The Dark Knight Rises SteelBook

Me: "you don't NEED to make another Batman film! You have given us everything!" Nolan: "Not everything, not yet." The Dark Knight Rises borrows many elements from The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Knightfall, but DO NOT think this is a straight forward adaptation of those storys. This just borrows some key plot elements, and becomes a stand alone movie. It's alot like what Nolan did with Batman Begins, as that one was heavily inspired by Batman: Year one, but became its own story. WARNING: I may SPOIL The SECOND installment, The DARK KNIGHT, in DETAIL. So at the end of The Dark Knight, Batman took the blame for Harvey Dents fall, now becoming enemy number 1 of the police. The Dark Knight Rises takes place 8 years after the Dark Knight, and as it turns out, Bruce Wayne gave up Batman and is now retired. Meanwhile, Gotham City is currently celebrating a time of peace. The Joker was captured at the end of The Dark Knight (and although his fate is uncertain in this film, all you need to know is that he's gone) and the police have cleaned up the rest of Gotham. Although peace has been achieved in Gotham, our heros have pretty much been eaten alive by this lie. Bruce Wayne hung up the Batman symbol, but never moved on. He is a recluse in Wayne Manor, not knowing what to really do with is life. As for Jim Gordan, lets just say he has been messed up the most mentally after Dark Knight. His wife has left him, and he has been speeking this lie for 8 years, PRAISING Dent going "oh, Harvey Dent, truth, justice, and the american way!" while thinking "yeah, Harvey Dent, the jerk that tried to kill my own son!". So in a way, Jim Gordan is on his own, having nothing but this lie he has to live with. Things change, however, when our terrorist Bane steps in Gotham. He has one purpose: take control of Gotham. He starts a series of attacks in Gotham, forcing Bruce Wayne to pick up the mantle of Batman again to reclaim his city. Of course, there is much more to Banes plan, as he wants to break Batman both mentally and physically. Why? Because Bane is associated with a previous villain in this series, and seeks revenge. This all leeds to a number of sub plots and character arcs (along with the introduction of several new characters) all leading up to an ending where everything is tied together. The POSITIVES: -The writing is great (not as great as Begins and The Dark Knight, but still great). -The action and effects are sensational! 90 percent of the action of this film is done with practical effects and death defying stunt work. There isn't really an iconic "money shot" scene like the truck flip in the Dark Knight, but the action is still really good. Also, the fist fights between Batman and Bane aren't as good as they should be, but are still alright, and improved over Begins and Dark knight. But, the dialogue between Batman and Bane makes up for it. -The acting is incredible. The characters are written and portrayed well, and are all great. There are probably too many characters to take in one film, but, they are all still done well, and you don't want any of them to have been cut out of the film. -There are some great moralls too. Plenty of emotion, and some good character analysis. -The ending: there are no words to describe but EPIC. It's written great, filmed great, and acted great. Somehow, Chris Nolan wraped everything up PERFECTLY, and I am shocked he was able to do so. Trust me, he MEANT IT when he said this would be the final Batman film of this series. SURPRISES: -One of the main charcters in this film was Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Her role isn't EXTREMELY pivotal to the plot, but important to Bruce Waynes story, and she has plenty of screen time. I didn't think Hathaway would be a good Catwoman, at all, but I was wrong! She was cast PERFECTLY, and gave a great performance. Tom Hardy I already new would be a great Bane (and he was). -In The Dark Knight Rises, ALOT of new characters are introduced, but thankfully, almost every character gets enough screentime, and they all give great performances. -Another newcomer particularly is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who gives a great performance as Officer John Blake. Although an original character by Nolan, he has several chatracteristics of a few charcters from the comics. He was acted and written so well, that I WANT to see this John Blake character in the comics. -And lets not forget the plot twists. There are moments of BRILLIANCE in this film. Obiously I won't spoil the plot twists for anyone though. Sure, I saw 1 or 2 of them coming, but there were a few I DID NOT expect. The NEGATIVES: -one nitpick I have is how Batman immediatly retired after Dents cover up. Instead, I would have stated Bruce continued to be Batman for 2 or 3 years (as a fugitive being hunted by the police) and slowly faded away, and by the point of this film, he has only been retired for a couple years. This is only a nitpick, since the starting off point of the film would stay the same, and this change wouldn't have made much difference to the plot. And it would still take place 8 years later, the only difference being he has just been retired for a couple years, instead of all 8. -Banes voice is an issue for alot of people. Trust me, you can understand him... 97 percent of them time. There are a few lines of dialogue that you can't quite understand, but overall, the voice was fine. BUT, in the opening, Banes voice was TERRIBLE! Yeah, I could understand him, but you couldn't help but laugh whenever