The Dark Knight Rises review

[Paul (ral)]

Marc from www.followingthenerd.com gave us a review of TDKR

http://www.batman-online.com/features/2012/7/18/review-the-dark-knight-rises

[thecolorsblend]

Couldn't find any place else to say it so here it is.

I think TDKRises is the best of the whole Nolan Batman series. The problem is that we haven't set the bar very high in that regard. Nevertheless, I had fewer problems overall with this one the previous two (at least after a first viewing; may change my mind if I ever see it again).

[Grissom]

I really enjoyed it and it ended on the right note for me. The John Blake character was a solid inclusion and the audience is left to think of what happens next. Wonderful job by Nolan and company and the Trilogy as a whole will go down as one of the best in the genre and one of the best overall.

8.5/10

[The Dark Knight]

People know what I think about TDK Rises, so I will refrain from beating the dead horse with the crowbar sitting beside my desk.

Though I will say this. Nolan is on record saying he would not blow up the balloon. There was going to be a definite end. I think Blake goes against that statement. He eats up way too much time for my liking.

[riddler]

for those who didn't like it, enjoy

[johnnygobbs]

That still shot of Bane looks more like Michael Rooker under the mask than Tom Hardy.

Anyway, I'm a fan of the film although having seen it twice now I find that the pacing is a lot slower than 'TDK' or 'Batman Begins'.  My opinion on 'Begins' has definitely increased since my initial rather underwhelmed response to the film, my opinion on 'TDK' has remained roughly the same (yes, I can see why many people would feel that it's widely overpraised but it's still the best of the series), and my opinion on 'TDKR' has sadly declined somewhat although I'm still a huge fan of Hardy's Bane, especially his voice and I also really like the character of John Blake, a nice nod to the idea that one doesn't have to be a gadget-supported billionaire to be a hero.

[The Dark Knight]

Blake is hardly what you call a hero. He's one of the worst things about the trilogy.

[johnnygobbs]

Blake is hardly what you call a hero. He's one of the worst things about the trilogy.

How's he not a hero?  He's a working class guy who lost both parents at a young age but unlike the 'prince of Gotham City' he wasn't born with billions and didn't have the means to buy various gadgets and spend years in the wilderness training knowing he'd have a fortune to come back to.  He pursued the best available route to him as far as becoming a 'hero' and that was to join the police force where he's clearly one of the sharpest, most able and most conscientious members of Gordon's force.  Few if any of us can aspire to achieve what Bruce did simply because we weren't born with a silver spoon.  However, any of us, assuming we had the courage and the integrity, could become John Blake.  He's the Captain America to Wayne's spoiled, remote Iron Man and I've always been able to relate more to Captain America than that bratty douche Tony Stark.

[The Dark Knight]

I said he is hardly what you call a hero. He's definitely isn't a believable or effective one. Especially as a replacement to fill Bruce's shoes.

Sure, a hero doesn't need billions. And him having billions of dollars wouldn't have improved his situation, because nothing in the movie leads me to believe he's up to the job.

If it weren't for his handgun, those truck guys would've killed him.
If Gordon hadn't healed and taken out two LoS members in the hospital, Blake would've bought it.
If it weren't for Batman, the LoS men would've killed him in the snow after he was captured.
If it weren't for sheer luck that he didn't move closer, he would've gotten blown up by the army guys at the bridge.
I get the hope theme and all, but his next move is to put everyone in a bus.
If it weren't for Batman taking out the bomb, he would've gotten blown up with the kids and the rest of the city.

That is what we're shown in the movie. But that's all apparently going to change because he's found the batcave.

When Blake accidentally kills those cement truck guys and throws away his gun, seemingly making a choice not to use it any more, disgusted with his actions - soon after he's charging the hospital with a shotgun. Right.

He can guess people's secret identities because they had 'that look', but that's silly. And that's all. He's also the calmest hothead I've seen. They rammed that concept down our throats.

A lot of screentime was wasted on this guy. The movie felt like a John Blake set-up. That's how much time they devoted to him. I don't really care about the what ifs, I was more interested in the here and now, wrapping up Bruce's story that started in Begins.

But apparently the training is nothing and the will is everything, as Ras said in BB. This is false in relation to Blake. You just don't save a city because it has to be done. He's one of the key problems with the film's pacing. Remove him, and things start to improve.

[BatmAngelus]

But apparently the training is nothing and the will is everything, as Ras said in BB. This is false in relation to Blake.

Indeed, I've seen a lot of defenders use this line to support why Blake would survive as Batman and it's a bunch of empty words, really. 

When Ra's said that in Begins, he was referring to one incident.  That Thomas Wayne failed to defend himself and his family.  And he connected it to the idea that all the training Bruce was going through is useless unless you implement it.

He did not mean that willpower without training will make you a superhero.  Just watch Kick-Ass's first attempt at crime fighting in the first Kick-Ass to see this in action.