152 replies to this topic

[DarkJuno]

Spoiler

Well technically, Bruce Wayne is dead, he's just some guy in Italy with a woman who looks like the non-existant Selina Kyle.

I have to give the movie gigantic credit for pulling off the "Oh he's dead...but not!" cliche and have most of the audience actually be happy about it rather then groan about it being an ass pull. It was telegraphed early on, but it still came across pretty satisfyingly and as an acceptably happy ending for Batman, really only the second one I can think of that made sense whenever anyone's attempted the "End of Bruce Wayne" story idea (The other being old decrepit man Bruce Wayne in Batman Beyond dying alone but in peace because he knows Terry will continue the fight).

I was also absolutely and literally slapping myself in the face for not seeing the blindingly obvious Talia story point pop up - but was also suitably impressed by how it all made sense even to a mid-sized comic fan. The movies have done such a good job of establishing themselves as their own version of the story with no requirements to slavishly follow what came before that I bought Bane being Ra's Al Ghul's son, mostly since they used the bait of referencing Bane being born in prison and having to serve the sentence with his mother to throw me off the even more obvious plot point of him already having a kid who gladly follows his idealogy and having ethnic descent of the area the prison was in. Good show Nolan, you got me there.

As for Blake, I was annoyed at first but I liked that they just made Robin his actual real birth name rather then doing the obvious and having him be Dick Grayson or Time Drake - nice nod to the comics and a wink to the fans without shackling itself to what was before - also liked how they never said anything beyond him finding the cave, so he may well yet end up being Azrael rather then a new Batman or a Nightwing, or something new entirely. Speaking of which, it was nice to finally have the proper Batcave again, with decent technology without going full blown into stuff that's awesome but wouldn't make any sense here, i.e. giant penny or robot T-rex.

Like I said above, I was very amused by how my "I feel No Man's Land vibes" half joking comment ended up not being completely a joke after all, Granted, it was done in a completely different way but I liked how they used elements of Gotham being isolated and the federal government basically saying they wanted none of it. Oh, and the President of the United States was played by the guy who played by the guy who played the President in the Stargate franchise, so I expect internet whackjobs to start crazy theories now. I also liked Jonathan Crane's little cameo bit here a lot more then in Dark Knight, and it was nice to see the character again.

Really really good job with Catwoman as well. Just like Batman himself and the Joker from last time, I disagree with the "DEFINITIVE VERSION OF THE CHARACTER!!!!" hype, but nontheless still a very good interpretation of Ms, Kyle, and I liked how they took bits and pieces from things like Year One and even the old comcis where she was just an angry woman in a green dress and made it better.

Overall, yeah, pretty awesome movie. I think I still like the '89 movie and Returns as far as overall Batman movies, but this trilogy still ended up being awesome despite the really slow and uneven beginning to this movie. Then again, I also have a soft spot for the 60's movie so take that as you will.

Though now here's the question - people who used to enjoy the Adam West show shit on it when the Tim Burton movies came out and hailed that as the true Batman. SImilarly, people who lvoed those first two movies turned on it almost immediately once Begins and Dark Knight came out. So, what version of Batman will come out next and have people suddenly nitpick this trilogy apart?

Though personally I like all three versions just fine for their little quirks, I'm almost looking forward to it.




Oh, and sidenote: Man of Steel teaser. Eh...........intrigued, but also not sure what to think.

[Sir Deimos]

Spoiler

Crane's cameo was so perfect. The ragged suit he was wearing almost made me sad he kept the Scarecrow mask off. Almost.

[Crimson Lego]

Spoiler

Loved the movie on the whole, but there were a few things I noticed:

1. I thought that Bruce recovered way too quickly the first night he went back out; he went from no cartilage in his knees and some concussive thing in his head to taking down Bane's men.
2. Bane's speaking. Gah.
3. The fact that Batman's identity was kept secret; I think it would have made a bigger emotional impact if it was publicly known that he was Bruce Wayne.

