"The Dark Knight Rises" Review and Discussion Thread (spoilers)

[Set Harth]

I was actually shocked that Miranda was working with Bane.

I've heard more than one person say this.

I'm actually amazed some people remained unspoiled on this point. I actually didn't read the hidden spoiler portions of the relevant posts, but I could tell what had happened just from the flavor of people's reactions.

I thought that this was kind of an "open secret" about the film, but then again I probably don't do enough to avoid spoilers.

 

[davejames]

This is actually how Bane is supposed to be... he basically is a hulk. As has been pointed out, in the comics he paralyzed Bruce Wayne, and in the animated series, Bane was so strong that even Superman was in awe that Batman had survived encounters with him, and it actually took the power of Superman to deal Bane a blow and put him in his place.

So hearing that he's so strong in this film makes me feel a LOT better about the depiction of him, since I didn't think Tom Hardy was that great a choice to play him, from a purely physical standpoint.

Well sure, in the comics and cartoons. But this was depicted as being a much more believable, real world version of the story.

And in that world I would expect Bane to be a bit less cartoonishly powerful than he was here.

 

[davejames]

Even if Miranda's true identity was a surprise, it was pretty plainly obvious she was working with Bane in some way. Her romance with Bruce was contrived as hell and you knew she was going to betray him at some point.

When Bruce entrusted her with the fusion reactor I just had to roll my eyes.

 

[Lapis Exilis]

posted by AgentRichard07

I just didn't catch the part about him escaping with the plane-thing on autopilot.

I was wondering about that too. How and when did he escape? On the second viewing though, I just accepted that he ejected and got away before the Bat got too far out to sea.

As Batman is grappling the bomb to the Bat, someone (can't remember who - Selina maybe?) says something along the lines of, "So you'll fly out and then eject?" and he replies, "No autopilot", but after everything calms down, Lucius discovers that was a lie when he asks the technicians working on the Bat to let him know how he could have repaired the autopilot and they say it was repaired with patch and identify Bruce as the person who installed it. So he flew out, ejected, left the Bat on autopilot to fly the bomb further out where it went kablooie.

I was actually shocked that Miranda was working with Bane.

I've heard more than one person say this.

I'm actually amazed some people remained unspoiled on this point. I actually didn't read the hidden spoiler portions of the relevant posts, but I could tell what had happened just from the flavor of people's reactions.

I thought that this was kind of an "open secret" about the film, but then again I probably don't do enough to avoid spoilers.

I knew Miranda was Talia - it was a big time fan rumor and then she majorly telegraphs it in her first appearance onscreen when she says, "If someone wishes to restore balance to the world..." a line straight from Ra's mouth in BB. However, the reveal still caught me out because I was buying the red herring that Bane was also Ra's child. I figured they were brother and sister, but probably didn't know each other and that Bane was operating a kind of rogue League, while Talia was there as leader of the group her father had led. I didn't know what her game was except that she was sure to exact revenge on Bruce. So discovering that Bane was a front for her was quite a surprise.

 

[Kegg]

I'd heard about the Talia rumour and I was vaguely sure Marion Cotillard was going to maybe be Talia and until Bane was 'revealed' as al Ghul's son, so I just rolled with that.

In retrospect another early clue about her identity is a scar on her back that Bruce Wayne sees early on.

Michelle Pfieffer was never my ideal Catwoman, so I don't find her hard to top.

I didn't realize so many people liked Pfieffer's Catwoman so much.

It seems to be just me in this thread. Pfieffer's Catwoman, like Batman Returns generally, is something I often feel largely alone on the TrekBBS in liking (and liking far better than the Burton's first movie).

My point was though that Anne Hathaway was so underutilized in this film that my comparison to Michelle Pfieffer - which I was gonna make anyway - didn't feel fair.

 

[sonak]

I was actually shocked that Miranda was working with Bane.

I've heard more than one person say this.

I'm actually amazed some people remained unspoiled on this point. I actually didn't read the hidden spoiler portions of the relevant posts, but I could tell what had happened just from the flavor of people's reactions.

I thought that this was kind of an "open secret" about the film, but then again I probably don't do enough to avoid spoilers.

I was caught off-guard by it, too. Batman's reaction in that scene is just heartbreaking to watch, too. Between the stabbing and the betrayal, you can just see the double dose of pain in his face.

 

[Set Harth]

OK, so they are all there at the cafe. That's cool, a happy ending, anyway. I just didn't catch the part about him escaping with the plane-thing on autopilot.

