Just got back from the movie. It was bloody brilliant.
Any reserves I had about opting for the BluRay/DVD combo pack, in a few months, are now gone. My wallet will be hurting after doing the same with Avengers and The Amazing Spider-man. Adding further injury is the release of the new Hot Toys Batman and Catwoman figures later this year, as well as the AMS Spidey.
Anyway,
Batman Begins is still my favorite of the trilogy. Although, to be quite honest, you almost have to take them all as one, with each film laying the ground work for the overall plot, even despite "The Dark Knight" being more centrally focused on Batman's singular fight against organized crime in Gotham.
Now, I willl say that there were parts in "The Dark Knight Rises" that were kind of meh and bordered on the dull side. Still, the overall feel and quality that went into the film kept shining through in various scenes. I thought each actor, recurring or otherwise, did a fantastic job and really pulled me into the film. Though, Bane took a while to get accustomed to, I'll admit.
And while not as glamorously unique as The Dark Knight, or as inspirationally entertaining as Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises certainly holds it's own with the other two, throughout
most of the film, even beating out
both of their respective endings, in my opinion. I absolutely loved the ending of Batman Begins, as it had that extraordinary sense of hope, and the sequel's ending (The Dark Knight) was pretty awesome in it's own right.
However, The Dark Knight Rises just blew me away at the end. So, in a way, it makes up for the lackluster opening, something the previous two films in the trilogy got right. I definitely enjoyed the film and I'm glad with the way it sent off the series.
The Batman franchise Nolan created is as fun and entertaining to watch as Avengers and Spiderman and a lot of other comic book movies and I will cherish all of those experiences as long as I can. And I will continue to do so as more films are made, despite this Bat-verse coming to a close.
And with that, I'll end with a few spoiler related comments...
First off, Michael Caine was fantastic the entire film, but that scene at the graves, near the end, about had me in tears, and I don't usually cry at movies. I am going to miss his Alfred.
Second, I thought Catwoman was awesome, even despite not liking her "eye-wear," when in use, as she loses the cat ears. I was rooting for her and Bruce to hook up the entire film and when I saw her in one of the last few scenes with Wayne, being spotted by Alfred, I couldn't help but smile a little.
Furthermore, I thought her ties to Bane were done pretty well. She was simply a hired hand, but was extremely terrified of him, so her betrayal was harsh, yet understandable. As for Bane, he was kind of lame at first, but grew on me about halfway through the film. He was a believable enough villain in most respects, albeit predictable at times.
The real shocker came in the form of Talia al Ghul. Throughout the film you are fed this line of a child escaping a prison and we are led to believe this child is Bane, a man who was trained, and outcast, by Ra's al Ghul. It was entirely believable. A madman, given a purpose, then outcast and now seeking to fulfill a dead man's goals. It made sense, in a way.
However, I did NOT expect him to be the mere bodyguard of Talia, the REAL child who escaped, in a greater plot of revenge. That just came out of nowhere, and I'm usually pretty smart about picking up on twists. So, bravo to Nolan. I should've picked up on it when Wayne handed over his company to her. And also possibly during the romance scenes, but I was just assuming Miranda Tate was there as a detractor against Selina Kyle, to confuse Bruce emotionally or something.
Speaking of Ra's, it was nice to see Liam on screen again, even if only briefly.
And lastly... Robin. Wow. Wasn't expecting that either. Though, I'm thinking he probably ends up as more of a Nightwing type character, but we'll never know. It's left up to us to imagine what he does with the batcave, now that he's freed himself of his "bonds."
I kept seeing the hints of vigilantism surrounding Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character, but I wasn't sure what to make of it. Near the end, I had this feeling like he might try and take over the Batman's mantle, but I never expected him to be Nolan's version of Robin. That was quite a treat.
Spoiler:
