Hi folks, just got home from TDKR. I won tickets to a preview screening of TDKR,
here in New Zealand, the film opens at
midnight (so on the 19th) but the screening I saw was a pre-view, today at 6:30 (the 18th).
Given the time difference, that's nearly 3 days before anyone in North America or the UK.
If are keen to hear what I think, read on. Whether you do or not, go see the film, it's beyond Epic !
I will also answer any questions truthfully about stuff that happens in the film etc, so feel free to PM me.
cheers !
here in New Zealand, the film opens at
midnight (so on the 19th) but the screening I saw was a pre-view, today at 6:30 (the 18th).
Given the time difference, that's nearly 3 days before anyone in North America or the UK.
If are keen to hear what I think, read on. Whether you do or not, go see the film, it's beyond Epic !
I will also answer any questions truthfully about stuff that happens in the film etc, so feel free to PM me.
cheers !
Where to start..... I might wander a bit, but I couldn't re-write the plot bit by bit without
the film opens with Gordon's Eulogy of Dent. Gary Oldman is consistently superb
during the film. Gordon has a pretty rough ride this film, and the Gordon we see is the
more world-weary, but cunning character in some of Frank Miller's Batman stories.
From there it goes to the plane hijack, I thought the stunts were amazing, but the CIA
operative was a little over-the-top. However, this is the first time we hear Bane. The voice and presence
are kind of a kung-fu Darth Vader, who dresses like Che Guevarra, but it works.
Tom Hardy is superb, anyone who doesn't think that he matches up to Ledger's Joker is wrong.
Bane is a different kind of villain. He's controlled obsession and destruction.
Considering he has only his eyes, voice and physicality to act with, he makes Bane a truly menacing
character. Hardy creates a definite body language for Bane that reminds me of some of the 1980's
professional wrestlers from the WWF, without being corny.
The "Tale of Two Cities" influence can be seen clearly in Bane's speech outside Blackgate prison,
sort of a "storming the Bastille" speech, but for a guy in a mask he carries it off brilliantly.
On that note, the fight scenes....fantastic. Brutal, I wont try to describe them, you have to see them
for yourself. As someone who loves a good movie punch up, I thought the fight scenes were brilliant.
Bane v Batman 1 was savage, you feel for Batman (but he was warned) but Bane's commentary
"I own the Shadows" etc, work brilliantly.
Batman v Bane 2 Is equally satisfying. Yes, it is Talia who stabs Bruce to save Bane (if you didn't know already
then the betrayal is nicely played out), and in a mirror of that Selina blasts Bane with the Batpod cannon
to save Bruce (don't think it was a harpoon, but I need to see the film again).
Michael Caine is only in a few scenes, but is brilliant in all of them.
He begins by propping up the ruin of Bruce Wayne, and then admonishes him when he returns to his vigilante ways.
Yes Alfred does leave Bruce, but it's handled so well that you don't begrudge him. Really, if there's a moral of this story it's, "Always listen to Alfred." Pretty much whenever Alfred's onscreen he's close to tears,but Michael Caine pulls it off so well, that we are too.
But top acting honours have to go to Batman himself. In every Batman film he's in constant danger of having the scene stolen ( eg. Jack Nicholson, and to an extent Heath Ledger) mostly because the villians usually get the best lines (and Bane gets some doozies). However, this movie is Batman's movie, even though there's probably a 10-15 minute gap where we see Gotham without Batman, under Bane's boot, and there's no Bale.
Christian Bale really out-does himself. At first he's just the wreckage of Bruce Wayne, he looks and acts the part beautifully, you genuinely feel sorry for him. Bale's performance takes him through several transformations from reclusive cripple (both emotionally and physcially crippled) back to his "angry young vigilante" mode (when he first puts the suit back on, he slips back into the old batman persona). But the best bit is after he's been broken and is bedridden in the Pit, watching Gotham's torments via TV. There's a moment where he's close to tears and
gives us a look of total despair. But it's then that the climb, to rebuild himself begins.
The final Bruce/Batman we see is driven, but not by obsession. He driven by the will to live, the will to save Gotham.
Anyway, this Batman is the one we cheer for at the end (there was certainly a cheer from the audience, myself included, when he puts the smackdown on Bane).
Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. Terrific, sassy, mercenary without being contemptible. She was great, can't see why anyone wouldn't have liked her performance. She was as complex as Bruce, though not as dark. The scenes she had to
herself, especially the fight scenes, she carried off brilliantly.
Marion Cotillard was great as Talia. The whole pit story is the link to Ra's Al Ghul (nice cameo by Liam Neeson, as a dream/hallucination when Bruce was in the Pit...kind of puts a slightly different spin on Batman Begins). You think that
its Bane that climbed out of the Pit, but all along it was her. Bane may have been the brawn and the voice of the League
of Shadows, but Talia was the brains. And of course, she and Batman get it on..which is great because again it just
reinforces Nolan's point that behind the mask is just a man !
