(spoilers)

I didn't regret going to TDKR, but it was my least favourite of the Nolan films. I respect the gravitas he was going for, but he sort of became his own worst enemy after the second film, no?

Bane was well after my time collecting comics, so I went in without any backstory on him, other than what I gathered was brute strength and a past injury because of the mask. Thought he was ok as a villain; the bar had been set pretty high by Ledger and Neeson in the previous films so the character had that against him from the get-go. The voice was strange at first but then kind of grew on me, with the accent and refined vocabulary kind of serving as counterpoint to the physical thug. That said, one too many grandiloquent "it's the end of the world as we know it" speeches IMO, and I'll echo what many others have already said about the whole "city siege" concept: it did a good job swinging my suspension of disbelief gauge from "willing" to "grudgingly willing" and finally to a firm "unwilling". You're asking for criticism whenever you try to condense the experiences of a large collective population under extraordinary circumstances; there are too many variables. Although those wide shots of the exploding bridges were money. Awesome second unit photography is one of Nolan's bigger selling points.

Liked Catwoman, liked the latest air vehicle, liked the tribunal as a set piece even if the concept was silly. Liked the indirect torch passing to Robin, which I didn't see coming. Disliked the idea of Wayne sitting on his ass for years, disliked the prison escape segment, and especially disliked actually showing Wayne and Kyle across the restaurant; Alfred's knowing look and smile would have been more than enough and ten times more artistic.

But whatever. It's still a Batman movie. All the above criticism probably stems from the fact that we've all seen too many movies.

Bane had some ridiculously cheesy lines, or at least delivered them cheesily. I could have done without the Miranda Tate character period, her last minute turn didn't really add anything and could be seen from almost the moment she was introduced (if you at least think something was up when she was helping Gordon try to identify the truck with the bomb, something is wrong with you).

I could have actually done with more Catwoman, who turned out to be the best part of the film. I have always thought Hathaway was talented, but was really anxious to see how the character would be implemented. In many ways she's the most 'comic-booky' part of this film, but also the best.

Imperious Rex!: Bane had some ridiculously cheesy lines, or at least delivered them cheesily. I could have done without the Miranda Tate character period, her last minute turn didn't really add anything and could be seen from almost the moment she was introduced (if you at least think something was up when she was helping Gordon try to identify the truck with the bomb, something is wrong with you).

I could have actually done with more Catwoman, who turned out to be the best part of the film. I have always thought Hathaway was talented, but was really anxious to see how the character would be implemented. In many ways she's the most 'comic-booky' part of this film, but also the best.

Without the Tate character, Bane would have no motive in this story. I thought the character was in some ways more interesting than the other villains, in that his ultimate turn to evil was born from his efforts to protect someone who could not protect herself. It wasn't until he discovered his own nobility that he became a savage.

In many ways, Bane was the person Neeson wished he could have turned Bruce Wayne into.

Of course, I'm not much of a comic book reader, so I'm merely judging the story in the film.

stoli n coke: Imperious Rex!: Bane had some ridiculously cheesy lines, or at least delivered them cheesily. I could have done without the Miranda Tate character period, her last minute turn didn't really add anything and could be seen from almost the moment she was introduced (if you at least think something was up when she was helping Gordon try to identify the truck with the bomb, something is wrong with you).

I could have actually done with more Catwoman, who turned out to be the best part of the film. I have always thought Hathaway was talented, but was really anxious to see how the character would be implemented. In many ways she's the most 'comic-booky' part of this film, but also the best.

Without the Tate character, Bane would have no motive in this story. I thought the character was in some ways more interesting than the other villains, in that his ultimate turn to evil was born from his efforts to protect someone who could not protect herself. It wasn't until he discovered his own nobility that he became a savage.

In many ways, Bane was the person Neeson wished he could have turned Bruce Wayne into.

Of course, I'm not much of a comic book reader, so I'm merely judging the story in the film.

As a villain would he necessarily need a motive other than being evil? He was ex-communicated by the League of Shadows, so going through with a plan to finish Ras' original goal could have been his way of proving he was worthy to rejoin the League or something.

I don't hate the Miranda character, I just think it was a badly done twist, and they either needed to have left that twist out or given her more fulfilling screen time to make the twist feel more meaningful. As of now it's just kind of falls flat and doesn't have any punch.

