So, here we have another super-hero movie review. Despite what many of you thought was Expert’s rant and my review posted later, truth is, the Amazing Spider-Man Review was all mine, and Expert truly wrote his a few days later.
GET OVER IT.
Along comes Batman, the only block buster film left to arrive this summer, and even with the tragic events that took place in Aurora, Colorado, in time, will be able to distance itself from those events.
Simply put, this was a drama film with some action in it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a quality film and will probably be used as the standard for ending a trilogy for super heroes.
But here’s where the movie failed. It’s too long, and it didn’t need to be. Christopher Nolan (The Director) is our new Steven Spielberg. He’s an excellent story teller and knows his craft well. But, because of the success of Inception and The Dark Knight, he was given complete control over how to tell the story.
At least with this movie, we don’t have to see how Batman uses his powers, we all know that already. But, we do have to go through the very slow and excruciating period of time for Bruce to truly “understand” what others have gone through. We really didn’t need a lot of scenes to see him mentally overcome some obstacles.
Another failing point for me was using the villain Bane. They establish him as a physically gifted thug who has some kind of master plan to implement. The mask he wore made some of the dialogue hard to understand during action scenes, which was a bit of a put-off. I’m not going to reveal any spoilers here, but they way we learn of his past and his role in the film just left me with a feeling of “Is that it?”
The idea of how Bane’s plan worked and remained intact is what you expect from this type of film, and we spend a lot of time learning about a young “hot shot” cop who does right. I have to admit that I liked that story arc. Having Catwoman in the movie makes sense, as you could almost guess the ending at about 10 minutes into the film, when Alfred is speaking to a certain point.
I know there are many who will say that this will never live up to The Dark Knight, mostly due to Heath Ledger’s selfish death. It’s human nature to give more praise to the dead as a sign of respect instead of looking at the quality of each film on it’s own.
If this movie was 30 mins shorter, it would have earned a perfect score.
8/10.
Your thoughts?
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Never seen it. Want to see it. That is all.
“GET OVER IT.”
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Irony…
Too bad catwoman killed bane and batman faked his death and ended up with catwoman in Italy
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Fight me
I thought it was pretty good.
Understood the majority of what Bane said and the things I didn’t I interpreted by listening to the response he got.
I did think some of the scenes with Bane and Batman were a bit too funny because of the voices.
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Batman: Growl grOWl groWL
Bane: Muffle muffle mufFLE
Batman: GROlw growl GROWL!!
Bane: Muffle muffle MUffLE.
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Mostly though I liked it. There was a twist in there that I did keep thinking “well duh. Should have saw that one coming”. … and I’m not talking about the same one Admin is, although that was also obvious foreshadowing.
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I think Joker was a bit more of an effective villian, but Bane did a good job too. It was VERY NICE to see him beyond the dumb muscle depiction that is usually attached to him.
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I also liked teh “hot head” cop’s arc, but I wish that they had dropped the very last line from it. I thought that was just a tad unnescecary.
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Although I do disagree with Admin when it comes to the whole mentally overcoming obsticals part. Yes, it was a long segment; it actually was spread through the entire movie. But I think it was important to show him getting the willpower face his challenge, which was less ” “understand” what others have gone through” and more “accept the past and move on with your life”.
“Heath Ledger’s selfish death.”
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What?
10/10 for me. The movie WAS a little too long though. Had to hold my bladder and ran to the toilet once it was done along with my friend.
I liked The Dark Knight better than this one, and Bane and Talia came off as lackluster villains. Their plan was good, but they kept making stupid mistakes. The Joker was a much better villain (who in the end, didn’t lose) than Bane and Talia.
I loved Bane, and his voice. A posh British gorilla as the main villain? BEAUTIFUL!
…thanks chuck.
Was expecting more out of Bane…he’s supposed to be super buff pumped with chemicals right?
Gave it an 8.5, lower than TDK but still good.
Wait.. Chuck’s lying right? He better be fkin lying..
Nope Chuck is just trying to edgy as usual.
Is the movie worth watching more than something else? I’ve never been a Dark Knight fan.
