The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

[gasteropod]

So am I the only one to have seen this?

I've been to see it twice and think it's the best Batman film, 5/5.

[luckystars]

I don't agree it tops the 89 Batman (underrated as a modern masterpiece IMO)

However it's a superb film and it takes EVERYTHING upto 11!

8.5/10 from me

And I'd love to see it again in the cinema. Tom Hardy (not exclusively) was great in this

[Xenon]

So am I the only one to have seen this?

Nope. Loved the movie. Seen it yesterday and I give it a perfect score. Will be waiting for BD release of the whole trilogy as video quality in our local cinemas isn't satisfying.

[HungFist]

saw it the other week in IMAX, just wanted to revisit the previous two and finish my mini reviews on those before posting. Not as good as The Dark Knight, but still very good, beats Batman Begins hands down.

[Yi-Long]

saw it the other week in IMAX, just wanted to revisit the previous two and finish my mini reviews on those before posting. Not as good as The Dark Knight, but still very good, beats Batman Begins hands down.

In think Hussein said it best: Batman Begins sadly goes down in quality once Batman appears in the movie, with the ending with Ra's being pretty disappointing.

It's certainly not a bad movie (pretty good actually), but the best part is when it's all about BECOMING Batman. Also, I'm not a big fan of some of the casting (Bale as Batman, Holmes is just annoying, and Liam Neeson as Ra's is ridiculous.

I haven't watched TDKR yet. TBH I don't go to the cinema that much anymore. I really don't value the experience much, compared to watching at home on my own terms, and much cheaper.

[Markgway]

I just can't face sitting thru another 165m of Batman in a darkened cinema.

I'll check it out when it comes out on disc.

For my money the best Batman film to date is probably Batman Begins... but my favourite is Batman Returns.

[saltysam]

i should say really disappointing but as the whole trilogy is fairly underwhelming (and i'm the biggest batman fan on earth) it was probably no better or worse than i expected.possibly the most over hyped trilogy of movies in modern times.Tom Hardy with a voice like Gandalf? wrong movie mate.

[saltysam]

So am I the only one to have seen this?

I've been to see it twice and think it's the best Batman film, 5/5.

The Adam West Batman was better than this.at least it was fun.

[HungFist]

saw it the other week in IMAX, just wanted to revisit the previous two and finish my mini reviews on those before posting. Not as good as The Dark Knight, but still very good, beats Batman Begins hands down.

In think Hussein said it best: Batman Begins sadly goes down in quality once Batman appears in the movie, with the ending with Ra's being pretty disappointing.

It's certainly not a bad movie (pretty good actually), but the best part is when it's all about BECOMING Batman.

That's my words exactly. It's an interesting film for the 1st half, but the actual plot and action is just boring. I found myself checking the watch more than once during the last hour. Holmes aside I liked the cast very much, though.

Actually, in each of the three films Batman is the least interesting character and the worst scenes tend to be those showing Batman in action.

[gasteropod]

The Adam West Batman was better than this.at least it was fun.

Most people I know have been to see it twice, I last accompanied my mum and she thought it was 'absolutely amazing' and wouldn't stop going on about it afterwards, and she wants to go see it again.

[gasteropod]

and the worst scenes tend to be those showing Batman in action.

The fighting in The Dark Knight Rises is incredible, the sewer fight blows me away.

[HungFist]

Batman Begins (USA, 2005) – 3/5
Nolan’s initially over-rated film has further lost bite due to the excellent follow ups. It does have its share of strengths – an interesting back story, excellent casting, and several small touches such as the bat mobile design – but the main plot is instantly forgettable, as are almost all action scenes. This is much more of a traditional superhero formula given a solid, serious handling – something that was to be appreciated at the time of its release, but it’s a far cry from the fascinating realism and political approach that Nolan brought to the later films. It’s most describing to see how Gotham is portrayed: in Batman Begins it’s a fictional, futuristic metropolis; in The Dark Knight Rises it’s clearly (and intended as) the present day New York.

