Dark Knight Rises *there be spoilers here, seriously don't click if you don't want spoilers*

It was a good solid movie to me. I like the portrayal of Bane. I'm not quite sure who I found more interesting between Bane or the Dark Knight's Joker. I'm glad of the fact that they aint portray Bane as some bummbling mound of muscle with not a single coherent brain cell. He actually was dangerous and a threat to the batman. Even though the back breaking part didnt last as long as I thought it would but I understand it's a movie and not a book so everything have to flow ten speed. Even though I find it strange that Batman seemed to have quit twice in one movie. I think leaving the point that he quits for the end would have sufficed. In the end very good movie and well worth the money spent.

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Originally Posted by mauk2 Evil_Legacy became one of my favorite posters with two words. "Kick Rocks." I laffed so hard. Never change, E_L!

The fact there's now a Batman statue in City Hall to honor his "sacrifice" I would assume Robin will become Nightwing than take up the Batman mantle.

I forsee another set of trilogies. Batman and Robin or some sorts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mauk2 Evil_Legacy became one of my favorite posters with two words. "Kick Rocks." I laffed so hard. Never change, E_L!

I'd have been interested to see some takes on some of the other villains in the rogue's gallery. I -loved- what they did with Two Face, Scarecrow and Joker. Though part of the problem is the emphasis on realism kind of takes out a number of them, like Poison Ivy or Clayface (without tweaking or toning down anyhow). Honestly I was a lil sad that Riddler was the initial choice for this movie and passed over.

Really I think one of the few mistakes the movie made in terms of the overall trilogy is making the time jump directly from the end of Dark Knight. I think it would've been better to have made the 'putting up the cape' moment somewhere within the 8 years instead of after Dent dies. Some wiggle room so if they wanted they could've fit in a movie in between Dark knight and Rises. It just seems like the story wrapped up so quick in terms of Batman's 'career' though I never thought the time difference between Begins and Dark Knight was all that wide. It just feels like -more- should've happened.

I was thinking tonight and came to the conclusion that the bit about the entirety of the trilogy being Thomas Wayne's dying vision would be a good way to reboot the series.

Start off the next movie with clips from Begins (conveniently leaving out anything with Rachel and scenes with Alfred) up to the point where Thomas is shot. Have it flash bits and pieces of the rest of the trilogy. Then cut to a reshoot of Thomas and Martha's funeral with a new kid actor (only seen from the back) for Bruce. Maybe shoot a new scene (obscuring everyone's faces) where Thomas says, "...Bat...man..." and then dies.

From there, it can pick up and make a new trilogy. Potentially one a bit more...exotic, to allow for Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, etc., and for the inclusion into the Justice League mythos. It still gives a nod to the Nolan trilogy and allows that to be 'canon' to an extent while opening up for a different take on the series.

I loved the upbeat, un-Batman-like ending of this movie. It was the first time I'd ever actually liked Batman as a character.

I was also astonished but pleased at the movie's implication that the idea of class warfare is a hollow one. In a moviemaking world where rich guys in suits are seen as the only "safe" villains, this was an unusually nuanced treatment of that complex of issues.

Right, opinion bomb incoming.

I didn't like the Dark Knight Rises.
I freaking LOVED the Dark Knight Rises.

It established stuff clearly. It was punchy, it didn't drag, there was just the right balance of dialogue and action to keep you(me) from getting bored with either. Selina Kyle was handled very well, and wasn't just a Hollywood 'pretty face on legs' character. In fact, I'd argue she was far better than the more 'traditional' Selina from Arkham City, who had a frankly ridiculous outfit (certainly not bullet proof from the front...) The choice of actress was, in my opinion, very solid. In fact, all the cast performed admirably, I thought.

There was no real point where I felt 'wait, that doesn't make sense'. If there were any holes, my brain didn't twig due to being happily swept along with the tide of story telling. I was one who did get suckered by the twist(s) and was more than happy with it.

Bane himself...Eh, I honestly don't see/hear the problem people had with his voice. There was the odd word I missed, sure, but for the most part I could hear him perfectly. I also, frankly, loved his voice. It was creepy and yet at the same time charismatic, somehow suggesting that, whatever you thought contrary, this man was right. And you should be somehow ashamed for doubting him. Hard to explain, awesome to listen to.