he talked. After the opening act, however, they got the tone right, and Bane started to sound cool later, just bad in the opening. -editing was alright, but felt kind of "choppy" at times. -The pacing was good for the length, but still not that great. -alot of people think the film was too long. I disagree, I thought it was to SHORT! -The movie is 2 and a half hours long, but, this movie is the definition of a 3 hour movie. If it was just 15 minutes longer, almost all of my problems would be fixed.. The pacing would have been better, and the film just would have "flowed" better, instead of feeling clutered with information. And considering that some of our most successful films (Titanic, Lord of the Rings, and a few others) are well OVER 3 hours, I doubt extra length would have been a negative effect on this film in any way. -Despite the large amount of characters cramed into 2 and a half hours, most of the characters get enough screen time, except for one. Marion Cotillard as Wayne interprise member Miranda Tate. She gets a good amount of screentime, but still needed more. If the film was 10 to 15 minutes longer, 5 extra minutes JUST with her would have given her character more time. She was the one character that just didn't get enough development. -I have a few other nitpicks, but only a few are worth mentioning. There is a scene with a bank robbery in broad daylight, but 8 minutes later, it's pitch black! And when it comes to the plot midway through, it may seem a little illogical, but no more than Batman Begins or Dark Knight, so you can't question what is realistic and what isn't WITHOUT questioning the others. You can't ask one question without asking another. Overall, The Dark Knight Rises is, whether you like it or not, a good film, and an incredible ending to Chris Nolans trilogy. And alot of people complain about the ending, saying "MY Batman wouldn't do this!" well, it's not anyone elses Batman in this series, it's Chris Nolans Batman. We all have out own interpretation of the Batman character, and Chris Nolan gives us his. And personally, I don't think Chris Nolan could have ended his take any better. So, if you ignore the comics, forget your personal opinion on the Batman mythology, and view The Dark Knight Rises as a STAND ALONE MOVIE, you should be fine. The main reason why the ending works is BECAUSE it's forshadowed in the previous 2 films (if you payed attention, of course). "if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, you will become something else entirely. A legend." As a man he can be destroyed, but as a symbol, he can live forever. THAT is a comman theme illustrated in this entire trilogy. If you can accept that, then you should know that The Dark Knight Rises has a very fitting end. If you liked Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, there is no good reason to NOT like this one. If you liked Begins (but didn't care for The Dark Knight) this should be a pleasant surprise, as this movie ties in ALOT to Begins, and I would even reccomend everyone to rewatch Begins before viewing Rises. But, if you DIDN'T care for Begins or Dark Knight, this film probably won't win you over, but everyone should still check this out. For me, this film gave me everything: Suspense, action, genius writing, great performances, 2 great cameos, plot twists, and an incredible ending, Nolan book ends everything as a trilogy should. Another word of warning: If you are looking for a nonstop "Batman" film, well, this may not be for you. This movie features less screentime for Bruce Wayne in the Batsuit than any other Batman movie. But that's the point. We got plenty of Batman in The Dark Knight, so now, we have Bruce Waynes story being completed. If you don't like Chris Nolans take on Batman, that's fine, but don't HATE on these movies just because they aren't for you. Sure, it is pretty illogical at times, but just as much as every other movie in existance. And if someone is going to tear this film apart over nitpicks or small plotholes, trust me, if I tried I could EASILY do that to any other movie. Just acknowledge that these ARE good films, instead of complaining about what you DON'T like. It's not that I ignore the problems in this movie, it's because there is MUCH more good than bad, so I can still give it 5 stars. Also, some people were dissapointed with The Dark Knight Rises because the expectations were SO overwhelmingly high. PLEASE, do NOT let your expectations get the best of you! Think logically (like me) before viewing this movie. Sure, this film isn't 10 times better than Dark Knight as that was to Begins, but, it's still great! I still love all 3 chapters of this trilogy (something alot of trilogys fail at). So, if you enjoyed Batman Begins and Dark Knight (and payed attention to the themes illustrated in them) you should enjoy this. Is this the PERFECT everything a fanboy could want Batman film? Well, no. But heck it'll do! It's still a great Batman movie, and succeeds in doing what was most important: giving the trilogy a fitting ending. Sure, the movie isn't perfect, but quite frankly, a perfect film just doesn't exist. And if there is anything else that anyone is confused or scratching their head about, please comment. After seeing this film 3 times, I have been able to explain nearly every plothole or problem I had when I watched it the first time. If you were confused in any way, feel free to ask questions :) Everyone should check this out, as it is a truly incredible ending to this amazing trilogy. Me: "I never said thank you." Nolan: "and you will never have to."

