[SPOILERS] The Dark Knight Rises (1.0)

IMAX records are now being smashed by TDKR - http://www.filmnav.co.uk/2012/07/20/batman-smashes-imax-ticket-sales-records/

Horrible news out of Colorado. A gunman opened fire at a midnight screening of the film, killing 12 and injuring 38 more.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/20/us/colorado-theater-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Absolutely barbaric. What a nightmare.

Fucking psychos.

Saw it at the midnight show. Loved the movie in general, especially the way it took specific storylines from the comics (Dark Knight Returns, Knightfall, No Man's Land) and used them recognizably but changed specific details enough to keep things surprising. Didn't really like the ending though, I found it a little corny for my tastes. That said, Hardy was awesome as Bane and Hathaway sets a new standard for being the sexiest thing in motion as Catwoman. Enjoyed myself. Better than BEGINS but not as good as DARK KNIGHT. I think its funny that it's being called anti-Conservative when the fact of the matter is that the socialist revolutionary and the do-gooder environmentalist are the VILLAINS of the piece.

1. BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM (1993, animated)
2. THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)
3. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012)
4. BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD (2010, animated)
5. BATMAN: YEAR ONE (2011, animated)
6. BATMAN BEGINS (2005)
7. BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER (2000, animated)
8. BATMAN (1989)
9. BATMAN (1966)
10. BATMAN RETURNS (1992)
11. BATMAN/MR. FREEZE: SUB-ZERO (1998, animated)
12. BATMAN: MYSTERY OF THE BATWOMAN (2003, animated)
13. BATMAN FOREVER (1995)
14. BATMAN VS. DRACULA (2005, animated)
15. BATMAN & ROBIN (2007)

Real tragedy about what happened in Colorado. And in an election year too, so we'll never hear the end of it. News pundits will spend all their time blaming it on the movie and violence on TV and so forth, when it has nothing to do with Batman or filmmaking and everything to do with a crazed ex-med student who decided a packed movie theatre was a perfect spot to embark on some violence. A tragedy and a shame.

I enjoyed THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, but I also enjoyed BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is by far the messiest of the three films--Nolan says the original script was 400 pages, and the final film feels like it has too much going on--but it is also often the most engaging of the three films, just because of the material that the story is built on. I won't be surprised if, in the future, this is the Nolan Batman film I return to the most. It's the most fun.

As far as regarding this as part of a series, this conclusion doesn't quite satisfactorily resolve everything about the previous films. It never successfully answers the "Is Gotham worth saving?" question that has lingered over both the preceding films. There is so little time spent with the regular people of Gotham in the wake of Bane's "revolution" that we never really get a sense for the soul of the city. Had Nolan intentionally wished to leave some ambiguity here, that would be fine, but THE DARK KNIGHT RISES seems like it strives less to establish a tension here than it is actually thoughtless.

Maybe Nolan finally realised that the acting of the 'real people' in THE DARK KNIGHT was sh**e (citizens at Dent's speech, folks on the ferries etc.), and their dialogue even worse.

Deadline Hollywood is reporting projections of an $80-85 million Friday and a $180-$200 million weekend. Warner is staying silent about RISES's grosses, as they should. No reason to thump their chest about how profitable their movie was in light of what happened in Denver.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

1. BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM (1993, animated)
2. THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)
3. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012)
4. BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD (2010, animated)
5. BATMAN: YEAR ONE (2011, animated)
6. BATMAN BEGINS (2005)
7. BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER (2000, animated)
8. BATMAN (1989)
9. BATMAN (1966)
10. BATMAN RETURNS (1992)
11. BATMAN/MR. FREEZE: SUB-ZERO (1998, animated)
12. BATMAN: MYSTERY OF THE BATWOMAN (2003, animated)
13. BATMAN FOREVER (1995)
14. BATMAN VS. DRACULA (2005, animated)
15. BATMAN & ROBIN (2007)

Thanks for this list FB. You are a true Batman scholar. It's very helpful, in that it provides for a list of worthy entries, beyond the 7 blockbusters films that have been released since 1989. For us Batman fans that might want to step outside the big budget cinema fare.

My favourite is #9 on your list, and the tv series that spawned it. :)

I'd give The Animated Series a shot if you haven't already. Easily the best thing Batman related in the cinema or on television.

