Escape to the Movies: The Dark Knight Rises

Sai Marston

New member
Jul 20, 2012
1
0
0
This is the only review of Bob's I've ever watched that I came away from simply saying '...you're absolutely wrong.' I just saw the midnight showing and don't agree with anything mentioned in this video. This review was so off annoying my boyfriend asked me to turn if off around the four-minute mark, but I insisted we watch the rest of it because it was almost over and I (usually) respect Bob's opinion on movies.

Everything Bane does is more intense than the Joker. The stakes are higher, the action is more intense and the Joker as portrayed by Heath ledger could never orchestrate a plot as complicated and well-planned as. The Joker in the Dark Knight employed nothing but greedy, insane psychopaths that were nothing but idiotic, brainwashed or blackmailed bodies to be disposed of in his name.

The plot of The Dark Knight is laughable when you place it anywhere near the smallest of candles. You can't take anything the Joker does seriously when you seriously take into consideration how even the smallest parts of his schemes could go awry at any moment. He needed so much to go coincidentally right (the smallest instance being Harvey Dent's coin flips at any point after being hospitalized) at such precise moments that, and in such small amounts of time, that it's a joke that he accomplished anything. And even buying into that, the most devastating outcome he could have accomplished is that a couple boats get blown up, some cops get killed and he gets away.

Heath Ledger did an amazing job as the Joker, but due to his death and the time the movie has had to saturate popular opinion it feels that people have romanticized his role to a point where no other performance even has the right to compare, whether it's genuinely better or not. Sure, maybe Bane can't pull off the charismatic insanity Ledger had, but his character doesn't lend itself to that. He isn't fun because simply because he's insane, he's engaging as a powerful, terrifying mastermind in a way the Joker characteristically never could be. His plan, recruited help and fail-safes make more sense and are far better thought out, as is the plausibility of him reaching any later stage of his efforts. By the time of his defeat, luck seems to be more on Batman's side than his, which is the complete opposite of the Joker's.

As for the pacing I didn't see any problem in it. The movie only skips over segments of time that are unnecessary to the audience, keeping the film from being six hours or so long, with plenty enough narrative to keep the viewer constantly aware of what's happening and engaged in the plot. As for the action, I don't know what Bob wanted. The fistfighting scenes were wonderfully executed, plenty stylish and brutal. Was he expecting Star Wars III level flipping and jumping around? I can't even tell what he wanted there.

All the supporting characters in the movie only made the whole package better, not take away from the main protagonist. The reinvented backstories are no more bothersome than the reimagining of Heath Ledger's Joker (come on, the guy could wash off his makeup for Christ's sake). And Batman not constantly being Batman successfully showed the character being more human than machine, with his breakdown, rediscovery in himself and ending being consistent to the story the director had in store, versus just being another terminator that can do no wrong.

By the end credits I felt they -had- successfully surpassed The Dark Knight with the weight of the plot, personal evolution of the characters and brought a satisfactory (if possibly temporary) end to the series. Everything done was consistent, exciting fantastically produced.

So far everything I've read or heard here to the contrary has only come off as unsupported whining. I expected far more from Bob.
 

gorfias

Unrealistic but happy
Legacy
May 13, 2009
7,082
1,849
118
Country
USA
Sai Marston said:
Everything Bane does is more intense than the Joker....
The plot of The Dark Knight is laughable when you place it anywhere near the smallest of candles. ....
Heath Ledger did an amazing job as the Joker, but due to his death and the time the movie has had to saturate popular opinion it feels that people have romanticized his role...
By the end credits I felt they -had- successfully surpassed The Dark Knight
DK is one of the most re-watchable movies of which I can think. Ledger is incredible in the role, so, Kudos. I agree with you in that you do have to suspend disbelief a lot more in DK than DKR. How hard would it be to get all that gas into a hospital in broad daylight?

But I thought it more fun than DKR. That isn't to write that any fan of Nolan's or Batman should miss this. Don't. It was fantastic. Something I thought Bob got wicked wrong though:

He hates that Catwoman gets a defeated Wayne to be Batman again, then Bane beats Batman, then Batman rises and that makes the 1st half worthless. WRONG! He is Batman again for the wrong reason at the beginning. He is doomed to fail and we just wait for it to happen and wonder if the failure we be spectacular. IT IS!!! His rebirth is hard and hard won. It is very worth watching.

I don't know if I'll watch DKR repeatedly as I did with DK, but I'll get the Bluray. It was not a half ass 3rd movie cash in. The stakes are higher and you buy them. But it is also the darkest, most oppressive of the 3 Nolan Batman. I don't think you can even compare it to Batman Begins so I won't try. Just see it.
 

CarlsonAndPeeters

New member
Mar 18, 2009
686
0
0
I agree with everything Movie Bob (particularly the structural issues) EXCEPT...