I gotta say the one thing that I like most about the Dark Knight trilogy is the almost complete absence of CGI. That goes the same for many of Christopher Nolan’s movies.
I have yet to see a movie where its CGI blows me away.
It’s called Jurassic Park.
“It’s called Jurassic Park.”
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Very true, and considering the fact it was made in 1993 makes it even more incredible.
“…blows me away.”
Hence ‘blows’ and hence ‘me’.
“Hence ‘blows’ and hence ‘me’.”
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If you had seen Jurrasic Park when it first hit theaters you would have.
I did see it. It was good, if not great, but it didn’t feel…fluent.
I suspend my disbelief long enough to ask how old you were at the time.
You were awestruck?
I have one thing to say about Bane’s voice. The first time I heard his voice, I immediately thought of Sean Connery.
Oh, and Catwoman was never called Catwoman.
“You were awestruck?”
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Considering the quality of CGI before Jurassic Park came out, I would say it was a huge leap forward.
“Oh, and Catwoman was never called Catwoman.”
Lol I did think that was a little strange.
They wanted to be subtle about it.
I also thought Sean Connery as soon as I heard Bane, and it made it hard for me to take him seriously as a villain, though he managed it somehow.
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was not, and still am not, a fan of the Dark Knight, but this movie was definitely better, though I wouldn’t say there was any foreshadowing, since they spelled out various points for the climax and ending so definitely that there was no way it was a shadow.
Bane was an excellent, twisted villain, of course not as good as the joker, but good nonetheless. They did a good job of making me hate him. Still, the fact that he didn’t use chemicals to increase his strength like in classic incarnations was something of a letdown. I see the wisdom in that choice, however.
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The main disappointment for me in this series was the lack of emotion. that is to say, it didn’t draw me in to the characters and what they were feeling at all, which is one of the main points of a good story. Everything else was well done, although Anne Hathaway’s performance was not entirely satisfactory. It lacked a certain something.
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And even though Michael Caine gave a great performance as always, the Nostalgia Critic was right; it seems like Alfred has a speech prepared for everything.
“10/10 for me. The movie WAS a little too long though. Had to hold my bladder and ran to the toilet once it was done along with my friend.”
-I wasn’t the only one then.
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“Bane was an excellent, twisted villain, of course not as good as the joker, but good nonetheless.”
-I’d say he was on par with him. He was better in some areas, but not in others.
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Over all I loved it. It wasn’t as good as the Avengers action wise, however story and development wise It surpassed.
“I also thought Sean Connery as soon as I heard Bane, and it made it hard for me to take him seriously as a villain, though he managed it somehow.”
-Me as well.
“It’s too long”
It’s the conclusion to a Trilogy. It’s supposed to be long.
“Batman uses his powers”
He has NO powers to use.
“but they way we learn of his past and his role in the film just left me with a feeling of “Is that it?””
Well, it made sense.
“mostly due to Heath Ledger’s selfish death.”
True. I can’t stop hearing that being brought up as an argument that The Dark Knight was better anytime I talk of The Dark Knight Rises among others.
I can agree with IMDb’s score of 9.2.
I liked the movie a lot. For some reason it actually took me forever to remember that Talia was Raz al Ghul’s child. I didn’t figure this out until literally seconds before the actual exposition.
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The use of foreshadowing was brilliant though. I totally saw the autopilot thing happening because of that. Cameos were nice too and I guess I’m sorta glad that Joker (the character) didn’t show up since he would’ve completely stolen the show. Still, the scene where Bane broke the Bat’s back gave me shivers. Brings me right back to that scene in the comics.
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I agree that Bane was a great villain. It took a while for me to like him because of how different he was from the musclebound venom addict in the comics, but seeing him succeed in his initial overthrow of Gotham was refreshing. It wasn’t like Joker’s Pyrrhic victory, but still a nice change. Even so, with the explosion of a nuclear bomb miles away from Gotham’s vicinity, wouldn’t the radiation stick and possibly make it back to the city?