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

Okay, the short version:

Spoiler:

Why I think this is a problem:

Spoiler:

Thanks, that's good info. The story will be a lot easier to follow when I get around to seeing the film.

btw I'm with the Bruce Wayne is Batman, and only Bruce Wayne is Batman, crowd. It has only ever been thus, has it not?

So much to address. I'll wait.

I did like it. It felt looser than TDK. I liked the dialogue more. Hathaway was very good as Catwoman, though I'd say Talia is sexier. Maybe that's a flaw... that Catwoman isn't the sexiest one in the movie? Of course, it's my opinion.

I gotta say, I felt like Batman in his final flight on my way to the men's room after the movie was over. Had to pee.

Tubes wrote:

I'd give The Animated Series a shot if you haven't already. Easily the best thing Batman related in the cinema or on television.

Thanks, the Red Hood title has been screaming buy-me for a while now.

tiffanywint wrote:

Thanks, that's good info. The story will be a lot easier to follow when I get around to seeing the film.

btw I'm with the Bruce Wayne is Batman, and only Bruce Wayne is Batman, crowd. It has only ever been thus, has it not?

This is probably the first film I can think of where spoilers would actually help a person follow the storyline better than not having them at all. The movie is complicated, but never let it be said that Nolan cheats the audience or is cheap with them. In an era where we all complain that so many movies don't have enough plot this film probably has too much plot. They could have done like Harry Potter or Twilight and broke the last film into two parts.

I will also say that basically every rumor I ever read about TDKR, except for one, was true. Marion Cottiliard was Talia Al-Ghul, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Robin, LIam Neeson does return, Bruce Wayne assumes a new life in Europe, etc...which is why I continue to believe that Silva will be Blofeld in SKYFALL.

I'm also not entirely sure that Nolan is as done with the series as he says he is. The movie hands Warner Brothers a very accessible path to continue making these movies without having to start from scratch. Joseph Gordon-Levitt will do just fine as Batman or Nightwing, and I suspect Christian Bale could even be coaxed back into the series in a supporting role. There's plenty of storyline and villains to be mined from the series without having to start all over, which I would totally not support. There's continuity here with JGL; Nolan has essentially given him and WB the keys to the car, and I'd like to see what they can do with it.

Harmsway wrote:

I enjoyed THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, but I also enjoyed BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is by far the messiest of the three films--Nolan says the original script was 400 pages, and the final film feels like it has too much going on--but it is also often the most engaging of the three films, just because of the material that the story is built on. I won't be surprised if, in the future, this is the Nolan Batman film I return to the most. It's the most fun.

As far as regarding this as part of a series, this conclusion doesn't quite satisfactorily resolve everything about the previous films. It never successfully answers the "Is Gotham worth saving?" question that has lingered over both the preceding films. There is so little time spent with the regular people of Gotham in the wake of Bane's "revolution" that we never really get a sense for the soul of the city. Had Nolan intentionally wished to leave some ambiguity here, that would be fine, but THE DARK KNIGHT RISES seems like it strives less to establish a tension here than it is actually thoughtless.

Yeah, I wanted to see the real weight of Bane's takeover. As for "Is Gotham worth saving?", the real problem for me is that I don't think these films ever presented a city that all that bad. I want to see a world that needs Batman, but Gotham seems to me to be like any other big city. Of course, I don't think mass murder and destruction is the answer to anything, so it could never be a question of "Is Gotham worth saving?" to me. I'd approach it as asking whether or not it's worth Bruce Wayne essentially sacfricing his life. Is it worth one person giving up their life to be Batman?

Spoilers from here on out. I'd say they're free game now. I think sending Blake to the Batcave at the end is... I guess Wayne is presenting Blake with a choice of whether or not to pick up the mantle, but it would have been nice for Blake to really have an understanding of what is involved. I mean, this kid hasn't had the training that Wayne had, and he may not truly know the commitment. So he may suit up and get killed.

Gravity's Silhouette wrote:

This is probably the first film I can think of where spoilers would actually help a person follow the storyline better than not having them at all. The movie is complicated, but never let it be said that Nolan cheats the audience or is cheap with them. In an era where we all complain that so many movies don't have enough plot this film probably has too much plot. They could have done like Harry Potter or Twilight and broke the last film into two parts.

I didn't think it was that complicated.

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