Im nots saying WB CAUSED that tragic event to occur...

But it does bring to mind Jennifer Government.

If you see a guy running around named Hack WB, stop him for questioning.

**SPOILER** **LOOK AWAY**



His name is ROBIN???

Can I have a free kick at Nolan's nads? Just one?

BokChoy: farkityfarker: Seriously? It's a movie about a man who fights crime while dressed in a cheesy bat costume.

What's wrong with people?

Apparently if you turn any goofy comic book into a gritty crime drama, people will fawn over it like its a farking masterpiece.

So tired of these comic book movies. I will be very happy to see this trend end.

I felt the same way about this film as I felt about the final book in the Dark Tower series.

It ended the only way it really could have, and it worked for me.

I was satisfied.

chewielouie: If you're gonna knit pick and have a problem with TDKR, then it has to be the flaming Batman logo. Seriously, do you have any idea how long it would take one person, who is racing against the clock because he knows the bomb is gonna explode in less than 12 hours (wait, how exactly did HE know that?), never mind. Anyway, it would take a pretty long time to rig up that light show. By the way, what a way to blow the element of surprise and let your adversary know you're back.

Anyway, all of that gets a pass, because he's the damn Batman and that scene was absolutely farking awesome. Saw it opening night and the audience went ballis . . . they were blow . . . they were very excited.

Also, if you didn't see TDKR in IMAX with a pulse pounding sound system, then you didn't see TDKR.

No. That scene was too cool to nitpick. The only problem I had with the film is the glaring continuity error involving Tate. She gets captured by Bane. He asks his men to bring her to him. Then she mysteriously ends up with Lucius Fox when Bruce sneaks in to talk with him. Then she is back with Bane. It's pretty obvious the scene with Fox is supposed to happen before she gets captured.

This is my one and only gripe with the movie. Maybe there will be a recut edition of this movie that will fix that problem. Or at least digitally erase her from that scene as she does not need to be in it.

Dropped 60% from last weekend. That keeps up and it'll only gross $375 million, not even close to The Avengers or The Dark Knight.

3rd weekend usually drops less than the 2nd though.

Oh holy shiat another comic book movie. Here's my $12.

Kaybeck: Close2TheEdge: Skills, which he never employed except when in the bat-suit, but why let facts get in the way of a good snarky insult. Actually, I don't need things spoon fed, but I also don't simply accept things that don't make sense because the scriptwriter simply leaves it out. I hope that there actually is a cut scene and not plain hackneyed writing.

Yes because Bruce has NO IDEA how to employ ANY of the training he received unless he's wearing a suit he acquired AFTER he had completed his training.

It makes perfect sense. The screenwriter already established he has special training. To have to explain it again for those that needs everything explained and restated, does nothing to serve the story.

What next?

"Oh Batman's using poison tipped darts! We never saw him make the darts in the batcave or the sedative that knocks him out, what poor screenwriting!"

"What? How did they rebuild Wayne Manor with the piano that opens a secret passage to the Batcave without the builders getting wise? Man, they did a disservice to the story by not dedicating 30 minutes of the movie showing how Bruce and Alfred avoided that problem."

Speaking of which. They rebuilt Wayne Manor, but it looks like it has been there for over a hundred years. The sides were all old and weathered. So did they BUILD it that way? Using construction materials that were manufactured to look worn?

Yes, I'm nit-picking. Get me my coffee, waitress!

Tat'dGreaser: Saw it this weekend finally, I liked it. I think I still like the second one better but I'll have to watch this one again when it comes out on-demand.

Was it perfect? No, but I think it was pretty well done.

My friend had the same complaint, "Ohhhhh it wasn't exactly like the comic, waahhh!" Who cares??? How are you supposed to be creative or tell something new if you're supposed to follow exactly the very first version of a character? These three films were their own story, they weren't supposed to be like anything before. They had their own main theme that Nolan wanted to tell through a trilogy and that's what he did, Batman is a symbol.

I know a few people who were like that. Funny thing is, they complain about the smallest detail in a film not being exactly like the original comic, but they have no problem when different writers re-write characters and change backstories in the comics.

Christian Bale: Dropped 60% from last weekend. That keeps up and it'll only gross $375 million, not even close to The Avengers or The Dark Knight.