The simple question brings a complex answer here. The question with "The Dark Knight Rises" is obvious--is it as good as "The Dark Knight"??!? The answer is "No"--but that is an answer that has to be considered in context. "The Dark Knight" is arguably The Best Superhero Movie Ever; clearly is at or near the top of anyone's list in the genre. It also is one of the best movies made in the first decade of the 21st century. But when considered with movie series that have gone into two to three sequels, "The Dark Knight Rises" is a high-quality effort; very much a worthy third act in Christopher and Jonathan Nolan's story of Bruce Wayne. Take into account some of the recent "third chapters" we've seen--X-Men 3, Spider-Man 3, The Bourne Ultimatium; Superman 3 from the '80s, Rush Hour 3, Batman Forever from the Burton/Shoemaker set...TDKR sets itself above these movies because it follows the continuity of the first two movies--the path that the Nolans followed, their vision of Bruce and Gotham--and gave it a full and completed story. Chris and Jonathan have been very good in combining parts and pieces of the great Batman stories of the last 25 years in this series. Obviously, much of their vision of Wayne has been based on Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" throughout the trilogy; and there were strong elements of "The Killing Joke" in TDK as well as harbingers of the "No Man's Land" series from 1999. TDKR--obviously--draws from both "Knightfall" and allows a reimaging of "No Man's Land" to come to fruition. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that the Nolans REALLY liked the "No Man's Land" scenario. But just as obviously, Chris and Jon also took great care with their imaging of The League of Shadows--in their real-world vision of The Bat, The League seems the perfect and best antagonist to this vision. Tom Hardy's Bane, in turn, fits brilliantly. Hardy captures much of what the character was when he was introduced--highly intelligent, uncompromisingly vicious. Again, much credit goes to the Nolans, who have a capacity for getting actors who will physically mold themselves. Christian Bale worked himself into good shape for all these movies. Hardy becomes a powerful, intimidating presence as Bane; though his mask (The positive for the Blu-Ray/DVD set is that Hardy's lines--at times, unintelligible in the theater--were cleaned up for the disc release...) serves a different purpose than in the original story. It's a great performance from Hardy, who has to do so much of it just with his eyes. This movie allows for the actors that Chris and Jon rely on for good performances to step up--Joseph Gordon-Levitt's John Blake, the young Gotham police officer who knows who Bruce Wayne is/was and brings him back into the game; Marion Cotillard's Miranda Tate ("I'm sorry, but what was her name again...??!?"), and again, Hardy. Bale's final turn as Bruce Wayne...is morose at first, with Bruce having become Howard Hughes in the aftermath of the Joker and Harvey Dent. As I've said over the years, Chris and Jonathan see Bruce Wayne more as a person with multiple personas more than a person with a secret identity; and what Christian captures early is how not letting the Batman out has affected him. Christian has been solid in his interpretation thoughout the trilogy. What brings Bale's Wayne back to "The Game" are Gordon-Levitt's Blake--explaining what he knows about Bruce, how he knows, and the sudden direness of the situation; AND... Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle. I cannot emphasize enough that Hathaway just kills it. She brilliantly captures the modern-day Selina; sharp-tongued, skilled high-end jewel thief, top-end martial artist, protector of her neighborhood...and just drop-dead gorgeous, especially in her catsuit. Kudos to the Nolans for the cat-eared goggles for Selina. In interviews after the completion and release of the movie, Hathaway has wistfully talked about Selina, quietly imploring the Nolans to revisit her at some point. Here's an open hope that the Nolans DO find a path back to her. Michael Caine's Alfred seems full of regrets here, and does not get as much screen time as in the first two. Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox is still the sly and intelligent inventor. Gary Oldman has had a wonderful grip on Jim Gordon throughout. Again--"The Dark Knight Rises" is not on the level of its magnificent predecessor. But it is a very, very good film; and a great completion to The Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy. Plus, it does leave some crumbs out there to lead to a new storyline. So, bravo to Christopher and Jonathan; Christian, Michael, Gary, Morgan, Liam Neeson, Anne, JG-L, Tom, Marion...well done. Highly recommended.