The Dark Knight (USA, 2008) – 4.5/5
The 2nd film is where Nolan finds his personal style – and is allowed to go incredibly far with it. With Michael Mann’s masterpiece Heat serving as inspiration it’s much more of a character driven crime thriller than a superhero movie. The few weaknesses are exactly the segments involving more typical comic book actions and fantasy vehicles in an otherwise very dark, violent and (relatively) realistic movie. The IMAX shot action scenes, often with minimal score, are especially dynamic, somewhat resembling James Cameron’s late 80’s / early 90’s work, and Heath Ledger is amazing as the Joker – a psychopath who cannot be reasoned with and who follows no plan or ideology except anarchy.

The Dark Knight Rises (USA, 2012) (IMAX) - 4/5
Nolan’s hugely ambitious, but somewhat uneven conclusion to the trilogy. Like its predecessor, the film is at least as much a (political) crime thriller as it is a superhero movie – and works far better in the former category. The impressively depicted fall of New York ("Gotham") into the hands of terrorist of Bane (brilliant Tom Hardy) and terrific acting from most of the leads keep the near 3 hour film feeling shorter than its length. It all culminates in very effective, massive action scenes that emphasize a certain level of realism over excessive CGI and fast cuts. With nearly half of the film shot in IMAX, the 250 million dollar budget truly shows on screen. But the story conclusion is a major disappointment, stealing much of the ground from the Bane character and underutilizing the psychological possibilities. It is as if Nolan, after 2½ hours of thought provoking political action thriller, decided to back down and revert to typical superhero movie.

Side note 1: looks amazing in IMAX, the rating might be ½ stars lower if seen in 35mm.
Side note 2: while not as dumb as expected, the character of Selina Kyle (Catwoman) is utterly unnecessary.
Side note 3: I don’t quite see the point in two different aspect ratios when nearly half of the film is in IMAX. Why not just stick to the IMAX ratio throughout?
Side note 3: watching the film in the late screening in a theater where there was not a single child or teenager (or adult acting like one) present was a bliss.
Side note 5: maybe I should’ve just written a full review...

[Markgway]

It’s most describing to see how Gotham is portrayed: in Batman Begins it’s a fictional, futuristic metropolis; in The Dark Knight Rises it’s clearly (and intended as) the present day New York.

Talk about lack of coherency... Nolan should've just chosen a vision of Gotham and stuck to it. I accept that BEGINS has its share of flaws, but for me the origins story is far more interesting and satisfying dramatically. KNIGHT is bloated, muddled, pretentious, joyless, and self-important. And I did watch it twice to make sure.

Side note 3: I don’t quite see the point in two different aspect ratios when nearly half of the film is in IMAX. Why not just stick to the IMAX ratio throughout?

That wouldn't work because the other half of the film was shot in Panavision and would have to be severly cropped to fit a 1.44:1 ratio. I can't imagine how you could safely compose for 1.44 in Panavision without a switch. It's not a problem the other way around though as the DP obviously would've allowed for substanical height cropping when shooting IMAX sequences.

I wouldn't worry... most people don't even get to see IMAX films in proper 70mm IMAX:

http://www.slashfilm.com/qa-imax-theatr ... ax-liemax/

[HungFist]

It’s most describing to see how Gotham is portrayed: in Batman Begins it’s a fictional, futuristic metropolis; in The Dark Knight Rises it’s clearly (and intended as) the present day New York.

Talk about lack of coherency... Nolan should've just chosen a vision of Gotham and stuck to it.

They way I see it, Nolan got more freedom and a better vision by each film. In the first film Gotham is something out of the comic books - and instantly forgettable. In the second film Chicago is already used very well as setting, giving the film a more realistic feel. In Rises, which is essentially a political action thriller set in the real world, New York is utilized so well it makes the whole film stand out. I can't really blame him for greatly improving with every film, and it's not really inconsistency in portraying Gotham when in Rises there basically is no such thing as Gotham (even if the context requires them to officially call it Gotham, everyone knows it's intended to be seen as New York).

The wording in the original quote was slightly misleading, sorry.

And I did watch it twice to make sure.

And I did watch it thrice to make sure

Side note 3: I don’t quite see the point in two different aspect ratios when nearly half of the film is in IMAX. Why not just stick to the IMAX ratio throughout?

That wouldn't work because the other half of the film was shot in Panavision and would have to be severly cropped to fit a 1.44:1 ratio. I can't imagine how you could safely compose for 1.44 in Panavision without a switch. It's not a problem the other way around though as the DP obviously would've allowed for substanical height cropping when shooting IMAX sequences.

