Just watched TDKR. Deep, fascinating disappointment.

The 2012 superhero epic about Batman's struggle to overcome the terrorist leader Bane, as well as his own inner demons.
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With the immense success of TDK, TKDR was given a gold standard that most films probably couldn't have met. TKDR does have the framework, but doesn't come together as well as it's predecessor did.

Lots of critics have called it dark, murky and dull. One even saying "why so serious". It's a superhero movie that crossed into drama territory, but still added some actiony bits in for the hell of it.

TDKR knows it's best moments are not the action bits shoehorned in to accommodate low attention span, so it rightfully (to the disgust of lots of fans, I can imagine) keeps it to a minimum. Yet, at moments, it's awkwardly tacked-on anyway. And when it is, the combat is clumsy, lacking imagination and rhythm. Watching Batman and Bane was like watching two cavemen hit each other with clubs. Let's not get started with the lame obligatory motorcycle scenes or the aircrafts.

Talking about Bane. He's no Joker. Let's get that out of our system. I can talk about how I think the Joker was an inherently easier character to make a dynamic performance with but I won't. I do like the idea of the movie having multiple protagonists. It's clear that Bruce isn't the main protagonist, at least. It does introduce lots of characters early on and it does lose focus. The football stadium bombing isn't as well put together as the "prisoner dillemma" on TDK's ferry. The anarchy scenes are short and there just transition between other scenes. There's definitely a lot that could be said about Wall Street and bankruptcy, but they were only brief moments.

Aside from Bruce's butler, most of the cast of characters isn't very likeable. They're rarely sympathetic and don't feel human. Perhaps, they're crushed under the weight of Gotham's downfall or the single-minded focus of saving Gotham has restricted them as characters. Sad enough as it is to say, it was hard to root for anyone. In a decaying city where each person contributed to it's sad state, I think I enjoyed Bane's chaos and anarchy more than any of the other character's ambitions. When Bane is your most charismatic character, it's troubling unless it's the authors intent.

At the same time, I do like the challenge of complex flawed characters. I don't want any character to be a perfect mary-sue. I don't want any black-or-white, right-or-wrong morality system. Yet, perhaps TDKR has gone too far in the other direction by not establishing much boundaries at all.

As for comparisons, TDK, in comparison, seems like a shallow reductionist black-and-white morality lecture. Yes, it takes on interesting moral discussion, but does so in such a binary way. The plot does feel like a phone-in, but stellar acting (as well as editing) saves it. Particularly, the performance of Heath Ledger elevates it from an average summer popcorn flick to an amazing film. TDK doesn't say much, but it has an excellent way of saying it.

TDKR, on the other hand, is the opposite. It has much more depth and much more to say, but it fumbles several times and often is incoherent in it's message. It handles more themes, yet can't meaningfully resolve them, and found the easiest way to do so in making Bruce Wayne a dead martyr. I'd take an amibitious film that sends a message I find a bit confusing or muddled over one that doesn't make much of anything at all. Still, I can't help but feel TDK was more "fun" and "thrilling".

I guess my point is that TDKR wasn't the film it could've been but it had potential to be a masterpiece. And for people who aren't closed-mindedly angry at the fact that the movie wasn't just a 2 hour circle jerk of batman pummeling enemies, there can be lots of discussion to be had. I appreciate films that challenge me and challenge my expectations, but at the same time, I still felt left wanting. One, I have to wrap my head around. You could call it a disappointment, but a deep, fascinating and an overall enjoyable one.

- tadpole

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Okay.

-Pratham

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