13 
After literally months of teasers, trailers, featurettes and intense anticipation, Christopher Nolan’s conclusion to the Dark Knight trilogy is finally upon us. Reviews across-the-board seem to be good, with the odd outlier saying it’s rubbish, but now that you’ve placed bum-on-seat and witnessed it with your own two-eyes, tell us what you really thought. (Warning: Could contain spoilers)
Was it as epic as the trailers looked, the previous films demanded, and our love for the best superhero of them all yearned for? Was it worth waiting to see if you could get in on a not-sold-out IMAX screening? Go for it in the comments, just try and avoid true, film-ending spoilers, at least in your first few rows — we don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet.
Hello, last night i went to the IMAX to watch the Dark Knight Rises. For anyone with the opportunity to go watch the film in IMAX please please do. When you walk in and see that monstrous screen it takes your breathe away. The landscape shots of Gotham will blow your mind. As for the film Nolan created a piece of work that not only stands up strong against the other two, it blows them out of the water. This has been the film of the year so far and i don’t think its going to be over taken anytime soon. The best bit is Tom Hardy as Bain, admittedly i would of rather saw Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Bain (that was a joke)… but Tom really stole the show especially after in light of the fact he had to follow Heath Ledgers Joker. Go see this film in IMAX. Do it. Now. Stop reading this. Don’t reply. Just go see it. ITS SO AWESOME!
It was everything I wanted and more. The twists were crazy, some great moments between Bruce/Batman and Selina/Catwoman, Tom Hardy was just outstanding – his accent was so funny! (Had no problem understanding him through the mask)
Quite sad that Caine and Freeman were only extras really, wish they’d have had bigger parts – but I LOVED John Blake and I’m wondering if anybody is gonna pick up on that storyline. I know people would be quick to say no – but don’t underestimate the power of Syncopy
I was so happy with the ending. Chris has done a great job, and I can’t wait to buy the box set! Might even go and watch it again.
Must admit that although I thought it was quite long I really enjoyed the film! I also thought the ending concluded the trilogy quite well.
But hey that is just my opinion
Was nice to see Cillian Murphy again, although I was disappointed that Nolan didn’t make this the fourth movie in which his character has spent a large amount of time with a cloth bag over his head.
Immense. I loved it. The twists in the plot were great, and I loved Bane. Occasionally, I had a little trouble figuring out what he was saying, but otherwise his speech was fine. I expected it to be deeper actually, but the slightly higher pitch actually made him seem more menacing.
I was impressed with John Blake, a solid character throughout the film, and I quite liked how Nolan had added many similarities to Batman with him. He actually reminded me a fair bit of Jason Bourne, which is never a bad thing.
I thought the ending was great, however, I was slightly confused as to what happened. I understood the basics of it, there were just a few minor details I missed – maybe a second viewing will help me to understand it a bit better.
Also, as others have said, I’ll admit that I missed Alfred and Lucius Fox in this film – it would have been nice to see more of them. Then again, it was good to see how Batman coped on his own.
Overall, a great end to the fantastic trilogy – hopefully Blake will return though in a spin-off, due to the fact that this was Bale’s last film as Batman. Hopefully Nolan will direct that too, and we’ll see another great set of films.
When I thought of a movie about Blake, my initial reaction was BLERGH… because Schumacher made him look like a whiney little bitch. But then I realised – this isn’t Schumachers world – and the possibilities of what Nolan could do with his story are quite exciting.
Although I do feel Nolan has made his name now, and he will go on to do original films (A la The Prestige) because they were incredible as well and it’s more personal than using other peoples characters and stuff.
I don’t want anybody to fuck with Nolans Batman world, that means no sequels, no spinoffs – unless he’s involved.
As the conclusion to the trilogy, I felt that it was a very satisfying way to end things.
First the negatives: the main plot could be better. There were quite a few plot holes and the editing could be a lot better though it’s more to do with trimming down the running time in my opinion. I would love to see an extended cut that fills out more of the characters. The fight scenes too are a little stiff, but again that’s more the way with how armoured Batman is. Also right at the end when they name dropped, it was a little heavy handed. I won’t say more as it might spoil things.
That’s the nitpicks.
On the plus side, everything else was pretty great. Performances were great for everyone. Christian Bale has a lot more time to shine during his scenes here as we mainly saw Bruce Wayne unlike his mainly growling alter-ego. Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to prove his acting chops by being an earnest guy we can root for. The biggest surprise was Anne Hathaway. I know she can act but I was unsure how she would be here. She gave a Selina Kyle that is charming, flawed, yet very strong. The rest of the supporting cast were up there as well so no complaints. The only one that couldn’t do as much was Tom Hardy, but hey, a man can only do so much when half his face is covered through the movie.
