Can The Dark Knight Rises Rise Above Its Predecessors?

[duchaked]

yeahhhhhh I'm not sure about the character/villain choices but I don't doubt Nolan...fingers crossed =)

 

[Tipsy Giant]

it will be pants because as always due to hollywoods refusal to let a big movie be above a 12 rating there will be all these people who hate each other and try to kill each other without swearing, YEY REALISM

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Superheroes aren't realistic.

Except for that part about Batman, and almost all of his major villains, not having any superpowers. The characters have always been about achievement and psychology which are amplified but still on a human scale. The whole point of the Batman is that he's realistic. He's part of a (then) vital legacy of pulp era heroes like Zorro or Sherlock Holmes. No one would complain, I hope, about making a realistic movie about those characters, so it doesn't make sense to complain about it with Batman. I admit his early association with Superman, which was National's only other popular character, makes him part of an unrealistic world, but that's a consequence of business, not conception.

I disagree, and would put Zorro and Sherlock into the realms of pulp(super)heroes. Was Doc Samson, Agent 13 or Dick Barton realistic? A realistic Biggles or Flash Gordon? Both would be dead by the end of the first reel.

They can be realistic in their realism, but never in ours.

If you bring in realism, then you make these characters heroes. Not superheroes.

Batman isn't realistic. He can't be. Big Daddy is Batman done realistically.

 

[Tipsy Giant]

it will be pants because as always due to hollywoods refusal to let a big movie be above a 12 rating there will be all these people who hate each other and try to kill each other without swearing, YEY REALISM

Or the camera wussing out from showing anything concerning violence and the like. Watch the "Joker kills Gambol" scene to understand exactly what I mean. Christ that's getting more and more annoying every time I watch the Dark Knight at any length. All the members of the MPAA could just die right now, would leave the entertainment world a much better place.

it isn't their fault it is the studios who won't put anything above the age of the main movie going demographic 13-18 year old males, so all our BIG MOVIES end up being too wussy for adults and too dark for kids YEY

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Twinkle, Twinkle, broken Bat...
Heard your back go crickle-crack...

So it's Bane, huh? Awesome. It's about time he gets his portrayal of being freaking brilliant, getting pretty much all of Arkham's most notorious inmates to work together to take down the pest that has taken them all apart. One of the few villains who could match (if not beat) Batman's intelligence and skill. And then, to top it all off, he's the only villain to break the Batman. And the Venom fits right into the Nolanverse gadgets and concoctions, so there's a plus.

Though, me, I'm still holding out for a cameo from Jervis Tetch.

 

[K_Dub]

I am pretty concerned for what exactly Nolan has in mind for Catwoman and Bane. Well, maybe concerned isn't the right word for it. I suppose I'm skeptical. I know Nolan hasn't let any of down yet, but none the less, this is BANE we're talking about here. I've decided to withhold any major criticism until I know more about what exactly Nolan has in mind though. For now, my overall feelings at the moment are a resounding "Nnngh"...

 

[Siberian Relic]

I really like the choices for both (would've loved to see either Clayface or Croc, as well), and I have a few reasons why.

Bane. Exciting potential for this guy. Every villain and antagonist to have faced Batman in Nolan's films has been an intellectual or psychological match, and those familiar with the true character of Bane will recognize no differences here. But while Falcone, Maroni, Scarecrow, Ra's Al Ghul, Joker, and Two-Face were able to keep up psychologically or operationally, only Ra's was able to match the Bat in terms of brawn. Bane is going to change that, and with that change will come the necessity to alter angles of attack. Batman will have to outwit his own body, and he'll have to do more than just "outsmart" Bane if he's going to beat him. Whatever Nolan does with Bane, there's no getting around the element of his strength.

Catwoman. It's already presumed (all but officially announced, anyway) that Selina Kyle will/might act as a romantic entanglement for Bruce. Imagine that. Their relationship was always fairly mutual, but Catwoman (so far as my memory serves) was doing the lion's share of the chasing. Given the hole left in the wake of Rachel's murder (don't forget that part), that could mean emotional turmoil for Bats. But there was also a rumor that Catwoman is going to step up during Batman's recession (who better to follow up a Bat-Man than a Cat-Woman?) as an equal costumed vigilante (someone whom we've yet to see in Nolan's Gotham). This could very well serve to prompt Batman to take greater action and shine a light between Batman's lawful vigilantism vs. Catwoman's opportunistic vigilantism. This is called The Dark Knight Rises, after all. Perhaps these two villains will bring Gotham to realize that Batman is both they hero they deserve and need.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