3rd weekend usually drops less than the 2nd though.

If only there was a big tragedy where lots of people got murdered and wounded and was directly related to the movie in question so much that people were scared of getting anywhere close to a theater after the shiatstorm the media wrangled around it.

Close2TheEdge: Kaybeck: Close2TheEdge: Skills, which he never employed except when in the bat-suit, but why let facts get in the way of a good snarky insult. Actually, I don't need things spoon fed, but I also don't simply accept things that don't make sense because the scriptwriter simply leaves it out. I hope that there actually is a cut scene and not plain hackneyed writing.

Yes because Bruce has NO IDEA how to employ ANY of the training he received unless he's wearing a suit he acquired AFTER he had completed his training.

It makes perfect sense. The screenwriter already established he has special training. To have to explain it again for those that needs everything explained and restated, does nothing to serve the story.

What next?

"Oh Batman's using poison tipped darts! We never saw him make the darts in the batcave or the sedative that knocks him out, what poor screenwriting!"

"What? How did they rebuild Wayne Manor with the piano that opens a secret passage to the Batcave without the builders getting wise? Man, they did a disservice to the story by not dedicating 30 minutes of the movie showing how Bruce and Alfred avoided that problem."

Speaking of which. They rebuilt Wayne Manor, but it looks like it has been there for over a hundred years. The sides were all old and weathered. So did they BUILD it that way? Using construction materials that were manufactured to look worn?

Yes, I'm nit-picking. Get me my coffee, waitress!

Alfred even mentioned recalling Mr. Wayne's cries echoing through the halls of the house. Perhaps Mr. Wayne borrowed President Obama's time travel technology during reconstruction.

It was two and a half hours of setup followed by about ten minutes of plot ends flying together in somewhat unsatisfying ways. The all-too-brief highlights were the scenes of Dr. Crane's kangaroo court. Catwoman was superfluous.

RainbowDash: My favorite scene

SPOILER:



The truly hilarious thing is that this is almost EXACTLY how TDKR ended - right down to "Robin" thinking he died when the bomb went off. I have to believe this was an intentional joke/nod from Nolan.

Minor spoilers:

The only part of the movie I leaned over to my brother and said "wtf" was when Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham after escaping from the pit. This was a point in the movie where time was at the utmost importance and yet the Batman has the time to go out of his way to create a giant flaming Batman symbol on one of the bridges. What, does he have like a stencil or something for those? If not, I have a hard time believing that he was able to paint that symbol up there for what had to have been 3 hours of work easily with no one seeing him. Where did he even get the flammable material anyway!? And don't get me started on Bane's round-trip flight to BFE Uzbeckistan or wherever that pit prison was located while in the middle of his plans to take over Gotham.

/end rant, still liked the movie.

Omis: TDKR is the first movie I've watched more than once in the theater since I was a kid. The thing I find funny is that the people who don't like this movie usually say that Batman Begins is the best in the series. Where I am the opposite, I think it is the weakest. But they are all pretty close in terms of quality. Just BB has a sound stage look to it that I don't like.

To me TDKR is the weakest. Followed by BB, with TDK taking the top honor.

Lots of things that don't make sense, too much asking for belief suspension in a series where they started wanting it to be gritty and real, to many characters, useless plot, and misused screen time.

And I know they want to respect Ledger, but not one mention of The Joker when the entire city is in shambles? Citizens are fighting for their lives and safety? Bane basically does what the joker wanted just to inflict pain on Batman?

It was ok-good. It's one of the strongest trilogies. But it left me disappointed after the bar set by the last film.

TDKR = Two 2 hour 20 minute movies that would each probably be great crammed into one overstuffed 2 hour 45 minute movie that's good but flawed

The_Gallant_Gallstone: ODDwhun: Ridiculously full of Spoilers:

It's the only way the second half of the movie makes sense in the Nolanverse. If you doubt Nolan would do this then you obviously didn't see Inception.

Was there anything in the movie to indicate that the second half was the result of morphine-fueled dreaming. Inception gives you something in its framework to indicate a "less-than-happy" ending.

Not really, unless you count a cop out, ambiguous ending with no foreshadowing indicative...