I think I heard a gasp from someone in the theater when Alfred returned to the cafe, before Bruce and Selina were even spotted, apparently because the person making that noise could see where things were going just by Alfred showing up there. But that gasp could've happened in the previous scene where it was revealed that the autopilot had actually been operational. At that point we pretty much knew that David Letterman had been joking.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

I just got back from DKR rising not five minutes ago. I'm still trying to organize my thoughts but I'll try to sum it up with: The Dark Knight Sucking would have been a better title for it.

What an unfocused, bloated mess. It was like Christopher Nolan had two ideas for Batman sequels and decided to mash them together ala Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3.

The first sequel was about the public ruination of Batman's image and the economic and social decline of Bruce Wayne.

The second sequel was Knightfall in No Man's Land. The second sequel was much more satisfying.

I hate to say it but all the problems I had with The Dark Knight have returned in Rises but tenfold. Much of the first hour was like the Lau abduction in TDK. Deleted scene material that should have never made it out of writing much less into multiplexes.

Just as badly Chris Nolan has lost all sense of subtlety. I had perfectly dry eyes at the end of the movie because Nolan gave it all away in the first hour. Alfred's little speech about Fernet Branca gave away the end of the movie. So did Catwoman's wanting to erase her identity. I know where I'd find them at the end of the movie and that made me sad.

I think both Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were wasted. Caine left too early and Freeman had nothing to do. Damn shame.

I'm not even going to mention the naivety of the Dent Act or the stupidity of every cop in Gotham being underground for three months. Moronic plotting, those. Besides others have gone over what's so stupid about those plot points much better than I ever could, so why bother?

Of course I'm not down on everything. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman just blew me away. Every fear I had about her performance went unrealized and I have to say that she is now my all time favorite version of Selina Kyle EVER to grace the screen. Sexy, sweet and deadly. That's my Selina, MEE-OW!

Joseph Gordon Levitt was a youthful breath of fresh air in otherwise stale proceedings. The fact is I preferred Levitt to Christian Bale. He had the energy to keep the movie going during the slow scenes and goddammit he did!

I thought the end montage was terrific and Hans Zimmer treated us to an emotional smorgasbord of a score!

At the end of the day I'd have to say that The Dark Knight Rises has a lot of really good scenes but a piss poor structure holding it together. The whole is much, much less than the sum of it's parts. Unfortunately it is the Spider-Man 3 of Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy.

My final score: 5/10. Sorry, Chris.

 

[Hound of UIster]

I do think Nolan probably made Bane a little TOO tough and unstoppable though. Despite his size, we should still have seen Batman doing more damage than he did, with the armor he was wearing and the powerful punches he was throwing.

The movie basically made it look like he was fighting Hulk or Superman or something, which seems a bit far-fetched.

This is actually how Bane is supposed to be... he basically is a hulk. .

Untrue. Bane was envisioned by Chuck Dixon's as an evil Doc Savage.

 

[indianatrekker26]

I just got back from DKR rising not five minutes ago. I'm still trying to organize my thoughts but I'll try to sum it up with: The Dark Knight Sucking would have been a better title for it.

What an unfocused, bloated mess. It was like Christopher Nolan had two ideas for Batman sequels and decided to mash them together ala Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3.

The first sequel was about the public ruination of Batman's image and the economic and social decline of Bruce Wayne.

The second sequel was Knightfall in No Man's Land. The second sequel was much more satisfying.

I hate to say it but all the problems I had with The Dark Knight have returned in Rises but tenfold. Much of the first hour was like the Lau abduction in TDK. Deleted scene material that should have never made it out of writing much less into multiplexes.

Just as badly Chris Nolan has lost all sense of subtlety. I had perfectly dry eyes at the end of the movie because Nolan gave it all away in the first hour. Alfred's little speech about Fernet Branca gave away the end of the movie. So did Catwoman's wanting to erase her identity. I know where I'd find them at the end of the movie and that made me sad.

I think both Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were wasted. Caine left too early and Freeman had nothing to do. Damn shame.

I'm not even going to mention the naivety of the Dent Act or the stupidity of every cop in Gotham being underground for three months. Moronic plotting, those. Besides others have gone over what's so stupid about those plot points much better than I ever could, so why bother?

Of course I'm not down on everything. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman just blew me away. Every fear I had about her performance went unrealized and I have to say that she is now my all time favorite version of Selina Kyle EVER to grace the screen. Sexy, sweet and deadly. That's my Selina, MEE-OW!

Joseph Gordon Levitt was a youthful breath of fresh air in otherwise stale proceedings. The fact is I preferred Levitt to Christian Bale. He had the energy to keep the movie going during the slow scenes and goddammit he did!