The following review started out as a gentle and respectful reply to another reviewer, so it may not seem as cohesive as other reviews, but I'm now posting it for two reasons: 1) I'm really tired of all the "too long" comments, because I see that response as an indication of the general loss of decent attention spans that now exists in the citizens of our troubled nation (USA, but maybe other nations too?), and 2) there seem to be a lot of shots taken at Chris Nolan-just for being Nolan, and since--IMHO--TDKR is the most "Nolan-ese" of the series, I suppose people who don't like Nolan will find more to dislike than those who like him. And, it may also be true that points 1 and 2 above are connected. On the other, I really like long films, and I really like Chris Nolan's film-making, so I'll admit that my bias in those two areas shows up clearly. Oh well. But, to the "review": I'm not a Batman fanatic, from the comix side, but I do like Chris Nolan, esp Memento & Inception, and I guess this film "felt" more like a Chris Nolan film than the first two. I'll also concede that I am one of those crazy people who actually likes *really* long films! (Ben-Hur and Lawrence of Arabia are two of my favorites.) Having said that, I'll note that I thought TDKR was amazing, and--in some ways--the best of the three. I had not read many reviews of this one until I watched it, so the way the plot unfolded was mostly new to me, and I have to say that I genuinely liked the way Nolan paced that unfolding, especially as Bane was set-up as virtually unbeatable, perhaps even by Batman at his peak. I've heard Bane described as "jolly," or perhaps just too flippant, but I think his attitude is simply a supreme confidence to the point of arrogance, and his arrogance makes him dismiss Batman, and any other opponents, with a vile amusement that is probably flip and sarcastic, and tied very much to his angry and bitter "soul." Also, to note one example that comes up as negative, I have seen the "climb" out of the prison described as "too long," or "boring." Nonetheless, I really liked the technique of revisiting Wayne's attempts until he finally took the blind prisoner's advice and climbed "as a child," without the rope. Now, I'll concede that after the first two attempts, I was already telling myself, "he has to do it without the rope, like a kid," but I think Nolan wanted the audience to be a bit ahead of Wayne on that point, because he kept showing the footage of the kid climbing, and the absence of the rope was pretty obvious. To me, it shows that Batman/Wayne is still having difficulty getting his mind/spirit back to the point where he can battle Bane with any chance of success, and Nolan just lets us see that before the character does. Some folks have criticized Nolan's portrayal of Batman/Wayne as borderline crippled over an 8-year period, but he is just human, after all, and it shouldn't be a shock that his emotional loss in The Dark Knight sparked a long period of withdrawing from everything. If you believe Batman is simply a man in great shape and with great martial arts training, and with a few other skills, then you will accept that all of that can be lost through neglect and carelessness and a sorrowful apathy. OK, I'm in danger of rambling here, but I guess my point, for what it's worth, is that I have watched all three of the films in this particular Batman series. I have really enjoyed all three, but I've been waiting for the true "Nolan" twists to show up. Batman Begins was extraordinarily tame in its "Nolanisms," and then The Dark Knight seemed much more a Nolan product (esp in the Joker protrayal), and finally in The Dark Knight Rises, the "true Nolan" finally shows up, especially in those scenes where the action is so fast and shocking that it is almost bewildering, which is what you get in Inception (albeit for different narrative reasons). As for the ending, should Nolan have left Batman's fate more ambiguous, and would that have been more effective? Possibly, but as it stands, Wayne's fate is something about which only the audience, Alfred, Lucius, and Selena truly know. From an emotional perspective, I just liked that touch(with no excuse). There's other little stuff too, like the way Gordon is brought down and chastized for allowing the lie about Batman to continue. Gordon has been a true shining star up until this film, and he does his best to get his police force back on board, and he ultimately makes sure Batman's image is reversed, but there is a point, after Bane reads his speech, that Gordon is justifiably portrayed as pathetic and helpless. Again, a Chris Nolan technique that produced in me a profoundly sad feeling. Yikes! This was a lot longer than I intended. I'm not trying to slam anyone else's review, or start a "review war;" I'm just pointing out the personal perspective from which I "watched" this one, and I'm hoping some of you on the border might give TDKR another shot. Happy New Year!!! Grace and peace, Rick.