Now, as for John Blake. In many ways he was Robin. It's Blake who confronts Wayne early on in the film about Batman, and helps get him moving again. Their discussions about needing a mask to be a hero, and how Batman could
be anyone, of course are foreshadowing the end of the film, and the rather strong implication that Blake takes up the cowl.
Joseph Gordon Levitt is earnest, without being wooden. Robin's job in the comics is to assist Batman, which is what Blake
does in a number of ways. A fine performance.
On the endingl... yes, there's the funeral for Bruce Wayne with Gordon reading the eulogy from Tale of Two cities to Alfred, Fox and Blake. Then Alfred's apology to Thomas and Martha Wayne. The Wayne mansion is converted into an orphan's home....nicely wrapping up the earlier issue of the Wayne foundation not funding the orphanage any more. Gordon is seen atop the SCU, with a newly repaired Bat signal (hinting perhaps an expectation that Batman will return ?)
Alfred goes to the cafe, nods to Bruce and Selina, Bruce nods back. So no Nolan-esque ambiguity there. I was worried that that would be the last scene but..... intercut with this is Blake picking up a gym bag which contains coordinates, and the revelation about his real name, Robin. Blake swings through the waterfall, and walks across the pool towards the foundations, as he does so, the black monolith begins to rise beneath him, which serves as a nice fade to black.
So as one story ends, another begins. A very fitting end to the Bruce Wayne/Batman legend.
There's a great scene where we actually see Bruce in the suit, without the mask. Which I think is Nolan's way of reminding us just how human, fallible and vulnerable Bruce is, and that Batman is really just Bruce. (in that scene he completely underestimates Bane, again, always listen to Alfred !).
- A side note for those of you who like source material, there are a couple of nods to Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns (including the initials TDKR) in the cop's "You're in for a show" comment, and also in some comments Bane makes, when he's kicking Batman's ass. Bane looking perhaps more like the Mutant Gang leader than the Bane from the Knightfall saga.
All in all, It is an almost Wagnerian Gotterdammerung of the Bruce Wayne/Batman's ending (heck it's almost as long as a Wagner Opera).
Now I'll be honest, in the first 15 min there were a few clunky moments, but hey, what epic doesn't have them. But as soonas Hathaway's Selina Kyle steals Bruce's mum's pearls, the film ups a gear.
As I came out of the cinema a reporter for stuff.co.nz stopped me, as I was wearing a Batman t-shirt and asked me how many stars I'd give it out of 5, my reply " 7 ! It was beyond epic ! It was the perfect end to the trilogy"
I totally agree with the critic who said that if this superhero flic doesnt win an oscar, than none ever shall. The characters are complex, and fallible and we care about them. it was the fastest 164 minutes of my life. Going to see it again tomorrow. Hope you all enjoy it as much when it comes out in your countries.
the film opens with Gordon's Eulogy of Dent. Gary Oldman is consistently superb
during the film. Gordon has a pretty rough ride this film, and the Gordon we see is the
more world-weary, but cunning character in some of Frank Miller's Batman stories.
From there it goes to the plane hijack, I thought the stunts were amazing, but the CIA
operative was a little over-the-top. However, this is the first time we hear Bane. The voice and presence
are kind of a kung-fu Darth Vader, who dresses like Che Guevarra, but it works.
Tom Hardy is superb, anyone who doesn't think that he matches up to Ledger's Joker is wrong.
Bane is a different kind of villain. He's controlled obsession and destruction.
Considering he has only his eyes, voice and physicality to act with, he makes Bane a truly menacing
character. Hardy creates a definite body language for Bane that reminds me of some of the 1980's
professional wrestlers from the WWF, without being corny.
The "Tale of Two Cities" influence can be seen clearly in Bane's speech outside Blackgate prison,
sort of a "storming the Bastille" speech, but for a guy in a mask he carries it off brilliantly.
On that note, the fight scenes....fantastic. Brutal, I wont try to describe them, you have to see them
for yourself. As someone who loves a good movie punch up, I thought the fight scenes were brilliant.
Bane v Batman 1 was savage, you feel for Batman (but he was warned) but Bane's commentary
"I own the Shadows" etc, work brilliantly.
Batman v Bane 2 Is equally satisfying. Yes, it is Talia who stabs Bruce to save Bane (if you didn't know already
then the betrayal is nicely played out), and in a mirror of that Selina blasts Bane with the Batpod cannon
to save Bruce (don't think it was a harpoon, but I need to see the film again).
Michael Caine is only in a few scenes, but is brilliant in all of them.
He begins by propping up the ruin of Bruce Wayne, and then admonishes him when he returns to his vigilante ways.