While for those who know Batman lore could see the twist and reveals, it was still a very thrilling ride right up to the big finish.
This was a film that focuses more on character than the story and it shows.
It also helped for me at least that I avoid all but teaser trailers for movies, as it makes everything I see have a much greater impact.
I have to say, I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. A pretty well rounded film, all things considered.
That’s what I thought, though what did you think about the name dropping at the end for you know who? I thought if they used the other name it would have been better, less anvil-heavy.
I guessed that was going to happen because of a few references in the film. But when it did came – it hit like a snookerball in a sock. I was incredibly giddy like a little child when they mentioned the name even though I kind of already knew (although I had my doubts).
I thought it was fine the way they did it – and they left it very open for him.
*This post contains spoilers* *Do not read past the first paragraph if you don’t like spoilers*
Watched it on Friday midnight. It was a great film. Probably not as good as the second one, but it would be difficult for any future batman film to top Dark Knight. As much as the joker claims that he doesn’t plot, every single action he took in the film was well planned and intricate. Bane’s plan was good too, but it lacks the intricacy and artistic touch of the Jokers.
*MASSIVE SPOILER* *YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED*
The only scene that really perplexed/disappointed me was the suicide rush of the police. Okay so batman took out the cannon, but what about the baddies wielding automatic weapons? How on earth are they missing at that kind of distance? They should have been able to mow down at least the first few rows of police. As it was only a handful of police was shot before the two sides clashed.
*Ending spoiler*
On the plus side, I really liked the Robin twist. I have to admit that I did not see that coming at all. Up till the very end I was convinced that he was going to become a new Batman, and it doesn’t help that Wayne kept hinting that the true identity of the Batman is not important.
P.S. I absolutely love Bane’s voice.
I’m not sure that we’re meant to think he will become “Robin.” I think Blake’s character will go on to become The Batman. Robin’s name was never actually Robin: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damien Wayne. I think that the trajectory that Nolan puts the audience on throughout the entire trilogy sending the message that Batman is a symbol, that he is more than a man is made manifest by Blake’s character. I think it was just a nod to the Robin character.
But … he’s Robin.. Batman… ouch my head hurts.
SEMI-SPOILERS:
I loved it. The twist ~45 mins before the end (when you find out about prison child) was interesting, but I sort of guessed the person would not be good, and about a minute before it happened, I guessed the person would be who they turned out to be xD Tom Hardy was a amazing, and while I am repeating what others said, Alfred and Lucius Fox needed more screen time (Alfred moreso for me). Overall, it was quite simply an epic film, but the bit where Blake gets his stuff could’ve been a lot more subtle, considering the general hints in the movie. The last scene with Alfred was nice though, I thought that was very good.
IT WAS AWESOME.
Do Batman and Bane understand each other when they talk??
One thing that I must add is this: DON’T GO TO VUE.
Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration. But when I was watching the film yesterday, the quality of the film itself (as in visually) was dire. They had a few moments where a stripe of what looked a bit like static – from untuned TVs – came across a frame, which was really irritating. But to add to that, the lighting of the actual film was terrible – it all appeared to be washed out and darker than it should be. I’ve experienced this with other films to be honest – they look dull in colour in the cinema, but bright and beautiful at home on a TV. I guess this might just be to do with the fact that they’re projecting the film rather than displaying it on a giant, well, display, but the intensity of this problem with The Dark Knight Rises was quite significant.
Anyway, it’s probably only Vue Lancaster that had this problem, it was probably just a dodgy roll of film (or whatever they use these days, although I think it’s still film). Actually, why do they stil use film? Why haven’t we moved onto using digital projectors yet?
That was probably more than one thing. I’m not very concise. Sorry.
Strange, I think all the Vues in London are digital (and have been for a while).
I think TDKR is a digital film as well
It wasn’t a digital film, Christopher Nolan makes a point of using old-y style film, he even still edits the old fashion way…
All the showings at my cineworld have been digital showings, so I dunno.
I’ve been to Vue Edinburgh (Omni Centre) to see quite a few digital recent releases on their big digital 2:39:1 screen, and the image quality has been terrible. There is some sort of vertical aliasing problem which creates jagged edges between any two areas of high contrast, especially visible during camera moves. I’ve noticed this during three different films, so it’s clearly an issue with their setup.