I was exceptionally impressed by this trilogy as a whole. The Dark Knight blew most people away and set an extremely high standard for this one to meet. I don't think this film met the standard for pure intrigue set almost single-handedly by Heath Ledger in his role as the Joker. I was however very impressed by Tom Hardy's performance as Bane and loved the character. I have heard many complaints about Bane from random people, but he is well constructed and developed, and highly formidable. He is a completely different animal from the Joker, and as the original story told, was meant to be Batman's arch-nemesis. I loved this movie for many reasons, including the depth of plot and for the story itself. Like most great movies, I think that it takes multiple viewings to pick up on all of the subtleties woven into the plot. (Study it closely naysayers, depth is there.) Many people complain of gaps and plot holes, but I don't give those complaints as much credence due to the subtle points woven in. Nolan does a good job of succinctly referencing most of those issues to move the story along quickly, you just have to pay closer attention. So purely as entertainment, I think this movie is incredible and well worth multiple viewings. ~plot spoiler alert from this point on~ This movie is very important, culturally, in my opinion. Nolan clearly draws a lot of inspiration from our society today, and writes a lot of cultural parallels into the movie. Much of what I am referencing here is the class warfare instigated by the cries of Bane for the citizenry to take back their city. A certain portion of the population is fooled into following a certain number of Bane's henchmen (not to mention the criminals set free) under the pretenses of rights to other people's property. This may seem like a digression, but Catwoman's character is a huge part of this side of the story. She is the caught between the two sides throughout much of the movie. She begins as one who sympathizes with movement of the [storm that is coming]. As the movie progresses however, she transforms from one who agrees with the deluded occupiers, to someone actively (however unwilling and detached she tries to be) engaged in fighting alongside the rational opposition to Bane. Catwoman's character is necessary for Nolan because I believe he wanted to show the line of logic that a fence sitter could follow to go from one side to the other. The tipping point for Catwoman was after a family was unceremoniously ripped from their home and Catwoman stood looking at a photo of the family and said "This was someone's home..." to which her friend replied, "No, this is everyone's home." She failed to buy into the propaganda machine controlled by Bane, and subsequently began to oppose those she once stood with. There are many more details showing cultural and societal parallels written into the movie. I won't go into any more, but in case it interests you in addition to the the movie for story's sake, watch for them. That is all, it's an incredible movie.

I won't comment on the movie itself, since I assume most people looking to purchase this title actually knows what the movie is about. My comments reflect what I myself wondered about when I made the decision to purchase this particular Blu-ray/DVD/UV copy combination. Overall Impression: Blu-rays definitely got more love than DVDs for all three Nolan-verse Batman movies. I got this combination because I prefer to have Blu-ray and DVD at the same time, and I think it was a better decision than purchasing the DVD/UV version. The combo version has three discs -- two Blu-ray and one DVD -- and contains a good amount of special features. Quality: Blu-ray, like with TDK, uses different aspect ratio for IMAX footage, which is great, if not quite as overwhelming on a home screen (46" HD for me) as it was on proper IMAX theater screen. Otherwise, the picture's crisp, sound is good, and my copy's already borne repeated watching with no problems. DVD uses fixed widescreen format throughout, and again, nothing to complain about. Special Features: Special features are found spread over both of the Blu-ray discs. I'll try to dig up a full list some other time, but most of them are unique and do not overlap much with the special features for earlier films (except for things like the special documentary on the Tumbler/Batmobiles). Pretty good materials, overall, though a lack of "play everything" option (like in the Lord of the Rings appendices) gets a bit annoying for the short segments, but that's about the worst of my gripes. UV Digital Copy: Unlike the digital copies of old (which came with a unique key-code good for one download, set to either Window Media Player or iTunes), TDKR UV digital copy requires the user to sign up for two separate services: Flixster and UltraViolet. Users are given the option of creating both account at once using the same information. The downside is that the users MUST use Flixster, as computer program (Windows 7 laptop, for me) or mobile device app (iPod Touch 4G), to download and watch the movie, and it cannot be integrated with any other media players, such as WMP, iTunes, and any other movie-streaming services currently on the web. Flixster's video player, besides being really basic, DOES freeze once in a while, and the pause-and-return-later option is shaky at best. For those of us used to iTunes' smoothness, this can be quite annoying. And again, the hassle of having to register with two separate services and being forced to download and watch the movie using the provider's (admittedly unsophisticated and clumsy) Flixster program makes the UV digital download less than appetizing. Furthermore, the UV copy is standard definition, and for all my efforts I have been unable to either stream or download HD version, which is another point against. Last Thoughts: Overall, I liked this product. My only major problem is with the digital copy. I don't think that should even be a factor to bump up the pricing, given.