Inception was a fun light scifi action movie. Nothing more. It wasn't "deep" and the ending was BS. Classic pancake / pan flip. And the Nolanites ate it up.

cetacei: Thank God Nolan is done with Batman. Maybe they can find someone competent to fix the franchise now that he's moved on to ruining Superman.

Oh god, the stupid in this post. Do you not remember the state of the franchise before Nolan? I didn't see Begins until a few months after it had been on DVD, and then I had to convince friends, "Hey, the new Batman doesn't actually suck, you should give it a chance." Me and those same friends all saw the sequels in the first couple weeks it was out in theaters,

alwaysjaded: Honest Bender: alwaysjaded: Went again in IMAX with the understanding that the movie's theme was pain and it was more about Bruce and the aftermath of being Batman did to him and those he cared for and I liked it a whole lot more.

That's not Batman. Spiderman, maybe. But Batman is a symbol. He doesn't give up. He doesn't complain. He never stops. That's what makes Batman so awesome. The concept of Batman locking himself up in his mansion for the better part of a DECADE because his girly friend died is insulting. That's NOT Batman.

Batman would brood. He'd get darker. He would NOT abscond to France to live out his life as a spoiled rich family man.

Well, I've always thought of Nolan's trilogy as like a stand alone story from a graphic novel. He's an author that took an established character and put his own spin on it that's not really part of canon. So it works within its own rules. Just my opinion.

Problem is he broke all the rules BB and TDK established.

Even the golden rule that set up TDK to be so important, and give the Joker his title as the only villain to win in the end.

TDKR, in retrospect, shiats all over TDK and diminishes it.

m1ke: This was a point in the movie where time was at the utmost importance and yet the Batman has the time to go out of his way to create a giant flaming Batman symbol on one of the bridges. What, does he have like a stencil or something for those? If not, I have a hard time believing that he was able to paint that symbol up there for what had to have been 3 hours of work easily with no one seeing him. Where did he even get the flammable material anyway!?

He was calling out Bane, as well as giving Gotham a sign of hope. It's kinda important.

improvius: The truly hilarious thing is that this is almost EXACTLY how TDKR ended - right down to "Robin" thinking he died when the bomb went off. I have to believe this was an intentional joke/nod from Nolan.

Duh. The whole farking movie was Nolan's take on DKR (with a little Knightfall, but not too much). Seriously people, are we even paying attention?

Close2TheEdge: consider this: Close2TheEdge: Couple that with the enormous plot holes (how exactly did Bruce Wayne re-enter the city?)

How is that a plot hole? He's the goddamn Batman, I'm sure he can find a way to sneak into Gotham. It's not like they had armed guards every 20 feet around the entire perimeter.

Exactly my point. They suggested that by blowing the bridges, nobody could get out. Yet, Bruce Wayne gets IN? Without any of his awesome stealth gear? And nobody recognizes him? I thought that was just asking the audience to purposely not use it's brain. Maybe there was a scene cut, I don't know.

The Bane army never seemed large enough or terrifying enough to maintain control of an entire city, even with the supposed bomb threat. There would be escapes, and once word got out that escapes were possible, there would be a breakdown of control. Besides, what exactly did the thugs get out of this scheme? Bane basically said, I'm going to eventually kill you all. You mean to tell me the Bane army were all OK with a sucicide pact? Please. He wasn't farking Jim Jones, for chrissakes.

Thats actually not a problem IMO. It's the 9/11 hijackers all over again. Both his goons, and the city thought he had some crazy thoughts on revolution and was using the bomb for leverage. We the viewer though know it was actually the end game. As the people on the planes that hit the world trade center didn't do a damn thing because they thought they'd get out of it, until they didn't, and flight 93 knew what the real game was.

Nolan rather clumsily pounds it into the viewer via the Detective that refuses to help Gordon, and refuses to believe the weapon is set to blow anyways. "Wait it out, Bane's just using it at leverage and if we stay low everything will be ok".

cetacei: Superman

You must have missed Superman Returns. It will be hard for Nolan to do worse. Not impossible, but difficult.

I'm glad I'm not that only one disappointed in this last Batman. Batman acted like a giant pussy who was unsure of himself. And I couldn't get over the fact that he needed bionic legs to walk around, followed by being just fine down the in the pit-prison.

Still a pretty cool movie though. And I got to see it in IMAX, which was awesome.