For DKR I thankfully went to the Cineworld IMAX. Second row from the front, screen almost completely fills your vision. Beyond awesome. Only slight disappointment is the few scenes that weren’t filmed in 70mm. The upscaling to IMAX format for these seems to throw the camera focus off (was especially noticeable during big the Bruce/Alfred argument).
That’s exactly what happened with me, but I’ve never seen it happen before. Then again, the last time I went was a few months ago, when I went to see The Avengers, and it was at a different screen in the cinema. It’s still a very odd issue, I hope they sort it out for the next two films I want to watch – Skyfall and The Bourne Legacy.
I saw Avengers in VUE Edinburgh (Ocean Terminal) and was amazed at the screen quality – I wondered if they had went 4K since the last movie I watch months before (forget what was but it looked terrible)
WARNING – SPOILERS –
So just seen this today, normal movie screen and not imax as I figured if its good enough in a normal screen then il watch it in imax too.
I felt the ending was one of the better parts of the movie compared to the rest in some respect.
They tried to show time lapse while Bruce is in the underground prison and Gotham has been held captive for months but it was portrayed so quickly with little build up with the audience expected to buy into it which I felt was asking a bit much with little development.
The twist with Talia – again if they wanted to destroy the city and make BATMAN say there were plenty of chances to do so without making it complicated.
That was the strength of The Dark Knight-it was always made with realism and believability but that was stretched a bit in this third installment on some fronts.
The good elements were some of directions they took it in- Wayne emphasizing that BATMAN is a symbol and more than just one man, Blake’s involvement, trying to give a deeper meaning to the story by relative first with more depth-but then again i felt the first story was done and dusted and it
WARNING – SPOILERS –
So just seen this today, normal movie screen and not imax as I figured if its good enough in a normal screen then il watch it in imax too.
I felt the ending was one of the better parts of the movie compared to the rest in some respect.
They tried to show the time lapse while Bruce is in the underground prison and Gotham has been held captive too quickly and briefly with little build up with the audience expected to buy into it which I felt was asking a bit much with little development.
The twist with Talia – again if they wanted to destroy the city and make BATMAN pay there were plenty of chances to do so without making it complicated.
That was the strength of The Dark Knight-it was always made with realism and believability but that was stretched a bit in this third installment on some fronts.
The good elements were some of directions they took it in- Wayne emphasizing that BATMAN is a symbol and more than just one man, Blake’s involvement, trying to give a deeper meaning to the story by relative first with more depth-but then again I felt this last point was its down fall in some respect as Ras al ghul story I felt was finished and bane alone with a new one would have likely sufficed without getting Talia involved.
Yes it was.
I went expecting to be disappointed after all the hype, but came out feeling like a little kid again. It was a roller coaster ride and though many have complained about the slow early pacing, I appreciated the attempt at deeper characterisations. The breakdown in relationship between Alfred and Bruce are nicely handled and came across as a genuine effort to flesh out the existential angst. I could nit-pick, that jarring edit of Catwoman on the bike, which seems to fade off into the following sequence… but no, this was great fun. Interestingly, despite all the gadgets for me the best scene was the return face off between Bats and Bane on the steps of the, Stock Exchange?
… Interestingly, despite all the gadgets and large set pieces, for me the best scene was the return face off of Bats and Bane and the simple pugilistic bout between them.
*Spoilers*
Talia instead of Bane climbing out of the santa prisca prison was a nice twist to the knightfall series storyline . I had hoped for a slightly longer cameo from Ras al ghul.
A very satisfying movie and a fitting to the trilogy.
Although it wasnt as good as TDK , it was an excellent end to the trilogy.
My IMDb ratings are as follows
Batman begins – 9
The Dark Knight – 10
The Dark Knight Rises – 7
It was ambitious in its scale and impeccably filmed but the results for me were not as rewarding as the first two.
It was alright, nothing more. Thankfully I don’t fall for all the BS hype surrounding movies. I’s say it was an hour too long, but a couple nice twists at the end. I did not see the prison kid being how it was but then again I didn’t care.
Watched all three back to back yesterday afternoon/evening/night and I have to say that TDKR was the weakest of the three. It was a good movie, not an awesome movie.
I did feel that Bane’s voice was out of place – it felt like an over-dub; the levels were inconsistent with everyone else in the scene. It felt very much like James Earl Jones / Darth Vadar. Props to Tom Hardy for bulking up for the role, but to be honest, I think any muscle brut could have played Bane with a decent voice over.