I agree, deep dish is awesome. Can you think of anything deep dish that's not good? Rather that be pizza, chowder, casserole, pie, whatever have you, that deep down creamy center, those burnt sides and that crispy crust is THE BUSINESS. I digress, but not really. Apart from "Deep Dish Awesome," sounding like what the prisoners chant over and over again in this movie, this movie is a finely baked deep dish something delicious.....cinematically. It starts of very franchise like with a stupid time jump of eight years that I hated. I think time jumps in super hero movies are always patronizing because time is REAL and in real fashion it illegitimacies fantasy, nonsense, and fanciful diversion. And what is comic storytelling...all three of those things. In comics, they play with time: years will pass with no real world consequences happening, people only age as the story needs...most of the time they don't age, and the comic doesn't stop with time, barring it's still in print. In Dark Knight Rises, time stops for eight years: the hanging Joker storyline doesn't progress, the Batman Family isn't a thing, no villian from Batman's Rogue gallery does anything... Superman doesn't pop by. Nothing happens, the comic ends with time. If a comic does that, it goes out of print and it takes a reboot to bring it back. Dark Knight Rises doesn't do that either. it just starts up again. Bruce Wayne has aged, stopped being Bat Man (which would never happen), Fox and Pennyworth are still old (I guess they stayed the same age), Batman's business has gone to pot and so has his health. Time has ravished our character. Why...time shouldn't do that in a comic, time is harnessed in comics to serve THE STORY. This time it hurts the story. The Dark Knight trilogy has always been known for it's gritty realness. It was actually refreshing to everyone that it would allow time to do this to it and of course it would realistically own time, the way we all hope to do in our lives as we barrel through time everyday like a Bat Tank. Nope...after the first half of the movie, the writers remember it's a comic book movie and Bruce Wayne, a man ravished by time with the will and a couple tweaks, brings back from the brink of ill health (as qualified by a medical doctor) his Bat Man fighting body? WHAAATTT? Luscious is still guarding his secrets and working for him despite Bat Man disappearing and Wayne enterprises being in big financial trouble. What didn't Fox, who was old to begin with, fall prey to time's wanton cruelty, nor did he...find a better job or most importantly, other personal motives...Batman was gone. Instead, he's unravished by time and so is Alfred including this big secret he was holding from the superior Dark Knight movie that just waits with time. It just waits with time even if such a secret could have pulled Wayne out of his despair, his failing health, and his all around sorry state that Alfred notices and is highly upset by. Enter Bain, in the real world even the gritty one, what he does would take years of intricate planning, it would take connections at all levels, favors, money, henchmen, and intrigue beyond measure. He just shows up and does this thing and no credence is paid to his efforts or his military mind. He best Bat Man and again, time and realism is abandoned and Wayne gets DIY spinal correction surgery from a bum and in less than a month or two (?) he's doing pushups and rock climbing. In the meantime Bain dismantles a major city in an hour. The entire Gotham Police force goes underground and gets trapped ( nonsense). The military aids Bain out of fear (nonsense). In the gritty real world, that city would have been crawling with special forces if they hadn't infiltrated Bain's outfit by then. Actually holding to the gritty real world would have improved the movie because especially in the third act, a lot is hard to swallow, such as Wayne getting back to and into the city with no shoes on in what seemed like an hour even though it appeared he was in a foreign country, Gotham Police blowing the bridge so a bus full of orphans couldn't cross it after hearing the bomb was armed, and Gordon not getting turned into hamburger when he went off a bridge in the back of a dump truck with a huge bomb rolling around back there with him. That's just three things, but soooo much nonsense. Oh, I almost forgot, Batman flies off with a nuclear bomb with a minute left on the timer, is able to fly it out far enough to clear the blast radius, eject and swim the miles back to dry land without drowning. All THAT SAID, this deep dish awesome is still VERY GREAT. Somehow all the gritty realness, the blissful childlike comic nonsense, and the expert direction, fine acting, and all around flair on display bakes up to become the most ambrosial masterpiece. I'm not even sure how that happens considering everything, but it happens. My only guess is the movie under went a change while it was being written that wasn't ironed out. That's a biggie that's destroyed many scripts, but one can't forget that good writing is good writing. While it is true, that Dark Knight Rises is two good movies stitched together, a gritty real script and an engaging comic book script, the two parts still work together because The Dark Knight Rises is a comic book that became a gritty real movie...then turned back into a comic book movie. Much like a deep dish bake, the combining of all these flavors can be a bit jarring and some people won't eat the crust and scrape the burn off with a fork, it's still good and no menu is complete without a deep dish option. A finale to the greatest Batman trilogy ever had to be deep dish and people ATE IT UP.