I could go on and on, but I guess this is something of a marmite film; you either love it or you hate it. I loved it

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Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

Finally got to see this movie. Loved it.

One thing that I really liked that hasn't been mentioned yet is that we really get to see Jim Gordon in this. Ambushing his attackers, taking charge of the situation, standing up to anyone. I was happy to see him show why he deserves to be where he is.

(whole thread tl;dr, so I'm just spoutin' my opinons based on the first page's worth of stuff. In case that matters.)

First off, this was an excellent Nolan-ized Batman movie. I liked it, there was good stuff in it. I got everything. It was well done, and I approve of it.

Then again, I liked Speed Racer, so... bit of salt here.

The Dark Knight was the better of the three by a ton. Heath Ledger's Joker simply made that movie 10 times better than the other two, and the themes throughout it were stunning.

However, The Dark Knight Rises is a closer movie, meant to seal it off and be done with it. As such, it is right they explored and delivered a mechanism to put a stop to more Batman movies... i.e., Alfred was right: Time to move on, and please go live your life.

Bruce was hurting. Bad. Even before Bane shows up. He wasn't going to BE Batman much longer. But he is smart, and strong, and willful, and that's why he had to put the mantle on one more time.

That he left his legacy of toys behind, and functional, meant he *knew* that John Blake was going to find them... and use them (it's implied anyway). So Bruce could escape that particular burden, pass it along.

It therefore became how to escape the city, and his old life... Oh, hey, there we go. Boom. I'm 'dead'. And Selnia is the HAWT (I love me some Anne Hathaway), and she's kinda into me, and hey, she's got money... sure, why not? Later, Gotham, you'll be ok now.

He left behind the clues as needed so that the right people would know. Fox, Blake, Gordon, and finally Alfred, in the manner that was just... well, exactly right.

Yeppers, this was a good ending to the Nolanverse of Batman, overall. I approve. Please don't make any more of these, WB/DC/Syncopy/Nolan/Bale. You did good, time to move on with your lives.

/Now... what's the next interpretation of Batman gonna be, and who's gonna do it?

I loved the end - from the moment of realizing he was going to fly the bomb away and sacrifice himself through the funeral and to the reveal and very end. Not just zero problems with it, but I loved that.
I was fully ready to believe that he would die and did die (while, of course, I remained suspicious and even hopeful) and then I loved the way in which they revealed that the autopilot was fixed and that he'd done it himself.
I thought that was perfect (and that was the only trick that got me in this film... as I was silently bemoaning the obvious foreshadow of the lack of autopilot's significance... but that was turned into pleasure as I realized that they'd successfully set me up).

I enjoyed the movie overall. I can't say that I found the whole thing to be great, but how many movies end up being great...
And the reasons why I feel less enthused about it are mostly because of a few times throughout the earlier stages where I felt tripped up by things I found to be questionable. Just little things, but they knocked me out of buying what the movie was selling, as I had to say "well, okay, I guess... whatever!" and carried on.
Mainly Blake knowing so surely that Wayne was Batman. It was just a bit too much to ask, for me. I mean... I can live with it being obvious that Wayne is Batman... if it was obvious to everyone.
I entirely understand how they were selling it and I liked the element of this orphan recognizing it in Wayne, but it just wasn't executed in a way that I bought it as it happened. I blame time constraints and/or decisions to focus on other things over making that aspect an easier sell.

There were a few other little things that had me feeling similarly... I can only remember a few times where characters knew where other characters were and it just seemed jarring and a bit too fortuitous... but a quick "Eh, low-grade comicbook factor" which honestly has been present in the other movies as well, so not a huge deal... just things that knocked me out of it here and there.

However, by the later portions of the movie, I was fully into it and enjoying it and wasn't holding those things against it. So, that's good.