Yes Alfred does leave Bruce, but it's handled so well that you don't begrudge him. Really, if there's a moral of this story it's, "Always listen to Alfred." Pretty much whenever Alfred's onscreen he's close to tears,but Michael Caine pulls it off so well, that we are too.
But top acting honours have to go to Batman himself. In every Batman film he's in constant danger of having the scene stolen ( eg. Jack Nicholson, and to an extent Heath Ledger) mostly because the villians usually get the best lines (and Bane gets some doozies). However, this movie is Batman's movie, even though there's probably a 10-15 minute gap where we see Gotham without Batman, under Bane's boot, and there's no Bale.
Christian Bale really out-does himself. At first he's just the wreckage of Bruce Wayne, he looks and acts the part beautifully, you genuinely feel sorry for him. Bale's performance takes him through several transformations from reclusive cripple (both emotionally and physcially crippled) back to his "angry young vigilante" mode (when he first puts the suit back on, he slips back into the old batman persona). But the best bit is after he's been broken and is bedridden in the Pit, watching Gotham's torments via TV. There's a moment where he's close to tears and
gives us a look of total despair. But it's then that the climb, to rebuild himself begins.
The final Bruce/Batman we see is driven, but not by obsession. He driven by the will to live, the will to save Gotham.
Anyway, this Batman is the one we cheer for at the end (there was certainly a cheer from the audience, myself included, when he puts the smackdown on Bane).
Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. Terrific, sassy, mercenary without being contemptible. She was great, can't see why anyone wouldn't have liked her performance. She was as complex as Bruce, though not as dark. The scenes she had to
herself, especially the fight scenes, she carried off brilliantly.
Marion Cotillard was great as Talia. The whole pit story is the link to Ra's Al Ghul (nice cameo by Liam Neeson, as a dream/hallucination when Bruce was in the Pit...kind of puts a slightly different spin on Batman Begins). You think that
its Bane that climbed out of the Pit, but all along it was her. Bane may have been the brawn and the voice of the League
of Shadows, but Talia was the brains. And of course, she and Batman get it on..which is great because again it just
reinforces Nolan's point that behind the mask is just a man !
Now, as for John Blake. In many ways he was Robin. It's Blake who confronts Wayne early on in the film about Batman, and helps get him moving again. Their discussions about needing a mask to be a hero, and how Batman could
be anyone, of course are foreshadowing the end of the film, and the rather strong implication that Blake takes up the cowl.
Joseph Gordon Levitt is earnest, without being wooden. Robin's job in the comics is to assist Batman, which is what Blake
does in a number of ways. A fine performance.
On the endingl... yes, there's the funeral for Bruce Wayne with Gordon reading the eulogy from Tale of Two cities to Alfred, Fox and Blake. Then Alfred's apology to Thomas and Martha Wayne. The Wayne mansion is converted into an orphan's home....nicely wrapping up the earlier issue of the Wayne foundation not funding the orphanage any more. Gordon is seen atop the SCU, with a newly repaired Bat signal (hinting perhaps an expectation that Batman will return ?)
Alfred goes to the cafe, nods to Bruce and Selina, Bruce nods back. So no Nolan-esque ambiguity there. I was worried that that would be the last scene but..... intercut with this is Blake picking up a gym bag which contains coordinates, and the revelation about his real name, Robin. Blake swings through the waterfall, and walks across the pool towards the foundations, as he does so, the black monolith begins to rise beneath him, which serves as a nice fade to black.
So as one story ends, another begins. A very fitting end to the Bruce Wayne/Batman legend.
There's a great scene where we actually see Bruce in the suit, without the mask. Which I think is Nolan's way of reminding us just how human, fallible and vulnerable Bruce is, and that Batman is really just Bruce. (in that scene he completely underestimates Bane, again, always listen to Alfred !).
- A side note for those of you who like source material, there are a couple of nods to Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns (including the initials TDKR) in the cop's "You're in for a show" comment, and also in some comments Bane makes, when he's kicking Batman's ass. Bane looking perhaps more like the Mutant Gang leader than the Bane from the Knightfall saga.
All in all, It is an almost Wagnerian Gotterdammerung of the Bruce Wayne/Batman's ending (heck it's almost as long as a Wagner Opera).
Now I'll be honest, in the first 15 min there were a few clunky moments, but hey, what epic doesn't have them. But as soonas Hathaway's Selina Kyle steals Bruce's mum's pearls, the film ups a gear.
As I came out of the cinema a reporter for stuff.co.nz stopped me, as I was wearing a Batman t-shirt and asked me how many stars I'd give it out of 5, my reply " 7 ! It was beyond epic ! It was the perfect end to the trilogy"
I totally agree with the critic who said that if this superhero flic doesnt win an oscar, than none ever shall. The characters are complex, and fallible and we care about them. it was the fastest 164 minutes of my life. Going to see it again tomorrow. Hope you all enjoy it as much when it comes out in your countries.
