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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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 Posted - 12/31/2012 : 22:43:04
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There's a final moment - which has already been presaged for us quite early on by Bruce Wayne's loyal manservant Alfred. He guesses/hopes that Wayne will realize to become a complete man, he'll have to give up the flight of a winged mammal and settle down. Maybe one day, they'll meet again, eye each other across a cafe.
So, with more than a nod to T.S. Eliot, this is the way the world ends, not with a [BIG] bang, but a Wimpy.
But first the dark knight has to rise. So to the film.
Well, actually it sinks a bit. There are some interesting script/theme nuggets buried under the totally expected, but looks like those Nolans lost the shovel to dig 'em up to be more thoroughly examined.
I'm not going into specifics, but there are some general observations which might explain why the whole feels so muddled.
And, to get it out of the way, some of the performances really are good. Shame about Hardy's Lecter-like mask - there have been complaints it makes his dialogue too mumbly. I understood him fine - that's not really the problem. It's that Hannibal association that's just unnecessary. In fact a mask isn't a bad idea at all, since there are Batman parallels.
The whole flic - and this could have been a good thing - is sorta structured like the comic book which first inked the Bat into our hearts.
Problem is - instead of forging ahead with the Batman films which were still called Batman, the Nolans have veered much further away - particularly in tone.
It's a problem because the storylines are justified by a spewing of quasi-political clap trap and simplistic reductions of really interesting social concepts. All this, mind you, to create villains.
In the comic book days, it's not that life was simpler, but we thought it was. Because we were never told the truth, and we grew up with the myths. The real-life ones and the comic book ones.
Heroes, villains - you knew who was who. And the masked man [so ingrained in us in his cowboy persona] was associated with saving our asses.
We knew Bruce was filthy rich, but in those days it didn't matter where the money came from. Because it was all being used for the greater good.
In the interim, though, our illusions have been and continue to be shattered. So, one excellent element of this Batman is that there is much confusion about who exactly is who.
But, as I say, this poses complex questions. There are far too many none-too-subtle references about recent geo-political events to conclude the attempts at philosophy are anything but deliberate.
It's just they get so fuzzed up. Listen carefully and you'll hear Bane quoting almost verbatim from questions still being debated by the Occupy Movement. And, at a time when collective anger still rages against the obscene excesses of the world's financial institutions - at such a time it does not seem so misguided for this evil masked man to seek some vengeance too. With any target to choose, it's no accident that Bane attacks the Stock Market - which, let's not forget, was the original gathering place of the Occupiers. And, if you're going to demonize someone, it is really wise to make them an advocate of clean energy?
See, just too many questions within the limits of an adventure spectacle starring an empowered Bat.
So it's a tough call whether the Bat or his Bane are on the side of the people. There's some absurd claptrap that without the old system [which was never really without corruption], whether that system is the one that must be preserved otherwise anarchy will break out like acne throughout the city. Put power in the hands of the people? Oh, no! Don't you dare!
So anyone brave/dumb enough to even posit such a thing has to be depicted as mad, bad and extremely dangerous to know. No one seems capable of significant debate. Concepts [really interesting concepts] are just shouted at you, and no one has the wit to riposte. Oh, would there were a bit of wit. Everyone's so fucking serious!
All that is really why the film doesn't work. Yes, it's also too long, and, as I say, too schematically constructed. But it's entertaining - just leave your brain at home.
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 02/14/2013 : 21:42:02
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Dissent. It's wonderful.
Yes, it's at least :40 before Batman shows up in full regalia. So what? We're still watching in rapture.
Also, *this* Batman cycle is *far* closer to what Bob Kane originally created than the 80s-90s farce ouevre that started well but fizzled immediately.
I do not care about the villain. [In this case, he was kept true to the *first* movie in the series.] Like the previous two Nolan flicks, this one actually takes a close look at the price this off-the-charts obsession might take, even on a superwealthy individual. Sorry, Baffy, but to me this doesn't speak to class or status at all in a socialist sense. It simply asks, what if you had all the money in the world and you still couldn't get what you want?
There's no hidden message. Only the privileged one torn between his riches and his sense of societal duty. [And by the way, who wins in the end?] |
Edited by - randall on 02/15/2013 11:49:58 |
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Sean 
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 02/15/2013 : 04:47:42
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I found this trilogy a consistent 7/10. Mildly entertaining, but no big deal if you miss it.
The presence of the whole trilogy in the IMDb Top 250 is not comprehensible to me. I like sci-fi and fantasy, but am unsure as to what was supposed to be so great about any of these. In fact I remember very little about the entire trilogy. Perhaps it's because I never gave a crap about the plot or characters. Each to their own...
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 02/15/2013 : 04:48:34
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quote:
Originally posted by randall
Like the previous two Dolan flicks
Nolan, pls. |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 02/15/2013 : 11:48:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Sean
quote:
Originally posted by randall
Like the previous two Dolan flicks
Nolan, pls.
As Gov. Rick Perry so cogently put it, "Oops." |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 02/19/2013 : 21:20:56
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quote:
Originally posted by Sean
I found this trilogy a consistent 7/10. Mildly entertaining, but no big deal if you miss it.
The presence of the whole trilogy in the IMDb Top 250 is not comprehensible to me. I like sci-fi and fantasy, but am unsure as to what was supposed to be so great about any of these. In fact I remember very little about the entire trilogy. Perhaps it's because I never gave a crap about the plot or characters. Each to their own...
"The" Batman is a longstanding cultural icon here in the States, on a par with Superman or Mickey Mouse. You had to be there. A similar cultural disconnect may also account for our [perhaps curious to others] emphatic national disinterest in Tintin, of whom most of us had never heard before. [We still don't know who Asterix is!]
The most ardent fans, loyal to Bob Kane's original comic vision of a rather nutball vigilante, responded to the Dolan Nolan trilogy as "authentic," unlike the Tim Burton cycle [his first movie came closest, which is why it was so enthusiastically received]. This geek base expanded outward, because the Dolan Nolan flicks are definitely superb productions, even if you're not emotionally invested. The second film, anchored by Heath Ledger as a truly amoral villain [Kane again], was considered the best by far, just as most true fans prefer THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. But I watched this last one with detached admiration at the same time as I enjoyed it as a fan. A tough dance to pull off. I too prefer the second film, but this one certainly earned my money...and I still don't buy a socialist/classist subtext at all. |
Edited by - randall on 02/19/2013 21:47:36 |
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rabid kazook 
"Pushing the antelope"
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Posted - 02/19/2013 : 23:08:22
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Dolan's
though a great filmmaker 
But for real. He's 24, and has made three (!) fantastic films. He's next movie should be in Cannes '13 too! |
Edited by - rabid kazook on 02/19/2013 23:08:56 |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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The Dark Knight Rises
