The Dark Kight Rises

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, & David S. Goyer
Actors: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, and more of Christopher Nolan's favorite people
[The cast is a mashup of Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and Inception (2010)]

Rated PG-13 {for teens and up}

It would be a gross understatement to say that there has been some excitement surrounding the theater release of The Dark Knight Rises, the eighth full-length, live-action Batman film and the ending to the most recent trilogy. Will this blend of Bob Kane's classic characters, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns (comic series-1986) and Christopher Nolan's modernization of Batman be everything its fans want it to be and more? By opening weekend box office standards it was a success, netting $160,887,295 and dethroning none other than Dark Knight (2008) from the third place record, but does that make it a hit? Let's find out!

WHAT I LIKED

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.

I could tell within the first couple of minutes of seeing Joseph Gordon-Levitt in this movie that I was going to like him. Phenomenal pick!

*Major SPOILER* (highlight below to view)

I have always liked Catwoman better as an dark ally to Batman rather than the deranged seductress she is more commonly portrayed as, like Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns (1992) and Halle Berry in Catwoman (2004).

The plot twists in this movie were excellent.

The ending credits acknowledged Francis Scott Key as the writer of our national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner". 

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

Bane had one of the worse voice-overs I have ever heard in a film, which is saying a lot when you have seen Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002). There was a reported fix because it was mostly inaudible, but this apparently led them to the other extreme. No matter where Bane was, even in an airplane with a bag over his head and a door open, it sounded as if he was leaning over you talking. The only time he voice got dynamic was when he spoke over the football PA system, which made him difficult to understand at times. You would think that a movie with a two hundred and fifty million dollar budget could figure out where the happy medium is.

The whole Batman sounds like he has throat cancer thing got old in Batman Begins (2005), yet somehow it made its way into both The Dark Knight (2008) and now The Dark Knight Rises. Is the need for consistency greater than the need for improvement?

No matter how many times attempted witty humor has failed the Batman movies, DC continues to allow it their movies.

They introduced several new and supposedly important characters into the movie with little background information on them, like Foley. Why?

Either Batman's jet/helicopter is immune to close-range cannon fire and slows missiles or NOTHING, because apparently his jet/helicopter is immune to close-range cannon fire and slows missiles. I am all about suspending some disbelief, but the Bat dodging a cannon that is only feet away from it without moving is less believable than Peter Parker using Bing© in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012).

The Dark Knight Rises made too many mistakes, which ranged from harmless misspellings to large gaps in continuity. These are not only frustrating for attentive viewers but they damage the experience with several viewings. The smaller problems that bothered me the most included: sudden changes in daylight, repeated countdown times on a bomb, poor prop changes, bending science and law for plot, and several set issues. The most annoying problem though, in my opinion... *Major SPOILER* (highlight below to view)

was when Ms. Tate is taken by Bane after Commissioner Gordon's hearing, but then is with Lucius when Bruce breaks in to find him. Bruce is then told after the fact that Ms. Tate was taken to Bane's hideout.

I understand that movies are not perfect, remember the cars driving in the background of the cornfield in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), but this was my first viewing. You know that even more will be discovered as time passes.

The ending betrayed the theme of the series.  (see Cinema Blend.com's article)

This movie is incredibly long, to the point of bordering on ordeal status.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I am not going to go as far as Batman & Robin (1997) director Joel Schumacher and claim that Christopher Nolan ruined Batman, but this movie is far from perfection. I give The Dark Knight Rises a B for being better than average.


WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE IT?

For some strange reason, both Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) lose a lot of their luster when they are viewed without a big screen and surround sound. So if you want to see this movie badly, I would recommend seeing it in theaters, as The Dark Knight Rises will most likely follow suit. If you are trying to save money, then see that thing matinee style.

Batman (1966)

SCORE

Personal Rating: 8 of 10 (B)

Plot: 7 of 10 (A decent story with great plot twists but several big mistakes)

How does this TS review compare to major reviews?
IMDB 9.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes C-87%/A-93%

CONTENT


Violence: 7 of 10 (consistent violence with minimal blood or gore: neck breaks, stabbings, fist fights, bodily disfigurement, shootings, bombings, hostages are tortured and executed)

Language/Profanity: 5 of 10 (infrequent use of the following: variants of "damn", "hell", "bastard", variants of "bitch")

Sexuality/Sensuality: 5 of 10 (a hint at prostitution, Bruce kisses two women, sex is implied, characters are seen wrapped in blankets snuggling/caressing/kissing, implied gang rape)

Spiritual Aspects: 2 of 10 (the name of Jesus is inappropriately used more than once)

Drugs/Alcohol: 4 of 10 (alcohol is consumed at parties and bars throughout the movie, a character appears to be drunk, some smoking)

Prometheus

Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: Jon Spaihts & Damon Lindelof
Actors: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, & Idris Elba
[Proof that you do not need Sigourney Weaver for a good Alien movie]

Rated R {for non-squeamish adults}

Ridley Scott revisits the world of his science fiction masterpiece Alien (1979) with Prometheus, a daring prequel to the Alien quadrilogy. Fans of the classic series wait eagerly to find out if Prometheus will fall in line with Scott's Alien (1979), and its even more popular sequel directed by James Cameron, Aliens (1986), or if it will leave them wanting like David Fincher's third installment, Alien3 (1992), and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's fourth, Alien: Resurrection (1997). Can Scott bring a thrilling, game-changing performance like he did with Alien (1979)? It will take more than a cool sounding slogan to make me a believer.