Heads up, no real spoilers but may be the longest review ever. If you don't want to read it, just see the movie. By the time you finish reading my review, you could have watched the movie and formed your own opinion. :) I enjoyed all of the Christopher Nolan/Batman Trilogy...but The Dark Knight Rises has to be my favorite. Even though I read Christian Bale is a jerk on some movie sets (total turn off like Justin Biebster), he does play an intimidating Batman and a young, cute Bruce Wayne...much better than the previous Batmen. Now that I'm thinking about it, I prefer to watch Michael Keaton's lips in the original Batman mask more than Christian Bales mouth. Batman Begins was good, but I found Katie Holmes a little unbelievable in her role: sweet and innocent Joey from Dawson's Creek in dark Gotham City (I guess that's why she was replaced). Heath Ledger's performance as the iconic villain The Joker in The Dark Knight was Oscar worthy. Two-Face was whiney and I did the happy dance when he died...or did he?! At least, his whiney face didn't come back in the next movie. Maggie Gyllenhaal was a better choice for Rachel...but she should have chosen Batman, just saying. Anywho, that trip down memory lane leads up to my review of The Dark Knight Rises...my fave! My first thought: Bane is awesome. Bane has strength, some humor, but I also found some compassion and sympathy for him towards the end...the final reveal. Some say his voice is a Sean Connery wannabe. I disagree. After watching the movie, I found a website that had an audio comparison. It's hard to understand what Tom Hardy (aka Bane) was saying before they redubbed. Oh...and for the girls...Tom Hardy...totally hot! Especially since watching his performance in the movie, This Means War. I actually liked watching Anne Hathaway for the first time ever without wanting to punch her in the face. Maybe bc her role was slightly insignificant, or she saved Batman's life. She isn't nearly as hot/sexy as Halle Berry's Catwoman performance and silicone suit, but I liked Anne's hair and little cat ears. Then again, I would prob punch her in the face for how she saved Batman's life (no spoilers here). BTW...those goggles she kept dropping down, totally unnecessary. Joseph Gordon-Whatever is too cute. I just wanted to pinch his cheeks whenever he was on screen and the tv was on mute. I didn't like his Gotham accent. It was like listening to a bad Matt Damon impression. Future Robin maybe?! I'm not so sure he'd be a tights kind a guy...or if I'd want to pinch those cheeks. Ugh, Joseph G-W's "boss", the character named Foley, was annoying and whinier than Two-Face and Foley didn't have half his face melted off. Most of Foley's screen time, he belittles Joseph G-W's character. Gary Oldman continues his role as The Commish Gordon. Mr. Oldman is awesome in any movie he does. Lastly, I thought the visual effects were amaze-balls! Obviously, the most memorable was when Bane blew up the football field. I wish all football games were over that fast. Other effects I thought were cool, maybe not special: bridges exploding around the city, the Bat-cycle with Batman riding it (it looked a little too big for Catgirl to handle), and Bane. Overall, it left the possibility of continuing storylines in the future. If Christopher Nolan decides not utilize his creative writing gift, I think it was a satisfying end to the trilogy.

i love christian bale 🤤

Great price for a Steel book blu ray !

Este el segundo caso particular, en el que una preventa sale rápidamente hacia mi hogar. A pesar del rumoreado "boicot" a Amazon.es de las distribuidoras patrias, se me envió rápidamente. Tanto, que tenía cómo fecha el Lunes 3, y el sábado 1 ya la tenía en casa. Y ahora, a lo que interesa. La edición está muy bién. Las escenas IMAX se salen de la calidad que tienen, y e n conjunto es una edición visualmente notable, aunque opino que la paleta de colores elegida, algo apagada, hace que no luzca tan bién cómo otros films, pero es igual, le va que ni pintada. En cuanto al audio, la V.O simplemente es de "DEMO". Brutal, asombrosa, ruidosa, envolvente... la V.E se presenta en un pobre DD 5.1 a 448kpbs. El doblaje y los efectos, por tanto, sufren, dado el bajón de calidad con respecto a la original. Pero cumple si se ha de visionar el film en Castellano. Bane está muy bién doblado y se oye imponentemente. Compra muy recomendable. Se presenta en una edición de 2 BDs, uno con la película y el otro con extras diversos e interesantes. Lo que no me ha gustado es la caja Amaray, una de esas cutrescas con el signo de reciclaje marcado en esta, para ahorrar. Muy cutre para un lanzamiento tan esperado. Recomiendo encarecidamente visionar al menos una vez el film con la Versión Original cómo audio, y activar los subtítulos según necesidad.