I guessed John Blake’s relevance about half way through.
The ending however was great and a perfect ending to the trilogy.
Like hell you guessed it was ‘him’ lol.
I along with many others thought he was someone but to be honest, I thought he would be Azrael when Batman broke his back…
If you don’t believe me fine.
But I leant over to my girlfriend and whispered to her “no spoilers”
And when he collected his bag; it confirmed my earlier whisper.
The ending just cemented it.
Honestly, I was suspicious even on the trailer.
Just wondering, am I the only one who didn’t think it felt like nearly 3 hours? The other people I was watching it with disagreed with me, but I felt comfortable watching it the whole way through. The Avengers, on the other hand (which was 23 minutes shorter) did feel like quite a long time to me. I thought that The Dark Knight Rises may not have been so good due to the length, but I hardly noticed it.
I’m with you on that one. Thought it was a great length. Didn’t feel overly long at all. Was captivated to till the end.
Yeah, I definitely had a case of sore arse for the last 40 minutes or so of Avengers but TDKR was absolutely fine.
I actually thought, in The Avengers, that it was the middle that felt the longest. When the final battle scene came on, I was fine.
I was surprised that it actually was this long and given I saw it at 4:30 in the morning, I came out on a high rather than half asleep as I expected.
I’m probably going to get annihilated for saying this but with the twists and turns and the story, along with IMO a villain to equal Heath’s Joker, I thought this was the best film I’ve ever seen…
Before anyone says it I have seen a lot of films!
I loved the story, I thought Bane was fantastic, the relationship between Alfred and Bruce was really touching, I welled up a couple of times and the ending, oh my god the ending!
When I first saw it, I felt genuine panic and actually cried a little at a time to avoid spoilers I won’t reveal but everyone will likely know when.
I saw it in IMAX and it was so worth it, I saw it again 24hrs later in standard and it was still as good as I thought it was.
I urge anyone though, see it in IMAX if you can. It’s an incredible film, done in an incredible format and the score by Hans Zimmer is fantastic and in parts you can feel your internal organs vibrating with the percussion!!
I can’t believe the free ride Nolan is getting on this one. Fair enough, take the source material and put your own stamp on it, but this took absolute liberties.
Bane in the comics was a venom-fuelled monster, super intelligent but utterly remorseless – he broke Batman’s spine don’t forget – and at no point did you get the sense of this physical power (despite Tom Hardy’s admirable efforts to bulk up). So now the mask prevents Bane’s pain? What? How? It’s the delivery system for Venom, not an anaesthetic inhaler. I agree with the poster who felt his voice came across overdubbed – and still I found it hard to understand what he was saying.
As for changing Bane’s origin, well OK, take the source material and make it your own, but it further stretched credulity to have him jet off with Batman in the middle of taking over Gotham to dump him in that jail (wherever the hell that was meant to be). What, did he take the weekend off or something?
Talia al-Ghul, revealed then wasted – her presence reducing Bane to a henchman yet again, just as Schumacher did.
The devastation promised in the posters & trailer? Nothing added that you hadn’t already seen other than a few long-distance puffs of smoke.
Anyone who didn’t spot the Robin reveal despite all the ‘get this hothead out of here’ signposting should be forced to watch Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin until their eyes bleed.
So Gotham is on lockdown for… how many months? Yet no litter piles up on the streets, there are no visible signs of decay, what’s going on all this time? And the police who’ve spent months living underground on emergency rations just pop up ready to rumble? Against machine guns?!
And why was the Scarecrow presiding over that kangaroo court?
On the plus side – Alfred, surprisingly decent Catwoman, epic stadium scene, Bat-plane chase and a great performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
The Dark Knight remains the greatest superhero movie of all time. This doesn’t even make the top 10.
I take your point about detailing the scenes, but come on, it’s a fantasy movie not a bloody documentary. Should it include a cost analysis and breakdown of how long it took Bats to sort out that flaming signal on the bridge? Maybe a couple of scenes of him going down to the local petrol station and hiring rigging equipment to get the kit up there? Throw in a couple of health and safety inspectors for good measure?
Ridiculous response. Nolan has been held up as delivering a ‘grounded’ Batman so I don’t think it’s wrong of me to question some pretty obvious oversights. And to be honest I’d have been prepared to overlook them if it weren’t for the hideous mess of a plot and the ruination of Bane.
I expected the replies to have more info on Anne Hathaway in a skin tight suit. But no. Bloody nerds