even the nipple bed.

nipple bed?

 

[YoNoSe]

nipple bed?

Yeah, Bruce's bed that looks like a pair of big ol' titties.

 

[K07]

He said he didn't want to make another one after TDK. He felt that was the best he could do with the franchise.

Where is the quote for this? I'm sure WB gave Nolan the budget for "Inception" hoping he'd do a third one, but there has never been any evidence to suggest that their deal forced him into a third one.bHe said he wasn't sure if he'd come back for a third one. Guess what. He said he didn't know if he'd return for a second one after he did the first one! He says he always does a movie one at a time and wraps up all the threads and doesn't add things to set up sequels. If he has a good story, he tells it. He doesn't hold ideas back for later movies.
What about the Joker card? That was just setting up Batman as an established crime fighter who has a city to protect. It was a nice nod to the most famous villain and an homage to the previous series. That is not to say Nolan and Goyer didn't have ideas as to where the series would go. They did. In fact, their original trilogy outline was obviously reduced to two movies. Why save Two-Face for part three when his arc fit right into TDK? They didn't really have a clear direction for part three and obviously had to make some stuff up.

Nolan had said when coming up with Wayne's story, he said he always had an ending in mind. Part one is the beginning. Part two is his fall. Part three would be where he finds redemption but more importantly to Nolan, peace.

That ending didn't sit well with me during my first viewing. But unlike thundergod, those little things that bugged me went away. I grew to like the movie. Love the movie! Deckard's got a fair bit of criticism and its mostly accurate things to be concerned about, but they didn't hurt my enjoyment of the movie as much as they did for him. And that's that.

Here's hoping "Interstellar" sees a return to form for Nolan.

 

[CelticPredator]

I can't seem to find it. Maybe I just guessed it. I swore I read it somewhere.

But it makes sense, wouldn't it? Nolan did something completely different with this movie. He wanted to change it up. And so he did. He had every right too. Batman was his character at that point. And i'm glad it's over.