Dow Jones and the Temple of Doom: I loved TDKR, and I really didn't care for Prometheus, even though many of the criticisms I levied against Prometheus could be equally applied to TDKR.

Plot holes, silly character decisions, jumps in the storyline, etc... But for some reason I give Batman a pass. Maybe because I've never been a huge Batman fan, and I consider Alien/s to be epics.

Probably the only fair assessment I'd take. In many ways Batman is worse, because of precedent established by the director. ALIEN was originally a B horror flick in space that hit everything just right, and now is seen as something more.

I keep saying it, but give Prometheus another chance. Overlook and rationalize away "the stupid" as a heavy handed reference to human arrogance and hubris, and look for the better stuff behind the cliche plot. It's there.

Best breakdown of the deeper stuff in Prometheus: http://www.chud.com/100388/stealing-fire-in-praise-of-prometheus/

Batman, well, it wasn't supposed to be deeper than the plot. Nolan's never been big on big ideas and allegory. Memento is a freaking awesome movie, but even there the movie revolves 100% around a carefully designed plot.

chewielouie: If you're gonna knit pick and have a problem with TDKR, then it has to be the flaming Batman logo. Seriously, do you have any idea how long it would take one person, who is racing against the clock because he knows the bomb is gonna explode in less than 12 hours (wait, how exactly did HE know that?), never mind. Anyway, it would take a pretty long time to rig up that light show. By the way, what a way to blow the element of surprise and let your adversary know you're back.

Anyway, all of that gets a pass, because he's the damn Batman and that scene was absolutely farking awesome. Saw it opening night and the audience went ballis . . . they were blow . . . they were very excited.

Also, if you didn't see TDKR in IMAX with a pulse pounding sound system, then you didn't see TDKR.

Doesn't even matter, since Talia is there with Gordon and Fox, when Wayne and Selina shows up to rescue Fox. She SAW him before he even suits up.

Right there the whole reason and twist for the last act falls apart. The only reason the bomb isn't detonated right there is so she can reveal herself with Bane and have a comic book villain nefarious plan show and tell.

Really lame.

I found the random inclusion of Sandman as a Judge sentencing people to death or exile made zero sense. Did Bane seek out Sandman and ask if he would be interested in a judge position? Did he track him down on his LinkedIn profile? What a stupid and ridiculous scene...

/Cillian Murphy was great in the 1st one. Such a shame to retard his character the way it was in 2 & 3.

Gotfire: I found the random inclusion of Sandman as a Judge sentencing people to death or exile made zero sense. Did Bane seek out Sandman and ask if he would be interested in a judge position? Did he track him down on his LinkedIn profile? What a stupid and ridiculous scene...

/Cillian Murphy was great in the 1st one. Such a shame to retard his character the way it was in 2 & 3.

OMG a movie about BATMAN wasn't based entirely in reality! Scarecrow was insane after the first movie anyway for breathing his own toxin. The little nods to his character from movie to movie are just that, nods to the other movies. The court scenes added a bit of comic relief to an otherwise dramatic storyline.

The nit picking of this movie is absurd.

Given that the actor who was supposed to play the pivotal role in the third and final movie died before the second movie's release, Nolan did an astounding job of rescuing the third film from what should have been a complete disaster.

Plus, I thought the Batwing was going to be painfully bad when I saw it in the trailers. I was delightfully wrong about that. It pushes credulity much farther than the tumbler and batpod, but it still just works.

/was disappointed Detroit lost the role of Gotham
//but Pittsburgh did a terrific job
///half of the fun of these films is watching the mash-up of older American cities

Hebalo: He was calling out Bane, as well as giving Gotham a sign of hope. It's kinda important

Obviously more important than trying to locate the bomb that is going to go off shortly.

Gotfire: I found the random inclusion of Sandman as a Judge sentencing people to death or exile made zero sense. Did Bane seek out Sandman and ask if he would be interested in a judge position? Did he track him down on his LinkedIn profile? What a stupid and ridiculous scene...

/Cillian Murphy was great in the 1st one. Such a shame to retard his character the way it was in 2 & 3.

Scarecrow was one of the inmates. It was made quite clear that after the prisons were all emptied, that the inmates were running the asylum, in fact running the entire city. Bane wouldn't have needed to "seek out" scarecrow.