Anne Hathaway. I thought her performance was horrible. It was just Anne Hathaway being Anne Hathaway. At points she kind of hit the character, but mostly it didn't seem like she was acting at all, just reading the script. Pretty much every time she was on screen took me out of the movie. But Joseph Gordon-Levitt, bless his soul, was there to counter act her horribleness with his brilliance.
 

bojac6

New member
Oct 15, 2009
489
0
0
I often find myself wondering if Movie Bob and I saw the same movie, our takes are so different. But this time, I agree with him completely. He articulated everything I was thinking as I walked out of the theater.

There was so much wonderful stuff in this movie, it's a shame that it wasn't equal to the sum of it's parts. Characters, performances, the story were gold. But it really falls flat. Especially the fact that Batman is never BATMAN in this movie. He's a glorified helicopter pilot. But except for a montage (A MONTAGE!), he never does anything particularly Batmany.

Then there's the whole theme of the movie. This was so heavy handed in the first two, and yet just destroyed in this one. Was it about pain? Faith in humanity? Stuff? Any message they seem to be building to gets undercut and the climax is completely meaningless.

Sad.
 

SonOfVoorhees

New member
Aug 3, 2011
3,509
0
0
Bane is just not an interesting character to have in a Batman movie. I think the best villains are those that can fight Batman on a more mental level. After playing the Arkham Asylum/City games you make even the crazy characters more realistic and able to fit in the Nolan universe.
 

MattKirby

New member
Aug 6, 2008
127
0
0
I've read a lot of the posts and it seems like this might be turning into a pied piper routine. I love movie bob and his criticisms but as a film enthusiast/student/maker/actor I will say take what he says with a grain of salt. I personally didn't get any of what he was saying from it. I had a captivating experience even in a full cinema of douchebags. It's fantastic and it's scope just expands, I thought it was really good, I enjoyed it more than the second one and for me it never bogged down because all the threads of the movie tied together very nicely in my viewing. I think it's important to watch the movie as a viewer and not a critic because what good is criticism if you're just going to shit all over something that's not even bad.
 

Nfritzappa

New member
Apr 1, 2010
323
0
0
Oh look MovieBob is trying to be edgy and smart.

Too bad he's just coming off as hipster and overly-analytical.
Worse than Batman Begins? Please, it BUILDS off Batman Begins and is probably as good as the Dark Knight and in someways better. The only thing that really carried TDK was Heath Ledger's legendary performance. The movie was incredible and probably one of Nolan's best, definitely better than Inception.

Its grand, complex, and interesting. It makes you care about Gotham more than any other Batman film, and is a commentary on social norms and protest. The suspense is thrilling, the music is fantastic, this is a GREAT movie. It has very deep themes too, though to not spoil anything will leave that discussion for another time. It has a decent amount of surprise, and a thrilling climax with a good amount of fan service. After the tension cools, I think people will remember this trilogy quite fondly, probably more so than Lord of The Rings.
 

gorfias

Unrealistic but happy
Legacy
May 13, 2009
7,082
1,849
118
Country
USA
Nfritzappa said:
The only thing that really carried TDK was Heath Ledger's legendary performance. ... It makes you care about Gotham more than any other Batman film, and is a commentary on social norms and protest. The suspense is thrilling, the music is fantastic...I think people will remember this trilogy quite fondly, probably more so than Lord of The Rings.
I watch the 2 Batman movies a LOT more then my copies of Lords. Just a fantastic trilogy.

I do have to write that DK was, in its own right, a fantastic success. Ledger is terrific. The whole movie works for me.

Another quibble with Movie Bob:

He also thinks Bruce Wayne has not accomplished anything, come to no conclusions. I think he has. I think he realizes someone like Batman is necessary. He recognizes his own limitations and, well, you'll see what he does. More than ever in the series, he realizes Gotham needs a super hero.
 

Buizel91

Autobot
Aug 25, 2008
5,265
0
0
Milanezi said:
arc1991 said:
Oooh forgot to mention, we will see more Batman films, maybe not in this trilogy, but remember we have the Justice League Films coming in 2014/2015
I dread that soooooo much. Remember that Justice League "movie" that already exists? Look for it, it's so awful everyone should see it. It works kinda like a reality show (YES, you read it right), and I remember and overweight Flash in the most piss-poor imitation of costume discussing "Big Brother style" (the reality show) about how cool it is to be part of Justice League... So-Sad...
Obviously this Justice League would a big production and all but... I don't like the way it works in the comics already, plus the DC movie that really worked so far was Nolan's Batman, and I dare say Tim Burton's version was pretty fun, but that's all.
Well I didn't expect The Avengers to amount to anything good, and it was pretty entertaining, so I hope I'm wrong, on the other hand, I always expect some good out of the X-Men movies, and although they were all fun, they were also frustrating... Geez there's sooooo untaped potential for a good X-Men movie..
I didn't actually mind the Green Lanturn, but then again thats one of the only hero's i don;t know much about.

Unfortunatly it means we will see ANOTHER Superman film, we will see Wonderwomen no doubt and we will see The Flash (who i don't think as of yet has had his own film) And i saw it in my local CEX store, put it straight back down :')
 

Tumedus

New member
Jul 13, 2010
215
0
0
I haven't agreed with Bob on much lately, but this review is pretty spot on, imo.

