The Dark Knight Rises

I saw the movie opening day and I have been struggling with what I wanted to write about it.  I enjoyed the film, yet I was not blown away.  There were plenty of great parts to the movie, but also plenty of plot holes and things that did not make sense.

The Good
-As with any Christopher Nolan film, it looks fantastic.  He did a remarkable job of making me believe that Pittsburgh is Gotham City.

-Lack of origins.  Instead of spending the early part of the movie explaining where Bane came from or Catwoman’s origin, they just jump into the action and we are left to piece together their origins from things said throughout the movie.

-Anne Hathaway was fantastic as Catwoman.  Plus, she never actually called herself Catwoman (right?), which was a plus.  I was worried that her outfit would look idiotic (I thought it was pretty bad when I saw the first pictures), but it actually looked great and made sense.

-Alfred’s speech about not needing to be Batman anymore and admitting that he burned the letter from Rachel saying she chose Harvey.  It brought a tear to my eye.

-I enjoyed Joseph Gordon-Levitt and his story fit more into the Nolan Batman mythos than any sort of Robin actually would.  He figured out who Batman actually was (much in the way Timothy Drake did) and is a cop (Dick Grayson later became a cop).  At least they combined a little bit from the different Robin’s.

-The twist of Miranda Tate actually being Talia al Ghul.  Unfortunately, I had a strong feeling that she would turn out to be bad (when they signed Marion Cotillard, people kept saying she would play Talia).  However, if people did not know that, then I could see that being pretty shocking.  I honestly thought she would reveal herself when Bane kills Daggett. 

-The ending was fantastic.  I was devastated when the Bat exploded and we are left thinking that Batman died saving the city.  The slow reveal that he was still alive and now with Selina was great.  It was the best ending for Batman.  Also, I really wish they would continue this franchise (with a different director) with John Blake as a new Batman.

The Bad
-Why the hell did they decide to say it was eight years after the second movie?  Did Bruce stop being Batman right after that moment, or did he continue fighting for a few years?  When he went to the doctor, he was told he had no cartilage left in his knees and elbows.  Also, no one noticed that Batman stops being seen and Bruce Wayne becomes a recluse around the same time.

-Was Batman actually in the movie?  Most of the beginning, Bruce is working into becoming Batman again.  Then, he gets beat by Bane and spends a huge chunk of the movie getting into shape so he can make the leap out of the pit of despair.

-I had no idea what Bane was saying most of the time.  I know that was an issue with early screenings and from what I have heard it was not a problem for most people, so I have to assume that it was just the theater. 

-The power company would not shut off the power to Wayne Manor that quickly.  That part was absolutely ridiculous.  Also, wouldn’t Bruce Wayne retain his money (or at least his heir, maybe John Blake) since it would probably be pretty easy to prove that he was the victim of identity fraud? 

-The cops trapped underground for a few months.  They are perfectly healthy and ready to fight as soon as they break free.  Then, they fight the bad guys by running at them and having an ancient-style battle.  Charging guys with guns is never a good idea.

-The mask that Bane wears is supposed to help him deal with the pain from his injuries.  In the comics his mask pumps a super-steroid(Venom) into him, making him very strong.  So, how come when he is trying to punch Batman, he keeps busting through the concrete…very odd.

Other Stuff
-I really thought that Nolan might plug the new Superman movie somehow.  Either by having Bruce make a trip to Metropolis and be questioned by Clark Kent.  Or, when the Bat is out over the ocean, a blue/red blur streaks by and we see the bomb explode in space.  That would have been great (although maybe a bit confusing for some people), but probably not the message Nolan wanted to send about Batman.

-I am glad Cillian Murphy showed up again.  Just a shame that they did not even mention the Joker at all.  I get why, but whatever.

Comic Book Movie Grade:  A-

Author: Ngewo

3 thoughts on “The Dark Knight Rises

  1. It’s funny that I thought the same thing about the power company. Lose your money one day, and the next day, your power is shut off? Did they not pay the electic bill the past few months?

    I saw this comment elsewhere, but I’ll repeat it here. Why was Michael Caine’s speech (and the ending) so similar to Good Will Hunting?

    Finally, I’m sure that I’m alone on this one, but there were times when I thought Bane sounded like Seinfeld’s Kramer doing the Moviephone voice.

    1. YES! I think that was when they decided to try and make Bane more clear, he comes out as Kramer (or as Filmdrunk put it, he sounds like God is talking right into your head).

      I did not even think of Good Will Hunting, but I guess that they are kinda similar…

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