I thought the end montage was terrific and Hans Zimmer treated us to an emotional smorgasbord of a score!

At the end of the day I'd have to say that The Dark Knight Rises has a lot of really good scenes but a piss poor structure holding it together. The whole is much, much less than the sum of it's parts. Unfortunately it is the Spider-Man 3 of Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy.

My final score: 5/10. Sorry, Chris.

You bring up alot of good points, but it just doesn't bring it down for me like it did you.
I loved the story, i loved the finale.
I loved all the little character arcs we got, and how this felt like the most "comic booky" of the three films.
Not as good as TDK, but definitely a good solid film. In no way is this the Spiderman 3 of the batman films. Not even close.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

I just got back from DKR rising not five minutes ago. I'm still trying to organize my thoughts but I'll try to sum it up with: The Dark Knight Sucking would have been a better title for it.

What an unfocused, bloated mess. It was like Christopher Nolan had two ideas for Batman sequels and decided to mash them together ala Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3.

The first sequel was about the public ruination of Batman's image and the economic and social decline of Bruce Wayne.

The second sequel was Knightfall in No Man's Land. The second sequel was much more satisfying.

I hate to say it but all the problems I had with The Dark Knight have returned in Rises but tenfold. Much of the first hour was like the Lau abduction in TDK. Deleted scene material that should have never made it out of writing much less into multiplexes.

Just as badly Chris Nolan has lost all sense of subtlety. I had perfectly dry eyes at the end of the movie because Nolan gave it all away in the first hour. Alfred's little speech about Fernet Branca gave away the end of the movie. So did Catwoman's wanting to erase her identity. I know where I'd find them at the end of the movie and that made me sad.

I think both Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were wasted. Caine left too early and Freeman had nothing to do. Damn shame.

I'm not even going to mention the naivety of the Dent Act or the stupidity of every cop in Gotham being underground for three months. Moronic plotting, those. Besides others have gone over what's so stupid about those plot points much better than I ever could, so why bother?

Of course I'm not down on everything. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman just blew me away. Every fear I had about her performance went unrealized and I have to say that she is now my all time favorite version of Selina Kyle EVER to grace the screen. Sexy, sweet and deadly. That's my Selina, MEE-OW!

Joseph Gordon Levitt was a youthful breath of fresh air in otherwise stale proceedings. The fact is I preferred Levitt to Christian Bale. He had the energy to keep the movie going during the slow scenes and goddammit he did!

I thought the end montage was terrific and Hans Zimmer treated us to an emotional smorgasbord of a score!

At the end of the day I'd have to say that The Dark Knight Rises has a lot of really good scenes but a piss poor structure holding it together. The whole is much, much less than the sum of it's parts. Unfortunately it is the Spider-Man 3 of Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy.

My final score: 5/10. Sorry, Chris.

You bring up alot of good points, but it just doesn't bring it down for me like it did you.
I loved the story, i loved the finale.
I loved all the little character arcs we got, and how this felt like the most "comic booky" of the three films.
Not as good as TDK, but definitely a good solid film. In no way is this the Spiderman 3 of the batman films. Not even close.

That's cool. I don't agree, but that's cool.

 

[DWF]

I wasn't blown away by The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Wayne's medical condition was ignored and I have to agree he should've relied more on his gadgets to take out Bane. And as for Bane for much of the movie he's a mastermind then he turned into a mere henchman and was in the end easily taken out by Selina Kyle. Also the next myor of Gotham will have a huge job of rebuilding the city.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

It seems to be just me in this thread. Pfieffer's Catwoman, like Batman Returns generally, is something I often feel largely alone on the TrekBBS in liking (and liking far better than the Burton's first movie)..

I too thought Pfieffer's Catwoman was outstanding. I get what Burton was thinking with his Penguin, but I always felt the two characters didn't really mesh well. Two very different types of insanity that started in different places and went off in different directions. Each one was interesting, but watching it I felt like the movie lacked Gestalt. It was as shattered as their psyches. I think I would have rather each had their own movie, and with different supporting villians.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

I wasn't blown away by The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Wayne's medical condition was ignored and I ahve to agree he should've relied more on his gadgets to take out Bane. And as for Bane for much of the movie he's a mastermind then he turned into a mere henchman and was in the end easily taken out by Selina Kyle. Also the next myor of Gotham will have a huge job of rebuilding the city.

Agreed on all points, especially the last one. How many mayoral candidates have a ready made platform to run with?