All in all, great conclusion to the Dark Knight Trilogy.

[Oberon Storm]

I think the Letterman thing was just a joke.

[Green Goblin]

Right:

Spoiler

So, I liked the film overall. Very well done. Not as good as the Dark Knight, but really, what is? The acting was tremendous and honestly, I think Michael Caine deserves an oscar nod for his portrayal of Alfred in this film. Bruce doing the Howard Hughes thing was a bit odd, but understandable. While I liked the interpretation of Bane (honestly, better than I like him in the comics), I gotta give more credit to Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle. Just brilliant from start to finish. Loved the shady business deal thing with Bruce's fingerprints. Loved the use of the kidnapped congressman. She really eliminated all doubts I had of her in the role (at first, I was a little put off, with the 60's style catwoman suit). Glad I'm not the only one who got the "No Man's Land" vibes from the early trailers (the bridges being blown kinda made it obvious). Glad I wasn't the only one to figure out the Talia Al'Ghul thing either (I commented to my friend halfway through the film saying that that would be just AWESOME. Turns out I was right. Look at that.) And I'm glad that it really is an end to Nolan's Batman universe. The only thing that really made me cringe was the Robin thing. I can get past Robin as a whole, but would it have KILLED you to call him something a bit less on-the-nose. I was honestly thinking his birth name would be like Tim Drake. That I could see as forgivable (Tim actually did discover Batman's identity on his own). But Robin John Drake? Really? Ahh, well. The film itself was a great sendoff. I'll still recommend it, but it's just got a few more flaws than the previous two.

[Selena]

Yeah, if they gave Catwoman her own movie, then I'd be all o...


oh.



oh, I made myself sad.

[DarkJuno]

Here.

Even with the shameless fanservice it's still more respectable then the actual movie.

[SteveT]

Oh my, yes. It's a shame they discontinued DC Showcase. The Jonah Hex one similarly put the movie to shame.

Though now here's the question - people who used to enjoy the Adam West show shit on it when the Tim Burton movies came out and hailed that as the true Batman. SImilarly, people who lvoed those first two movies turned on it almost immediately once Begins and Dark Knight came out. So, what version of Batman will come out next and have people suddenly nitpick this trilogy apart?

Well, people crap on the 60s and Burton films because that's how latrines work. But point well taken. Ultimately, the Nolan films take so many liberties with characters and the mythos in order to fit them into a somewhat more plausible framework that eventually, when a movie comes along that is closer to the comics, the Dark Knight trilogy may take some flak. The Nolan films were good adaptations, but still come up lacking for purists. They're generally forgiven because they're still the best live-action Batman movies we've got, and the departures taken helped get the mainstream onboard.

We still haven't had a live-action Batman that really represents the comics. The 60s show was a parody, Tim Burton's films were dripping with disdain for the source material, and Schumacher was just cashing in. Nolan kept the core qualities, and took his inspiration directly from various graphic novels, but it was still a very revisionist take that focused on his vision of a Neitzian uberman in today's world. Now that the mainstream is willing to take Batman seriously, perhaps a director will be willing to dial back the "realism" and stay closer to the source material.

[TheAvengerLever]

I still like all the Bat incarnations equally. Though as far as favorite story lines go, Arkham City had me pretty wowed. But perhaps TDKR can beat AC as my favorite Batman story.

[arunma]

Spoiler

Loved the movie on the whole, but there were a few things I noticed:

1. I thought that Bruce recovered way too quickly the first night he went back out; he went from no cartilage in his knees and some concussive thing in his head to taking down Bane's men.
2. Bane's speaking. Gah.
3. The fact that Batman's identity was kept secret; I think it would have made a bigger emotional impact if it was publicly known that he was Bruce Wayne.

All in all, great conclusion to the Dark Knight Trilogy.

Well, just some thoughts here...