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What I didn’t like though is the time frame in which things happened. I don’t know how Bruce could recover from a spinal injury in a matter of months, especially when it was said that one of his vertebrae was protruding from his back.
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I can’t say I disliked Catwoman either. Plus I didn’t think Anne Hathaway had such great assets before this film. If that was her figure without a corset, then I’m even more impressed.
Nice to see you observer.
Nice to see you too Cap.
“Oh, and Catwoman was never called Catwoman.”
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I found that to be the best way to handle it.
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“I have yet to see a movie where its CGI blows me away.”
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Have you seen Avatar? Say what you will about the plot and writing, but I went to see the CGI, and it delivered.
10/10 for me. IMO it should have been longer! It almost felt rushed at times.
**SPOILER**
When “hot head” detective Blake reveals his full name to be Robin, I was just like;”you say you don’t want to do robin ever, mr.nolan, yet you put that in at the last second. Wtf?! Go all the way with it or not at all. I thought that was sooo stupid. Everything else was great though
“I know there are many who will say that this will never live up to The Dark Knight, mostly due to Heath Ledger’s selfish death. It’s human nature to give more praise to the dead as a sign of respect instead of looking at the quality of each film on it’s own.”
It’s a shame he couldn’t have died when it was convenient for YOU, huh?
Batman isn’t worth getting shot over I’d rather wait for my internet source of bootleg movies to upload it.
“It’s a shame he couldn’t have died when it was convenient for YOU, huh?”
If YOU = every single batman fan, which drastically outnumbers Heath Ledger, then yes. He died selfishly.
“If YOU = every single batman fan, which drastically outnumbers Heath Ledger, then yes. He died selfishly.”
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Heath Ledger doesn’t owe us anything.
“Oh, and Catwoman was never called Catwoman.”
Was Batman ever called Batman?
@Tarbel:
“Was Batman ever called Batman?”
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I’m positive he was. He has had three films to be called that.
“Death…By Exile.”
-One of the best quotes of the movie.
“Batman isn’t worth getting shot over I’d rather wait for my internet source of bootleg movies to upload it.”
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I really am getting sick and tired of people saying how afraid they are to go to the movies now. After that shooting, I still wanted to go see tdkr so I did. If you let him scare you, then that psycotic asshole wins. He wins. It really is bull crap that people are so paranoid now about the movie theaters. Smh
It’s also less likely that people will get shot. Kind of like the saying lightning never strikes the same place twice.
Good thing people are scared, I like roomy movie theaters
“Even so, with the explosion of a nuclear bomb miles away from Gotham’s vicinity, wouldn’t the radiation stick and possibly make it back to the city?”
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I believe this got handwaved as teh bomb was a “neutron bomb” instead of a just a typical nuke. …. Of course I don’t think real neutron bombs work like that, but that’s hollywood for you.
“When “hot head” detective Blake reveals his full name to be Robin, I was just like;”you say you don’t want to do robin ever, mr.nolan, yet you put that in at the last second. ”
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Eh, they led up to/foreshadowed it. Early on in the movie we hear about how Blake’s parents were killed, how he was inspired by Bruce Wayne/Batman, etc. If they are going to do a Robin movie then this was the best and most realistic way to handle it.
The film was long, but no where while watching it, did I think it was too long, if anything it wasn’t long enough, the only real problem i had was, was certain characters and aspects did not get fleshed out as much as they could, such as Alfred and the actual siege inside Gotham.
Some of the biggest complaints I have heard is the slow start up of the film, but I believe that it was actually crucial to type of story Nolan was trying to portray in this film, and he should be congratulated on sticking with his artistic guns, and not bending over to studio pressure and have batman appear in the first 30 seconds.
No doubt the comparassion between Heath Ledgers Joker and Tom Hardys Bane, will spark numerous interenet debates, but in my opinion one is not superior to the other, and they are very different characters, portrayed in very different ways, where ledgers Joker was very animated, and comedic almost as he were a tornado of destruction wrapped in a human shell, where as toms Bane radiates menace from simple movements and intense looks, and I must admit you fell his presence when ever he is on screen, the only other character that comes to mind, that does this is Darth Vader.