I actually commented to my friends after the film that it felt like Joseph Gordon-Levitt was the main character. By contrast Mathew Modine's character was completely pointless and just served to needlessly pad the run time.

The "twist" will be obvious to anyone with even cursory knowledge of the Batman universe.

And, while I like the overall narrative, I feel it had to take some extra steps in order to avoid the Joker evolution of the last movie. That, I think, is a contributing factor to the 2 stories being mashed together.

I enjoyed it, but it wasn't amazing.
 

idodo35

New member
Jun 3, 2010
1,629
0
0
oh man i really really liked this one :) of course it can match expectations but in my opinion it was a great movie...
catwoman is done great, said twist caught me with my pants down (not literaly you pervs!) and i really liked the new bane...
and yes it feels like two movies (or at least two parts) smooshed into one but i can handle that...
oh and not enogh alfred!!! not nearly enogh!!!
 

endtherapture

New member
Nov 14, 2011
3,127
0
0
It was better than The Avengers.

I think I enjoyed it more than The Dark Knight, enough comic book stuff with enough gritty realism stuff.

An amazing film. I dont see how it can be worse than the cliched, rushed, popcorn fest that was The Avengers. This had substance and meaning. The Avengers was good for laughs and not much else.

I am in awe of this trilogy. It should be watched as a trilogy instead of one film.

Either way, it's brilliant, best ending to a trilogy ever.
 

JoesshittyOs

New member
Aug 10, 2011
1,965
0
0
MetalMagpie said:
JoesshittyOs said:
Bob. Stop it. I understand there is such thing as opinions, but when was the last time you reviewed a movie that managed to surpass your insane expectations?
The Avengers, Cabin in the Woods or Captain America?
Avengers, April release. Cabin in the Woods, April. Captain America, over a year ago. According to his reviews, at least half the movies that he's reviewed are monsterous piles of crap.
 

Dr. Dan Challis

New member
Sep 18, 2009
30
0
0
I find the criticisms of the structure and pacing extremely odd; despite its length Rises is easily the fastest moving of the trilogy, and the one with the strongest story arc. The construction of Rises' script has a definite edge over Dark Knight's, even if the end product isn't quite as good because it lacks...dead horse alert...a villain as flamboyant and entertaining as Heath Ledger's Joker. Dark Knight crescendos at the 90 minute mark and spends the second half of the film trying to regain the momentum it's lost. The material with Harvey and (especially) the ferries rigged to explode just isn't as compelling as the beginning with the Joker and the mob. Ledger pretty much carried the entire last hour of DK on his shoulders. That he pulled it off more than justified his Oscar win. Bane's plot, on the other hand, lends Rises a lot more narrative thrust and does a nice job of tying into plotlines established in Batman Begins in satisfying, if not unexpected, ways.
 

Stormz

New member
Jul 4, 2009
1,450
0
0
I thought the movie was really good overall but I have to say that the ending annoyed me.

keeping it open for a spinoff series. Which would probably suck because Nolan isn't coming back for another Batman movie and there's pretty no way that it could ever live up to the trilogy.
 

jaketaz

New member
Oct 11, 2010
240
0
0
Dr. Dan Challis said:
I find the criticisms of the structure and pacing extremely odd; despite its length Rises is easily the fastest moving of the trilogy, and the one with the strongest story arc. The construction of Rises' script has a definite edge over Dark Knight's, even if the end product isn't quite as good because it lacks...dead horse alert...a villain as flamboyant and entertaining as Heath Ledger's Joker. Dark Knight crescendos at the 90 minute mark and spends the second half of the film trying to regain the momentum it's lost. The material with Harvey and (especially) the ferries rigged to explode just isn't as compelling as the beginning with the Joker and the mob. Ledger pretty much carried the entire last hour of DK on his shoulders. That he pulled it off more than justified his Oscar win. Bane's plot, on the other hand, lends Rises a lot more narrative thrust and does a nice job of tying into plotlines established in Batman Begins in satisfying, if not unexpected, ways.
I agree. And it's not Nolan's job to satisfy all the desires of every Batman fan, it's his job to challenge us as viewers, if not to challenge his fellow filmmakers! I had tears in my eyes at the end, which rarely happens to me in a movie period, much less a superhero one.

And I'm going to tell you the truth: both times Batman fights Bane, it's fucking cool. There's nothing "underwhelming" about it as MovieBob said. I found the general tone of a lot of this review unappreciative and hypocritical. It seemed like he didn't appreciate Nolan's efforts to make a superhero movie that's actually important people beyond comic fans, and that will have an impact beyond its box-office draw. MovieBob also knocks this movie for not really being "about much of anything", even though he was fine with the much simpler message of The Avengers.

It is about something. It's about Batman saving Gotham, and that simplistic plot is done in the most heart-and-gut-wrenching manner that has ever been attempted by any filmmaker.