I found an interesting article earlier. As someone who hasn't read any comics with Bane in it my knowledge is limited, but this really explained the character to me and made me excited.

http://io9.com/5738053/why-is-this-guy-youve-never-heard-of-christopher-nolans-latest-batman-villain?skyline=true&s=i

Bane is not a thug. He cold, clever, tactical villain. He didn't Break the Bat just though brute force, he out smarted him too. Also the guy has a seriously messed up backstory, surviving life in prison from a young age for crimes of the father. Obviously there's stuff that needs to be cleaned up, like the whole Wrestler crap (give him a mask but if your going to make him anything make him a cage fighter) and Venon (needs to be scaled down A LOT). And as for Tom Hardy not being the right build...

From the movie Bronston

Honestly i would question this decision a great deal more but people questioned Nolan when he chose Ras and Scarecrow for the first movie and when he chose Heath Ledger to player Joker...So yeah, I trust him.

 

[Plurralbles]

I hate the Catwoman. She's never been done right in live action and the only reason the animated series and comic book one worked is that it's a cartoon/comic.

I'm excited and accepting of using Bane. He's awesome in every way. He's awesome in every other way.

 

[AvsJoe]

I'm damn excited about this film again after the casting of Hathaway. However, I won't raise my hopes too high, it'd take perfection for this film to best The Dark Knight.

 

[Moffman]

I heard aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages ago that Depp may have been the Riddler. Guess I'm totally out of the loop . Would have love to see him play that role.

I do agree DK was made extra popular because of Ledger's death. Which is a shame that this will over shadow the film, because without a doubt it was his finest performance! Still, he will always now be remembered with fondness. Totally deserved the Oscar!

 

[lead sharp]

Heath Ledger as the Joker got a huge negative response.

I think we should all just shut up and see what happens.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

I think Bane is probably a bad idea. The things I've loved about the Batman movies the most is the lack of superpowers, it made everything more believable. But this might just break the whole suspension of disbelief for me.

 

[Ohlookit'sMatty]

I can see Bane working in this film& Tom Hardy will fit perfectly into that role // Bane is someone who can take anything Batman can dish out& still out smart him when it is called for // He is not a mindless thug // Also nowhere is it written in stone that we will get Catwoman in this film, but a lead into that villain been created might be on the cards

-M

 

[face_head_mouth]

Batman Begins bored me. It's a tired re-hash in the name of REALISM, that that hack Frank Miller started without realising certain simple rules.

Superheroes aren't realistic.

To be fair, I remember reading an interview with Frank Miller where he said something to the effect of:

"People took The Dark Knight Returns as a realistic piece...I've never done a piece of realism in my life!"

He also regretted that people focused on the 'dark and gritty' aspects of that book while ignoring the more lighthearted touches (like Batman's relationship with Carrie Kelly).

I also remember him saying (although maybe not in the same interview) that he didn't believe a real-life Batman would last even 6 months in the real world.

 

[Lyri]

Ever since the title was released I've always, always associated it with Bane and the "man who broke Bats" arc.
That's what I'm going for with this new film, it will probably mirror the Iron Man 2 theme "What if I can't do it after all?".

It isn't hard to imagine Bruce being broken and having to deal with watching the hope he established crumble and fall to pieces around him.
They could introduce Catwoman as the love interest who "inspires" (don't really think that's the right word) Bruce back onto his feet both in the tight rubber suit and out.

I'm not really sure how she'll fit into it to be frank, but I'm predicting the Bane arc anyway.

 

[Steve Butts]

I disagree, and would put Zorro and Sherlock into the realms of pulp(super)heroes. Was Doc Samson, Agent 13 or Dick Barton realistic? A realistic Biggles or Flash Gordon? Both would be dead by the end of the first reel.

They can be realistic in their realism, but never in ours.

If you bring in realism, then you make these characters heroes. Not superheroes.

Batman isn't realistic. He can't be. Big Daddy is Batman done realistically.

In what way is Batman unimaginable in our realism? You say he can't be realistic, but I still don't see why.

 

[tirone231]

Am i the only person who's worried theres not a central threat in this?
Because as good as catwoman and bane are, they are accessories added to a storyline to improve it usually. There needs to be some driving recurring/leadership role villain. And i don't see it. I think their hiding one of their villains from us.

My thoughts exactly. Maybe I'm just biased because of The Animated Series, but I've never thought of Bane as a main character, due to how he's mainly been used physically throughout his appearances. Then again, Aaron Eckhart's Two-Face was way different than how he's been previously used, so maybe we'll just see a completely different Bane