I think Nolan has done something very special with this trilogy, in which he has greater three masterpieces, in which one is truly no better than the others, but like in all things they mean different things to different people, and so one may be their favourite, but does not mean it is a better film, so if someone chose batman begins over dark knight, or dark knight over dark knight rises, I could no more say they are wrong for choosing that particular film, then I could for choosing blue instead or red as their favourite colour.
It’s sad that none of it matters anymore cuz DC plans to rereboot batman again for their godamn justice league movie that they’re doing just so marvel doesn’t always kick their ass at the box office. Lol. But yah, sad thoughts. it’s always about money with DC.
Oh and
Just recently I saw an article where they were discussing who the next batman will be!
“Johnny depp or Jeremy renner?”
Let Nolan’s masterpieces soak in guys!
“I really am getting sick and tired of people saying how afraid they are to go to the movies now. After that shooting, I still wanted to go see tdkr so I did. If you let him scare you, then that psycotic asshole wins. He wins. It really is bull crap that people are so paranoid now about the movie theaters. Smh”
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In the spirit of Batman movies why so serious? Since I’m not allowed to use sarcasm (no matter how serious it sounded) I’ll revert to the true reason I don’t go to watch the movie: I’m broke as a joke. I have no job or any kind of money to my name and I have a video game addiction to fuel otherwise I’ll turn to alternatives like crystal meth and prostitution
“If YOU = every single batman fan, which drastically outnumbers Heath Ledger, then yes. He died selfishly.”
You…..really posted this?
“You…..really posted this?”
My thoughts exactly.
~
For a death to be selfish, it must have selfish motivation. That obviously wasn’t the case with Heath Ledger.
If anything, admin seems rather selfish here.
“: I’m broke as a joke. I have no job or any kind of money to my name and I have a video game addiction to fuel otherwise I’ll turn to alternatives like crystal meth and prostitution”
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Fuckin bum
This film is not the golden film many people People (mostly idiots in South Dakota) are making it out to be.
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It’s far too long… Admin says half hour to long, I say if they cut out 45 minutes of it you would still get the desired effect.
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Where the fuck is Batman? Did anybody else notice that of all the characters Bruce Wayne/Batman had the least amount of screen time…
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They tried waaaay to hard to simply copy the formula that worked really well in the other movies, and it is noticeable. The formula goes like this
1. The Villian is super fleshed out and made As realistic as possible. Let’s face it, Bane wasn’t near as cool as the Joker, so spending an hour of screen time trust showing Bane take over the city sucked.
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2. Alfred and Gordon basically exist to say things that are supposed to sound really cool, but like somebody said earlier, it feels like these two live just to memorize speeches in their heads, so that just in case anybody asks them about something, they are prepared with a Grammy worthy and totally quotable line. In the Dark Knight it was cool. In the Dark Knight Rises it was starting to get old
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3. Have scenes where Batman kicks the shit out of people. Those where actually not as good in this film either.
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I did love how Catwoman was literally the living embodiment of everything Batman didn’t stand for… Like when she shoots Bane, it made me feel like “why didn’t somebody do that 3 hours ago?”
““Death…By Exile.”
-One of the best quotes of the movie.”
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I thought the exact same thing after I saw the movie.
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I read this review before watching the movie and I never really though that it seemed too long. It was slow in certain parts and I agree with admin 100% that there is A LOT of drama i place of action in this one. I found The Joker a much better villain than Bane though. I did not like Bane’s voice at all, when I first saw him I was expecting something much deeper and less muffled but still with the mechanical touch from the mask. I found Bane’s plot very predictable in certain parts, but the other characters (Robin, Talia, Catwoman) were very well done. Besides the occasional overacting bit I though the movie was very good. Not as phenomenal as The Dark Knight but still up there.
9/10
No one mentooned the giant plothole….
How the HELL did Bruce get backto Gotham after escaping the prison?!?
@Xeno
he called Superman?
or maybe Wayne Enterprises had a small Middle East branch that gave him a jet?
Or….Batman?