Spannend, Emotional, Atemberaubend!!! Das Finale einer großartigen Trilogie! Die Story: ...ist sehr gut aufgebaut, da sie direkt an "The Dark Knight" anschließt & auch auf "Batman Begins" passiert. Hier ist den Autoren ein Glanzstück gelungen. Damit ist die Geschichte noch tiefgründiger, als bei seinem Vorgängern. Die Handlung des Films basiert auf den Geschichten von "Batman - Die Rückkehr des Dunklen Ritters, Der Sturz des Dunklen Ritters" & "Niemandsland". Damit wird die Figur Bruce Wayne mehr in den Mittelpunkt gesetzt, was auch den Tiefgang dieses Films erklärt. Damit ist der Film keine typische Comicverfilmung. Diese Variante gefällt mir sehr gut, da ich auf quietschbunte Heldenverfilmungen ohne jeglichen Plot wie z.b. "Batman & Robin" von 1997, gut & gerne verzichten kann. Zum Glück verstehen die Nolan-Brüder, wie man einen Helden wie Batman in Szene setzen muss. Die Darsteller: Mit Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman & Michael Caine ist die gewohnte Riege aus den letzten Teilen wieder mit von der Partie. Nur Maggie Gyllenhaal & Aaron Eckardt sind nicht dabei, da ihre Figuren in "The Dark Knight" sterben mussten. Und Heath Ledger verstarb ja nach den Dreharbeiten von "TDK". Christian Bale ist dieses mal mehr als Bruce Wayne zu sehen. Als Batman taucht er eher selten auf. Doch das tut seiner Leistung im Film keinen Abbruch. Ohne Zweifel spielt er die Figur bravourös. Die Rolle ist wie auf ihn zugeschnitten, da er sich intensiv in diesen Charakter reinversetzen kann. Damit hat er mich in allen drei Teilen mehr als überzeugt. Gary Oldman als Lt. Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman als Lucius Fox & Michael Caine als Alfred sind die Ruhepole des Films. Besonders letzterer spielt hier dieses mal einen sehr ergreifenden Part. Ein Meister seines Fachs. Neu dabei sind Tom Hardy (Bane), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (John Blake), Anne Hathaway (Selina Kyle / Catwoman) & Marion Cotillard (Miranda Tate). Die beiden erst genannten fügen sich super in Nolans Konzept ein. Besonders Tom Hardy zieht mit seiner Mimik alle in seinen Bann & wirkt sehr furchteinflößend. So stellt man sich Bane vor. Hut ab!!! Gordon-Levitt war in allen Belangen sehr überzeugend. Von ihm ist in nächster Zeit sicher noch einiges zu erwarten. Bis auf Anne Hathaway haben die anderen bereits in "Inception" Erfahrungen unter Nolan sammeln dürfen. Auch Marion Cotillard war damals mit von der Partie. Auch sie war eine gute Wahl für "The Dark Knight Rises". Auf Anne Hathaway war ich im Vorfeld besonders gespannt, was sie für eine Selina Kyle / Catwoman abgeben würde. Dabei wurde meine Wenigkeit nicht enttäuscht. Sie gab eine Selina Kyle vom feinsten. Jedoch war bei Catwoman etwas Luft nach oben. Der Regisseur: Hier sind fast keine Wort mehr nötig. Es dürfte allen bekannt sein, dass Christopher Nolan seine Filme atemberaubend in Szene setzen kann. Diesen Stempel hat er nicht erst seit "Inception" aufgedrückt. Sein jüngerer Bruder Jonathan ist oft als Drehbuchautor dabei. Nach "TDK" bekam er auch hier wieder das Vertrauen. Die erneute Zusammenarbeit war wieder mal ein voller Erfolg. Dafür gibt es Bestnoten von mir. Die Kulissen: Hier haben sich die Macher selbst übertroffen. Gotham City wurde erneut atemberaubend in Szene gesetzt. Außerdem erstrahlen "Wayne Manor" & die "Bat-Höhle" in neuem Glanz. Beides war in "TDK" nicht zu sehen, da es in "Batman Begins" zerstört wurde. Der Zuschauer kann sich in Sachen Gotham City auf tolle Effekte freuen. Mehr möchte ich an dieser Stelle nicht verraten. Die Musik: Erneut zeigte sich Hans Zimmer für den Score verantwortlich. Jedoch ist James Newton Howard nicht mehr mit dabei. Dennoch wird die Musik spektakulär eingesetzt. Aber im Gegensatz zu den Vorgängern, fand ich diese hier nicht ganz so stark. An einigen Stellen des Films wiederholen sich Passagen des Scores zu oft. Aber vom Material her immer noch eine recht solide Umsetzung. Fazit: Habe ich ja eigentlich schon ganz oben erwähnt. ;-) Spannend, Emotional, Atemberaubend!!! Das Finale einer großartigen Trilogie! Einzig die Synchronstimme von Bane könnte den Gesamteindruck etwas trügen. Mit der Zeit klingt sie dann doch recht nervig. Besonders dann, wenn Bane seine Reden hält. Aber da dies auf die Kappe der deutschen Synchronabteilungen geht, möchte ich dies nicht wirklich als Kritikpunkt anführen, da Nolan dafür nicht verantwortlich ist. Fans des dunklen Ritters werden voll auf ihre Kosten kommen. Denn dieser Streifen hält einige Überraschungen parat. Aber Fans von reinen Comicverfilmungen dürften etwas enttäuscht sein, da es sich hier nicht um selbiges handelt. Im Abschnitt Storys bin ich bereits näher darauf eingegangen. Schwächer macht dies den Film auf keinen Fall! Chris Nolan ist wieder mal ein actiongeladenes Szenario geglückt. Mit "The Dark Knight Rises" wird diese Trilogie wunderbar abgerundet & die Vorgänger sogar noch aufgewertet.

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