1.) I think the implication is that Bruce Wayne faked his maladies. Going from walking with a cane to rapelling off the hospital wall shows that his leg injury was just a cover. And I'm guessing he faked the medical records too, since we'd otherwise have to believe that he grew cartilage in the few seconds between the doctor giving him the news and him jumping out of the window.

2.) Yeah...I'd agree with that one. Bane's speech shouldn't have sucked so much.

3.) Actually I think this was an intended theme of the movie. As Bruce said, the idea is that Batman could be anyone. If he revealed his identity, then the symbolic power of Batman would be lost, since he'd be tied down to a specific person. Better to have Batman remain a symbol, right?

[Veteran]

I'm seeing this on Wednesday. Oh god it's all I can do not to click all these spoiler tags!!!

[Sir Turtlelot]

Literally just got back from seeing it. Thoughts:

Spoiler

First of all, HOLY SHIT PLOT TWISTS.

Despite being one of the most predicted villains of this movie, I did not see Talia showing up. They implied the child being Bane so much that I bought it, even knowing that he was not Ra's son. I assumed that they were just changing canon to fit the movie, something not too uncommon in comic book movies.

I only had a few complaints about the movie.

-As Lena already mentioned, the first part of the movie was really slow, and a bit hard to get into. I didn't really start actually getting into to it until Bruce came back to Gotham.
-I was a bit disappointed that there was not even one reference or mention of the Joker in this movie at all. I was by no means expecting to see him, but I was hoping for someone to at least say something about him and what he did to Gotham.
-I still have mixed feelings about the ending. It saddens me a bit, because I know the series is done, even though it still had great amounts of potential, even without the Joker. I did like how they handled Batman's "death", though I'm not sure about the whole Robin thing. Tsume is hoping for a Nightwing sequel, but I feel it would be a cheap spinoff to the series.

Overall, I loved the movie, it had far better connections with Begins than TDK did, but TDK is still my favorite of the series.

Edited by Baron Turtlelot, 22 July 2012 - 06:50 PM.

[Crimson Lego]

Spoiler

Loved the movie on the whole, but there were a few things I noticed:

1. I thought that Bruce recovered way too quickly the first night he went back out; he went from no cartilage in his knees and some concussive thing in his head to taking down Bane's men.
2. Bane's speaking. Gah.
3. The fact that Batman's identity was kept secret; I think it would have made a bigger emotional impact if it was publicly known that he was Bruce Wayne.

All in all, great conclusion to the Dark Knight Trilogy.

Well, just some thoughts here...

1.) I think the implication is that Bruce Wayne faked his maladies. Going from walking with a cane to rapelling off the hospital wall shows that his leg injury was just a cover. And I'm guessing he faked the medical records too, since we'd otherwise have to believe that he grew cartilage in the few seconds between the doctor giving him the news and him jumping out of the window.

2.) Yeah...I'd agree with that one. Bane's speech shouldn't have sucked so much.

3.) Actually I think this was an intended theme of the movie. As Bruce said, the idea is that Batman could be anyone. If he revealed his identity, then the symbolic power of Batman would be lost, since he'd be tied down to a specific person. Better to have Batman remain a symbol, right?

Spoiler

1. I suppose that makes sense.
3. I also agree with this, I just hate it how he didn't get recognition for anything he did. To the rest of Gotham, Bruce Wayne was just a casualty of the uprising and the riots afterwards.

Also, does anyone else think that the ending was a bit ambiguous? Like, maybe Batman did let the autopilot take the bomb over the bay, and that Alfred actually did see him and Catwoman in Florida?

[Sir Deimos]

Spoiler

Leo. It was Italy. And that's exactly what happened. Bruce did fix the autopilot. And survive. And I can't believe I am explaining this to you. XD

[DarkJuno]

Spoiler

Not to make fun, but....Florida? Really?