I still don't see why you couldn't manage it. By common logic you should be able to stick pieces of tape on both sides of the display and the cinematographer will see a 1:44 image (or any chosen aspect ratio) even though the camera is still recording in 2.40:1. Should make cropping easy.

I wouldn't worry... most people don't even get to see IMAX films in proper 70mm IMAX:

http://www.slashfilm.com/qa-imax-theatr ... ax-liemax/

Interesting article, thanks

[gasteropod]

Talk about lack of coherency... Nolan should've just chosen a vision of Gotham and stuck to it.

I originally thought that, but when I recently re-watched Batman Begins I realised it's because each film takes place in a different PART of Gotham, Begins is in 'The Narrows' for instance.

[luckystars]

Great reviews Hung. Good to see someone who appreciates the avant garde, can also see the merit in terrific mainstream cinema too

Dark Knight Rises is 'up there' in my all time great cinema experiences. Truly stunning in IMAX. I'm with you on films coming accross better in this format then losing something later on, Tron Legacy was one that didn't work nearly as well for me viewing at home! I think Rises had more than enough dramatic weight that I can't wait to see it again. Note I actually liked inception even more on consecutive viewings (different I know, but still...Nolan is a 'master of conema' in lowercase).

The fights were indeed great. Bane towards the end of the film was hitting like a heavyweight boxer and it actually had me wincing in my seat!!



What cinema should be all about. A great year

[gasteropod]

The fights were indeed great. Bane towards the end of the film was hitting like a heavyweight boxer and it actually had me wincing in my seat!!

Yeah I love it when he goes berserk and punches through a wall due to Batman repeatedly punching his mask

[luckystars]

The fights were indeed great. Bane towards the end of the film was hitting like a heavyweight boxer and it actually had me wincing in my seat!!

Yeah I love it when he goes berserk and punches through a wall due to Batman repeatedly punching his mask

OH SHIT I NEED TO GO AGAIN

[gasteropod]

OH SHIT I NEED TO GO AGAIN

Ditto, I'm off for a third time once my dad is ready to go. I've had to turn down loads of people so I don't overdo it lolz.

[bradavon]

It's wicked, probably taking to long to get going but not that's a minor complaint. The Dark Knight is my fave of the trilogy. Bane is ace, The Joker is better.

I'd have preferred to have seen it in IMAX but that option is now 1.5 hours away, whilst I am "spoilt" for choice of 3D compatible screens .

The Dark Knight Rises (USA, 2012) (IMAX) - 4/5
But the story conclusion is a major disappointment

I wouldn't go that far but it was a cop out to the character arc of Bane they'd spent nearly 3 hours creating.

How the fuck did he die? Did he even die? Given how strong Bane is, that wouldn't have finished him off. Bruce Wayne does also manage to heal himself pretty darn quick, despite "cartilage in his knees being non-existent".

Side note 2: while not as dumb as expected, the character of Selina Kyle (Catwoman) is utterly unnecessary.

A nice touch and I was dead pleased to see her character based in reality, than the fantasy back story created in all movie Catwoman portrayals of old, but basically unnecessary.

I don't agree it tops the 89 Batman (underrated as a modern masterpiece IMO)

Batman 1989 is a masterpiece? Jeesh that word gets overused.

Some of these I agree with, some can be chalked up as "suspension of disbelief" - http://www.slashfilm.com/15-bothered-th ... ght-rises/

[luckystars]

Batman 89 is a modern masterpiece. There, I said it again.

Its aged well, go back and revisit it


Ps I try not to read those '25 things that bothered us about...' type lists. On good films they are aways something you can explain in the context of the story

[gasteropod]

How the fuck did he die? Did he even die? Given how strong Bane is, that wouldn't have finished him off.

Yeah it would, it sounded like an explosive round or something, shot him straight through the building! His body armour would no way have protected him from that.

[luckystars]

Jesus Brad, did u zone out when Bane got shot all the way accross the lobby into a stone wall?

[gasteropod]

[Killer Meteor]

Batman 89 is a modern masterpiece. There, I said it again.

Its aged well, go back and revisit it


Ps I try not to read those '25 things that bothered us about...' type lists. On good films they are aways something you can explain in the context of the story

The 1989 film is one of the most important films in my life.