Before I saw this film, I heard ramblings of how daring it was and I always wondered exactly what that meant. I was trying to remain spoiler free so it was a difficult task. But after seeing it, I understood. It was a a comic-book film that chose to be devoid of any spectacle. The scale was vast but it all still remained very grounded to a certain degree. It was a comic-book movie that dared to be a drama. That dared to be simple. But unfortunately, it also dared to bore me for two hours straight.
As a fan of the first two films, I wanted to enjoy this but part of me knew I wouldn't. There was something in the trailers that always felt a little off for me because of a certain weightlessness. A weightlessness that became immediately apparent in the first encounter between Batman and Bane. This was a scene that held no weight, had no stakes, and zero build up. At this point, we had no idea who Bane was and why he actually mattered so it felt like a convenient story transition instead of the epic battle that it was presented as. The fight was claustrophobic and fought in a vacuum, much like it's presence in the narrative. As Selina Kyle locked the gate and sent Batman to his demise, I could almost hear her saying "ok now fight so Nolan can get on with his movie". And I was then subjected to a fumbling, bumbling, mindnumbingly boring fight that looked like it was between two sixty year old men, manipulatively set to no music as if to tell me I should be feeling something. But I didn't. All I felt was a tickle of laughter in the back of my throat as I tried to keep it from bursting out. Then the Bat was broken and my faith in the movie broke with it.
(I'm proud of that one )
I feel the entire movie suffered from this really. I never felt the stakes were high enough to actually give a crap. The difference between the Joker and Bane was most apparent in that respect. Not in performance. I don't think Hardy had a fair shake in this regard as there was too much in the way. The ridiculous looking mask, the rather comical voice, the fact that it always sounded like a voice over. It was very hard to get into his character and I blame Nolan for that one. But the difference is this: I understood the Jokers' motives and his methods fell right in line with these motives which created tension. He was a person that just wanted to create chaos. His plans held more weight because they actually had the possibility of succeeding. I never thought for a second they would blow up Gotham so I never really gave a shit.
This is where I mention that OTHER movie.
Because of this, I found it difficult to watch this movie without my Avengers glasses on. Avengers, while flawed, was an extremely fun film to watch. The villain was about as Captain Planet as you could get but it worked in that narrative because of how it presented itself. It didn't work in the Dark Knight Rises. The movie couldn't decide whether or not it wanted to be "fun". So as a result, we were treated with powerful scenes like Alfred quitting on Bruce while also having to sit through silly shit like a bunch of cops charging into a hail of gunfire while the baddies respond by shooting at the ground before realizing the bullets would work better in their bodies. It all felt so disjointed. The movie wanted to have fun but not TOO much fun. It was in a constant battle with itself and I was constantly confused about how to watch this film. It reminded me of the cool kid in high school being invited to play a game of tag. He's only going to have as much fun as his image allows which isn't much fun at all. And when you observe him you can see his inner struggle. I found myself thinking "I... guess that was supposed to be cool...?" many times in this film and more often than not it was during one of the action scenes which are always hard to watch in these films... save for the chase scene in begins which I thought was pretty amazing.
It certainly had it's moments. I personally enjoyed the Batpod quite a bit and the Bat wasn't nearly as terrible as I thought it would be (though I couldn't help but think it looked like a reaper). Alfred was beautifully written and acted. His payoff in the end was great and almost got me (but I'm too macho). Anne Hathaway did ok with Selina Kyle but there really wasn't much to her. I could easily imagine the movie without that character which is never a good thing. And Gary Oldman was well... Gary Oldman. But what REALLY shined in my eyes was Blake. He was the only person I actually gave a crap about and the only character with any actual payoff (even if Nolan was trolling a bit at the end there). He was well acted, well written and an all together fleshed out character. I'm curious to see what type of hero he becomes but I don't NEED to see it. It was a powerful moment to see him embrace the bats as Bruce did in begins. It was, as we say, poetry.
Then we came to the end
I'm not exaggerating when I say that was just about as perfect an ending I've ever seen to anything in my entire life. As I watched it unfold I could feel something transforming inside of me. Almost asking "wait was this a good movie? " and as a result I grew dazed and confused. My mind was swimming and I barely knew what to do with myself other than stare blankly at the screen wondering whether or not I should join the applause. I didn't. Despite the amazing final 20 or so minutes, I couldn't forgive the movie for being blatantly underwhelming otherwise. I just couldn't. It was a valiant effort and I can see how someone could enjoy this movie (kind of well no) but I just couldn't. Not without blocking out 90% of the movie and pretending that the other 10% more than made up for it. I feel this movie will experience backlash the likes of which we have never seen and you can quote me on that one.
All in all it was a nice ride through these three films. They have changed how we view comic-book films for the better despite the final misstep. We have learned from these films that it is very possible to take a man running around dressed as a bat seriously. We have learned that these films don't have to poke fun at themselves. But ultimately, I'm glad they are going away. Nolanbats, you've served your purpose
you have my permission to die.
(I'm not as proud of that one but it still needed to be said )
BB>TDK >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> TDKR
True.