[Selena]

Spoiler

And technically, even if he didn't have the autopilot working, just about every aircraft made in the last century has a "trim" setting that prevents the nose from diving if you take your hands off the controls. Which would give Bruce a chance to bail out safely and just let the thing fly. [/friendlypilotadvice]

As for Bruce not getting recognition, he never wanted recognition. Recognition is merely a boost to someone's own ego. It also allows, erm, "Robin" to take over Batman's role seamlessly.

I'm not overly bothered by the inclusion of "Robin." I'm just glad they did their own thing with it rather than stick close to the Grayson backstory. You have to remember that everyone knows the name Robin, but only comic die-hards know of Tim Drake and Azrael and all the others.

That said, I hope they don't do anymore Batman movies for another decade or so. There's been a lot of them, and it's time to hang up the cowl for a while.

[Sir Deimos]

They're already planning the reboot. You'll see a new Batman sooner than you think. DC wants to rush this Justice League thing.

[Ikiosho]

I'm seeing this on Wednesday. Oh god it's all I can do not to click all these spoiler tags!!!

Right, me too. Fffffuuuuuck this thread right now.

[JRPomazon]

Spoiler

Jim Gordon's eulogy for Bruce Wayne is from Tale of Two Cities. Can anyone help me figure out which part?

[Reflectionist]

Spoiler

Jim Gordon's eulogy for Bruce Wayne is from Tale of Two Cities. Can anyone help me figure out which part?

Spoiler

I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy.
I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence.
It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.

[Sir Deimos]

No shit. He means where abouts in the book. XD

[Reflectionist]

Yeah... give a shit's on E.

[Crimson Lego]

Spoiler

Leo. It was Italy. And that's exactly what happened. Bruce did fix the autopilot. And survive. And I can't believe I am explaining this to you. XD

Spoiler

Not to make fun, but....Florida? Really?

Spoiler

Well, it sounded like he said Florida near the beginning. XD Realized it at school today when talking about it with some friends, their thoughts were along the lines of what 'wtf you talking about boy'.

Ending makes more sense now.

EDIT: Tom Hardy has a ridiculous tan line from wearing that mask. o_o

Edited by Young Leo, 23 July 2012 - 04:08 PM.

[Sir Deimos]

... Bahahahaha. XD Poor Tom.

[Crimson Lego]

Hopefully they'll start selling replicas at Walmart or something; it would be an awesome Halloween costume.

Spoiler

Forgot to mention this but I also love how Bane engineered the bombs all around Gotham and under Wayne Enterprises R&D to get the Tumblers. He is genius; definitely another one of my favourite parts.

Edited by Young Leo, 23 July 2012 - 04:26 PM.

[Sir Deimos]

That pic of Hardy is fake. I just saw the real one. Too lazy to post.

[Crimson Lego]

Is the tan as bad as it was in the other one?

[DarkJuno]

Hopefully they'll start selling replicas at Walmart or something; it would be an awesome Halloween costume.

Bam.

Also comes for little kids.

There are better ones out there, but that's the basic Halloween costume.

Spoiler

Kinda funny how despite being a lot more respectable and mastermind-ish here, Bane still ended up being someone else's minion again.

[JRPomazon]

No shit. He means where abouts in the book. XD

Yeah... give a shit's on E.

No matter, Rephe delivered on the text itself. That's even better. All I need to do is have myself a google search binge.

Thank you for helping.

Hopefully they'll start selling replicas at Walmart or something; it would be an awesome Halloween costume.

Bam.

Also comes for little kids.

There are better ones out there, but that's the basic Halloween costume.

Spoiler

Kinda funny how despite being a lot more respectable and mastermind-ish here, Bane still ended up being someone else's minion again.

Funny story. Have a friend who makes costume masks and props. He spent the last few months making his Bane costume. Made his mask from scratch.

Edited by JRPomazon, 23 July 2012 - 10:20 PM.

[Reflectionist]

No shit. He means where abouts in the book. XD

Yeah... give a shit's on E.

No matter, Rephe delivered on the text itself. That's even better. All I need to do is have myself a google search binge.

Thank you for helping.

Not a problem.