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Comments
TDK tries to go a lot further and whilst I wouldn't quite go as far to say it is bloated, it certainly seems to have so much going on that it has difficulty wrapping everything up successfully.
TDKR on the other hand is as bloated as the month old corpse of Marlon Brando.
I should watch it again sometime. I enjoyed TDK when I saw it, just never got around to watching again. I thought BB had a very noir feel as well.
Yes, indeed. Those first two feel like detective/cop films in the style of the 40s and 50s high on character conflict and gray morality that just so happen to have Batman in them. If there is any genre that should be influencing Batman it is noir, so I'm glad Nolan kept the feel of those films like that, with his own touches.
I never got to see the third film, but loved the old school look to the other two.
TDKR is the greatest departure, feeling less like a noir film and more like a disaster/post apocalyptic film set in Gotham. It has its strengths (I love it) but I always rank TDK and BB above it for what they are and what their influences in the genre are, quite naturally.
It's funny, but TDKR is my favourite of the three. I just love the way it's paced and Tom Hardy as Bane just nails it!
I find TDK runs out of steam towards the end. I find the Two-Face scenes tedious, the ferry scene with the detonator gets really boring after you've seen it a few times and I hated the ending.
Still, all three are great films nevertheless.
I'm actually in the opposite camp on that one. My favourite is BB and TDK close behind. I was severely disappointed with Rises upon first watch and it gets worse every time I see it, so I've decided not to watch it anymore in the hope that one day I'll decide to revisit it and it'll have aged well. The script was incredibly poor and the ending worse.
You're a fan of watching continental drift as well then?
Well I must be... :-S
The flow of the film just works for me. Certainly better than TDK which grind to an almighty halt when Two-Face showed up.
However, for a film that introduces Cat, Bane & Talia, and also completes the Bat's arc, I think the narrative is remarkably tight compared to other 'multiple villain' superhero films.
The first one probably has the tightest script and is the best in terms of characters, etc.
The Dark Knight though is the best film of the bunch imo. An ambitious, sprawling crime epic, full of amazing performances with what's probably with one of the best villain performances of all time. I came out of Batman Begins surprised at how much I enjoyed it, but I came out of this one blown away. I liked how grounded it felt (much less comic book than the first one) without feeling cheap and dull. It was really well shot, well written, well acted, just really well made in general. It was a great story and they told it brilliantly.
Rises is full of plot holes but people act like that means it's an awful film. It doesn't. The plot is a bit ropey but the script still works as a satisfying conclusion for the characters, there's another great villain (I love how rather than trying to top Ledger they went in a different direction), it ties things together nicely and in terms of sheer action and spectacle this one is the best. A blockbuster in every sense of the word. And it's still really well shot, scored, acted, etc. The weakest of the three but still way above most blockbusters nowadays.
I love how distinct all three feel too. The first one is very much a superhero film but it feels different to your run of the mill Avengers esque film. It's more mature, grounded, etc, and is brilliantly written, it's a dark/gritty reboot done right. the second is a crime thriller that takes that hero and pushes him to his limits, the third one is a big epic action adventure. But at the same time they all feel consistent, it isn't jarring (well, maybe aside from their refusal to even mention the Joker in the last one), and they're all brilliantly acted, shot, directed, with some great writing, iconic moments, and amazing stuntwork/practical effects.
I don't think any of the new ones will ever compare to this, as they just seem to determined to go down the Marvel CGI cash cow route now. Which is a shame because the Nolan trilogy was something really special. I know a lot of people like to call Nolan overrated, but I think he's the Spielberg of our time in terms of blockbuster, pop culture defining cinema. Can't wait for Dunkirk. I'm sure it'll be epic.
Anne Hathaway as Catwoman is a dream come true and the bittersweet ending is the best ending to any comic book film ever.
I watch BG and TDKR back to back often and never miss TDK.
I always found it more clumsy than bittersweet. I did like Hathaway for sure but she's no Michelle Pfeiffer.
And Gordon's final narration as he speeds off into the light? Come on.
*Goosebumps*
Agreed.
By comparison TDKR's ending with Alfred in the restaurant seems far too obvious and hackneyed.
Hackneyed and Obvious can be a good thing. I love that ending in the restaurant. Every second of it and it waters my eyes every time.
Convenience can be a good thing. Why does anything have to be awkward...
And Caine's acting in that restaurant scene alone makes it all worth while. Hell, I would watch that genius of an actor have a drink and read all day long.
And it all becomes clear why you love SP so much.
Zimmer's outstanding score closes it beautifully too.
Having said that, the TDK one was better, but I wouldn't have wanted the story to end on that sort of note.
The acting is great, but let's think about that ending for a bit.
Bruce drops out of the Bat, let's the bomb explode out in the sea, and effectively fakes his death. He steals his mother's pearls, high-tails it out of Gotham with Selina and then goes to the same cafe in Italy ever day until he spots Alfred? How does he know where Alfred is? Alfred mentioned Italy to him earlier, but who says that's where he'd go, and not back home to England first?
It's silly and sentimental and utterly convenient, and the ending of the film was clear the moment Alfred told Bruce he imagined himself in Italy at a cafe seeing him happy, so it's was far too telegraphed as a result and can take away the tension of Bruce taking out the bomb at the end.
I love the ending and the film, mind you, but it's impossible to argue that it isn't the most convenient thing in the trilogy.
I think that sums up why I walked out of TDKR with a half hearty shrug as opposed to fist pumping my way out of BB and being quite shellshocked (in a good way) coming out of TDK.
The first hour is great and sets everything up pretty nicely but then the film goes into autopilot right after the Sewer fight, and trundles towards an overly obvious last act and ends with a whimper - which says a lot considering how many bangs there were.
Once Miranda became Talia, Cotillard's performance went off a cliff and landed in shallow water. The ultimate treatment of Bane and his relationship with her really soured me. Hardy poured everything into making Bane such an immense physical presence and both the script and the sound designer screwed him over big time.
I'd be far more warm to the café scene if these elements were handled better but when you've lost faith in the story before it even gets to the poor final scene, it makes it much harder to be nice about it. I liked the idea of Bruce and Selina retiring together, but I don't think their relationship was given much room to breathe outside of the suits.
Anyway, I'm rambling so I'll stop now.
"Now is not the time for rambling. That comes later."
@CraigMooreOHMSS, I don't know if your use of that word in your critique was purposeful or not, but in light of the film we're talking about here, it's perfect.
No patch needed, @0Brady!
Signed
Wayne, Bruce