"In space no one can hear you scream..." - Alien (1979)

WHAT I LIKED

The budget of Prometheus was more than ten times that of Alien (1979). I am not saying that budget makes a movie, because that is far from the truth, but it definitely did not hurt. In fact, in several pre-release interviews Scott mentioned his excitement about the technological advancement and being more able to show his vision for the film.

Two viral clips, called "Prometheus Viral", were released to promote the film and give viewers important back story before they saw the movie. Is this the next stage in movie advertisement evolution? (Both videos can be viewed below)



This movie is all about the thrilling plot twists...
"If the ending to [Prometheus] is just going to be the room that John Hurt walks into that's full of [alien] eggs [in Alien], there's nothing interesting in that, because we know where it's going to end. Good stories, you don't know where they're going to end."
- Damon Lindelof, writer

The story was not spoon fed to the audience. There were several moments in the movie where I had to work plot connections on my own or information was not explained. Some examples of this would be David reporting that crew has been asleep for "2 years, 4 months, 18 days, 36 hours, 15 minutes" [unexplained], Dr. Shaw carbon dating something on a foreign planet [unexplained], director Vickers having sex to prove she is not an android like David [connection] and drug-fueled Dr. Shaw being about to run after traumatic abdominal surgery [unexplained]. While I admit that this bothers me in most movies, the confusion added to the thriller of this film.

Prometheus brought visuals and sound on par with several of Ridley Scott's other masterpieces, like Blade Runner (1982) and Gladiator (2000).

The characters and their interactions with each other were without a doubt the best part of this film. Both Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron really brought it with David and director Vickers, but Noomi Rapace's performance as Dr. Shaw was nothing short of amazing.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

I really hate when commercials show you key parts of a film, especially when a movie is in the thriller genre. Prometheus was guilty of this trend in all of its commercials excluding its first teaser. (That trailer can be viewed at the bottom of this post)

The viral clips, which included important back story, were not in the film. This was an huge oversight, as most movie go-ers are not avid Alien Youtube©, Facebook©,and Twitter© fans.

If you go to Prometheus to be startled like you were in Alien (1979), prepare yourself for inevitable disappointment. Prometheus relies more heavily on story than its predecessor, which is not really a bad thing other than it left a hole in my heart in the shape of jumping in my seat/grabbing my neighbor in sudden panic.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Prometheus was far from the best movie of the year, but it was more than refreshing to see a well-made  aliens vs. humans film that did not leave me feeling like I wasted my time... and that if I could go back in time and stop myself from doing so, I would have done so five times! *cough* Skyline (2010) *cough* I give Prometheus a B for being better than average.


WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE IT?

This is a genre film. If you do not like science fiction AND thriller films, do not waste your time. For those who enjoy said genres, I would encourage you to see Prometheus on a big screen with killer sound so that you can enjoy its vast visuals and sound. Definitely worth the cost of my theater ticket.

SCORE

Personal Rating: 8 of 10 (B-)

Plot: 7 of 10 (a classic science fiction plot, insane plot twists included)

How does this TS review compare to major reviews?
IMDB 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes C-73%/A-72%

CONTENT

Violence: 9 of 10 (off-the-hinge intense violence/gore: several characters are bio-poisoned, decay/disintegrate, threatened, burned/melted by acid, burned/caught on fire, straggled, choked, squeezed, decapitated, thrown, and have limbs broken. Frightening images include: aliens slithering into character's screaming mouths, exposed bone, a character's body is taken over by an alien, an alien pregnancy, a violent emergency surgery, aliens doing alien stuff, and large alien tentacles attacking and killing several characters)

Language/Profanity: 7 of 10 (use of the following: "damn", "hell", "shit", "bitch", "bugger", "f**k")

Sexuality/Sensuality: 6 of 10 (crew members are seen in their non-provocative, bandage-resembling undergarments all throughout the movie, some are seen changing, a woman sits in her boyfriend's lap while they kiss and embrace, the lay in bed together, she begins to remove his shirt, sex is implied and confirmed later by another character when it is discovered that she is pregnant, a man jokes about two other men having sex, a woman flirts with a fellow crew member before inviting him to her room, sex is implied)

Spiritual Aspects: 5 of 10 (the story credits the creation of humanity to aliens, characters wrestle with this concept throughout the movie)

Drugs/Alcohol: 5 of 10 (alcohol is consumed several times throughout the movie, a character rigs his space suit to allow him to smoke what he implies is weed)