 

[Dude]

I just got back from DKR rising not five minutes ago. I'm still trying to organize my thoughts but I'll try to sum it up with: The Dark Knight Sucking would have been a better title for it.

What an unfocused, bloated mess. It was like Christopher Nolan had two ideas for Batman sequels and decided to mash them together ala Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3.

The first sequel was about the public ruination of Batman's image and the economic and social decline of Bruce Wayne.

The second sequel was Knightfall in No Man's Land. The second sequel was much more satisfying.

I hate to say it but all the problems I had with The Dark Knight have returned in Rises but tenfold. Much of the first hour was like the Lau abduction in TDK. Deleted scene material that should have never made it out of writing much less into multiplexes.

Just as badly Chris Nolan has lost all sense of subtlety. I had perfectly dry eyes at the end of the movie because Nolan gave it all away in the first hour. Alfred's little speech about Fernet Branca gave away the end of the movie. So did Catwoman's wanting to erase her identity. I know where I'd find them at the end of the movie and that made me sad.

I think both Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were wasted. Caine left too early and Freeman had nothing to do. Damn shame.

I'm not even going to mention the naivety of the Dent Act or the stupidity of every cop in Gotham being underground for three months. Moronic plotting, those. Besides others have gone over what's so stupid about those plot points much better than I ever could, so why bother?

Of course I'm not down on everything. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman just blew me away. Every fear I had about her performance went unrealized and I have to say that she is now my all time favorite version of Selina Kyle EVER to grace the screen. Sexy, sweet and deadly. That's my Selina, MEE-OW!

Joseph Gordon Levitt was a youthful breath of fresh air in otherwise stale proceedings. The fact is I preferred Levitt to Christian Bale. He had the energy to keep the movie going during the slow scenes and goddammit he did!

I thought the end montage was terrific and Hans Zimmer treated us to an emotional smorgasbord of a score!

At the end of the day I'd have to say that The Dark Knight Rises has a lot of really good scenes but a piss poor structure holding it together. The whole is much, much less than the sum of it's parts. Unfortunately it is the Spider-Man 3 of Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy.

My final score: 5/10. Sorry, Chris.

You bring up alot of good points, but it just doesn't bring it down for me like it did you.
I loved the story, i loved the finale.
I loved all the little character arcs we got, and how this felt like the most "comic booky" of the three films.
Not as good as TDK, but definitely a good solid film. In no way is this the Spiderman 3 of the batman films. Not even close.

That's cool. I don't agree, but that's cool.

You two are frickin' ridiculous.

This is the Internet, dammit. If you disagree with someone, you call them names!

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

^ You're okay!

 

[Agent Richard07]

It seems to be just me in this thread. Pfieffer's Catwoman, like Batman Returns generally, is something I often feel largely alone on the TrekBBS in liking (and liking far better than the Burton's first movie).

You're not alone Kegg, a lot of people seem to really like Pfieffer's Catwoman. Even Hathaway herself thinks she's pretty iconic. And like JD, I didn't know she was so popular until a few days ago.

 

[indianatrekker26]

You bring up alot of good points, but it just doesn't bring it down for me like it did you.
I loved the story, i loved the finale.
I loved all the little character arcs we got, and how this felt like the most "comic booky" of the three films.
Not as good as TDK, but definitely a good solid film. In no way is this the Spiderman 3 of the batman films. Not even close.

That's cool. I don't agree, but that's cool.

You two are frickin' ridiculous.

This is the Internet, dammit. If you disagree with someone, you call them names!

LMFAO! Sorry, but i don't get into little internet squabbles. lol I know not everyone is going to like the same thing. It's what makes life so fun. We all find and like or dislike different things out of stuff.
I will say though, after all the seriousness of the last 3 batman movies, i do hope the next guys to come along, to restart the franchise bring a sense of adventure and fun back to the films. Not to the extreme of Batman and Robin, but the kind of fun that was there with the Avengers.

 

[DarthPipes]

Is Bane diminished as a villain because he's working for Talia at the end and not leading his own agenda?

 

[davejames]

What an unfocused, bloated mess. It was like Christopher Nolan had two ideas for Batman sequels and decided to mash them together ala Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3.

So glad I'm not the only one who felt that way. I was actually going to make the same comparison to Spidey 3, but I figured I'd lose all credibility with people. Lol


But yeah, I just don't understand the love this movie is getting at all. It's got even more contrivances than Prometheus did, and nothing about the story makes any sense.


Bane wants the people to rise up and take back the city from the rich... but he's going to blow it up anyway? So what's the point?