The All-Powerful Atheismo: Scarecrow was one of the inmates. It was made quite clear that after the prisons were all emptied, that the inmates were running the asylum, in fact running the entire city. Bane wouldn't have needed to "seek out" scarecrow.

Okay that makes sense. I missed that part apparently..

Madbassist1: Hebalo: improvius: The truly hilarious thing is that this is almost EXACTLY how TDKR ended - right down to "Robin" thinking he died when the bomb went off. I have to believe this was an intentional joke/nod from Nolan.

Duh. The whole farking movie was Nolan's take on DKR The 1966 Batman movie (with a little Knightfall, but not too much). Seriously people, are we even paying attention?

That's the only way this post makes sense, sorry.

Seeing how both movies had a climax where Batman had to get away with a bomb about to explode, you're not that far off.

debbie_does_dishes: Gotfire: I found the random inclusion of Sandman as a Judge sentencing people to death or exile made zero sense. Did Bane seek out Sandman and ask if he would be interested in a judge position? Did he track him down on his LinkedIn profile? What a stupid and ridiculous scene...

/Cillian Murphy was great in the 1st one. Such a shame to retard his character the way it was in 2 & 3.

OMG a movie about BATMAN wasn't based entirely in reality! Scarecrow was insane after the first movie anyway for breathing his own toxin. The little nods to his character from movie to movie are just that, nods to the other movies. The court scenes added a bit of comic relief to an otherwise dramatic storyline.

The nit picking of this movie is absurd.

Honestly, that would have been the prefect place to put the Joker, on the stack of mismatched desks, at the mock trials, with the exact same sentences.

Madbassist1: TyrantII: Inception was a fun light scifi action movie. Nothing more. It wasn't "deep" and the ending was BS. Classic pancake / pan flip. And the Nolanites ate it up.

Um...not discounting your point, which I kind of understand, but did you make up that term? and if not, could you cite it somewhere so I can understand what you're saying better?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQvM9-IxncQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI2MQkihhM4

Basically a Kerouac beatnik hipster style of falsely making things seem more important, or to symbolize something else then they really are.

Nolan did so in my mind since he really didn't put in legwork foreshadowing (for either way), he just flat out cops out with asking an ambiguous question at the end. What is reality is fine and dandy, but the characters "waking time" did nothing to make you think twice till the last frames. Bleh.

TyrantII: chewielouie: If you're gonna knit pick and have a problem with TDKR, then it has to be the flaming Batman logo. Seriously, do you have any idea how long it would take one person, who is racing against the clock because he knows the bomb is gonna explode in less than 12 hours (wait, how exactly did HE know that?), never mind. Anyway, it would take a pretty long time to rig up that light show. By the way, what a way to blow the element of surprise and let your adversary know you're back.

Anyway, all of that gets a pass, because he's the damn Batman and that scene was absolutely farking awesome. Saw it opening night and the audience went ballis . . . they were blow . . . they were very excited.

Also, if you didn't see TDKR in IMAX with a pulse pounding sound system, then you didn't see TDKR.

Doesn't even matter, since Talia is there with Gordon and Fox, when Wayne and Selina shows up to rescue Fox. She SAW him before he even suits up.

Right there the whole reason and twist for the last act falls apart. The only reason the bomb isn't detonated right there is so she can reveal herself with Bane and have a comic book villain nefarious plan show and tell.

Really lame.

Damn it. Ok, point well taken, but then again, Talia probably didn't see Bruce/Batman as a realistic threat to her plan anymore. Or maybe, for whatever reason, we can imagine that she was unable to notify Bane that he was back before he lit the signal. Or even if she did, the signal wasn't just for Bane . . . but for everyone in Gotham. Nevertheless, it friggin' worked.

My minor complaints of the move:

1. Bane's final demise. Yes, Batman eventually got the payback everyone was waiting for, but the scene of him being blown away could have been done in grander fashion.
2. I didn't mind the afternoon brawl, but I still would have preferred some cool entrance by Batman into the scene, instead of him just walking amongst the mayhem looking for Bane. A dramatic drop from the hovering Bat would have been better.
3. Talia died believing she won. We can't have that. Her last sight should have been the Bat flying away with the bomb in tow.
4. They never should have shown Wayne at the end. A look up from Alfred followed by a saddened look that could either be ongoing grief or overwhelming joy would have been perfect.