A few more of my own personal thoughts and feelings during the movie:
I had no idea that it would be 8 years later, so that was a large surprise and starting off with Bruce Wayne as a shut-in, using a cane and no longer Batman was a powerfully emotional start for me.
I think this is also how I became a little bit disappointed early on...
That set me up for really looking to experience the gravitas of that scenario, but I felt like the handling of transitioning out of that and - perhaps, more importantly - some of the sketchy and less believable specifics that occurred during that transition, just didn't carry the weight that I felt such a bold starting point could deliver on and, possibly, deserved.
It probably set me up to be disappointed, because I was expected a much more in-depth drama based around all of that and I didn't feel like it delivered it successfully.
Still, the initial emotional hit was good. So, it still amounted to a positive for my feedback.

At one point, later on, I did find myself thinking, "Hmmm... I'm not disliking this, exactly, but I suppose I'd prefer to see Batman doing stuff rather than see Blake running around doing stuff".
I like the premise and the angle they were going for and the arc of setting up an heir to the mantle... So, I'm not knocking that. I just simply found myself slipping out of my enjoyment and realizing that I probably would like a bit more Batman with my Batman, hehe...
However, by the end of the film, I no longer felt that way. So, this was a temporary feeling during the journey.

All in all, I guess I just fell out of the ride a few times, but still very much enjoyed the end results.

I definitely feel like it was a wonderful arc over the entire trilogy. Watching Batman Begins, for the first time in a while, a few days beforehand really had me appreciating and enjoying the first movie more than I may have previously (as a stand alone movie). I guess I hadn't watched it fully since I'd seen The Dark Knight. So, that's always nice when sequels help make earlier episodes seem better (I found that a lot with the Harry Potter movies, actually).

About the entire trilogy... What a friggin' cast.
Before these movies, I held Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Cane and Morgan Freeman as some of the greatest film actors today and of all time. Cane and Freeman don't need much further mention (nor should the other two, but...) Oldman's ability to completely disappear or explode based on whatever character he is playing is phenomenal. He is a true actor of the best kind.
Bale has impressed me in every single thing I have seen him in. American Psycho, The Machinist, Batman, The Fighter (to name a few)... His intensity and commitment is unrivaled and it does so much for every film he is in. And if you've ever seen Empire Of The Sun, you see a child that has an uncanny and amazing talent that reminds me of the young Tatum O'Neal.

Anyway, haha, I got caught up there... It just blows my mind when I think of those greats being such a big part in these three Batman movies. And I think their contributions are no small thing towards how enjoyable these movies have been. Obviously Liam Neeson and Heath Ledger are fantastic actors that also gave such great depth to the films they were in.

And, yes, Anne Hathaway did a great job. I love me some Julie Newmar and Michelle Pfeiffer (and I'll take either of those over Nolan's Catwoman), but that is NO knock against Miss Hathaway. She was great and I enjoyed her in Nolan's toned down take for this series (which totally works).

I think that is quite enough rambling from me...

Finally was able to go see the movie:

Holy crap! I loved it! Christopher Nolan had this thing wrapped in a nice package from the Batman Begins to the end.

For those troubled by the ending of the movie, just keep in mind that this is suppose to be a "realistic" Batman. But even back in The Dark Knight, it's already being hinted at that Batman won't be there forever. Harvey Dent says it at dinner the first time he meets Bruce Wayne. Bruce says it to Rachel that he wants to put down the mask.

Also, when the movie begins it's made clear that Gotham is in a state of civil order. The corruption from previous movies is gone, so there's not a need for Batman until Bane shows up. Once Bane was taken care of, Gotham was pretty much safe again. Of course there's going to be a round up period, but hasn't Batman done enough? Is there a point in giving Gotham hope if it can't be left to take care of itself?

I will say though, I wish they would have just said his real name was Tim Drake. I get that it might have needed to be spelled out for people not entrenched in the mythos, but the Robin line was a little bit forced.

Michael Cain nearly reduced me to tears, though. I had to punch myself in the leg to keep it together. Didn't need my wife hazing me anymore than usual.

While the 'judgement' scenes with Crane were fun, I would have really liked to have seen those same scenes with Heath Ledgers Joker, clearly I understand why that wasn't possible, it's just more of a 'what if..?' scenario, which brings up something that's bugging me. Why was 'the clown' completely written out of the Nolans universe as of TDKR? I don't recall a single mention of him.