The Dark Knight Rises - letdown or not?

[Anno_Domini]

Originally Posted by CoolCadaver49

And I'm pretty sure what Fudgie was trying to say (I'll be honest, it's hard to tell sometimes)

For the most of your post, you make a point; what I was just trying to prove is that there are polls on these forums that shows that TDKR obviously isn't a letdown because TDKR is leading these polls that I can show. If you have a forums dedicated to everything comic booky and TDKR is leading on the polls in here on which 2012 CBM is the best, then that should prove something....and CB fans are the hardest to please, but I'm sure you know this after only being a "Hypester" for a little while, lol.

[Fudgie]

Originally Posted by I Am Jack's...

Every time I think about this movie, I find a new thing I have a problem with. Watching it in theaters, I enjoyed it, but the ending left me conflicted and I didn't know what I really thought of all of it. Now, I realize that I don't like it very much.

It doesn't suck. It's not an awful or "bad" movie. But it has a lot of problems, most of mine are with the story. And it's made worse by how good TDK was, and how good all of Nolan's other movies are. It makes this one, and all its story problems, stick out so much more, at least for me.

I find myself really wishing that TDK had been the conclusion, in hindsight. So yeah, I have to say, TDKR is a letdown for me.

And I guarantee ya loads more people will be going the same way as ya. The more they see it the more they'll see the bazillion flaws with it.

Time is gonna be harsh to this one. Real harsh.

Originally Posted by CoolCadaver49

You're welcome.

My point was that those polls don't mean s***. It's impossible to judge how many people liked which one better. Polls are iffy because users might not find them (which gets a less biased attitude, a thread in the Batforums, a thread in the general forums, or a poll on the main page?). Even if you got a good, fair sampling size, and even if TDKR won, what exactly would that prove (in relation to this threads' topic)? I know plenty of people (average moviegoers, film buffs, comic fans) that thought TDKR was a disappointment, but still liked it far more than The Avengers. In fact, I am the only person that I know (in "real life") that likes the Avengers better.

I'm saying that it's useless to compare the two films, especially within the context of this thread, which is meant to determine whether or not TDKR was a letdown.

And I'm pretty sure what Fudgie was trying to say (I'll be honest, it's hard to tell sometimes), was that TDKR had a higher chance of being a letdown. FAR higher chance than TASM, which was coming off of SM3, or Judge Dredd (because who cares), or MIB III (because again, who cares), or even The Avengers (just a big "dumb" summer popcorn flick). People weren't expecting any of those movies to be revolutionary or groundbreaking. But Rises had to live up to a movie that revolutionized the genre, according to many. That was very unlikely, but people still went in with those expectations (I just wanted a movie as good as Begins or The Prestige). So it only makes sense that more people left TDKR disappointed (because more people were expecting lightning to strike twice). This has nothing to do with the quality of the film (which did exacerbate things, imo), or whether or not The Avengers was better. There was just a higher chance of people being disappointed.

I don't think the poll of this thread is very representative of general audiences. I think most people liked it fine (though I've seen an almost unanimous agreement among friends and critics that TDK was better). I think a very small percentage of audiences left disappointed (maybe like 10-15% tops). And I think that generally, those are the people who thought about the movie, agonized over it prior to its release, and then continued to think about it long after seeing it. In my experience, the more somebody over-analyzes a movie, the higher the chance that they'll end up disliking it. This is a fan forum, filled with people that endlessly discuss CBMs so I think the results are skewed in the negative direction.

Keeping all of that in mind, TDKR was/is a great success. Even someone like me (I enjoy it less and less over time) can understand that a sequel to TDKR could have been, no, should have been much less popular (think about Godfather III, or Return of the Jedi). I think backlash against this movie (among general audiences and critics alike) was extremely small, and that alone makes it a successful movie.

So financially and critically speaking, I think it would be incorrect to call this movie a letdown. But on a personal level, it was for me, which is why I voted yes. And there's no use debating opinion, so I'd rather not get into that (I've lurked for a long time, I know that you slobber over TDKR, I don't need to hear more of the same).

Heh I can be hard to understand sometimes. English ain't my first language. But ya made such an awesome post that it's easy to overlook that remark.

Bravo sir.

[CoolCadaver49]

Originally Posted by Anno_Domini

For the most of your post, you make a point; what I was just trying to prove is that there are polls on these forums that shows that TDKR obviously isn't a letdown because TDKR is leading these polls that I can show. If you have a forums dedicated to everything comic booky and TDKR is leading on the polls in here on which 2012 CBM is the best, then that should prove something....and CB fans are the hardest to please, but I'm sure you know this after only being a "Hypester" for a little while, lol.

Yeah, I totally get what you're saying now.

Originally Posted by Fudgie

Heh I can be hard to understand sometimes. English ain't my first language. But ya made such an awesome post that it's easy to overlook that remark.

Bravo sir.

Oh, er, sorry for that little comment then.

[Fudgie]

It's cool. Ya were not to know.

[BlueLightning]

Hey Fudgie, I'm curious, what's your first language? I struggle sometimes because mine is spanish.

[Anno_Domini]

If I had to guess, I'd guess it is French since he says mon ami lot.

[Squaremaster316]

Originally Posted by Fudgie

And I guarantee ya loads more people will be going the same way as ya. The more they see it the more they'll see the bazillion flaws with it.

Time is gonna be harsh to this one. Real harsh.

Avenger's crossover novelty will wear and expose itself for the lackluster film it is long before this film drops anywhere near that level.

[BatLobsterRises]

I think there's just as good a chance that people will eventually get over some of the things that bothered them and enjoy the plethora of goodness the movie has to offer. It's a movie that takes a while to digest. And contrary to what some people think here, I feel it makes the trilogy complete and works best when viewed in conjunction with the previous two films.

But I won't claim to know how time is going to treat it. Nobody can say that for sure. However, I do that believe regardless of how TDKR fares over time, the trilogy in general will still be very fondly remembered by most fans. I was 19 when Begins came out and I consider this trilogy "my" trilogy. I can only imagine how "big" these films feel to the people who were like 11-13 when Begins came out and really grew up with it. For a lot of people this series was their gateway drug into Batman.

[C. Lee]

I can rarely answer a yes or no question with just the yes or no. To me, few things can be simply answered yes or no.

Was TDKR a let down?

Yes......because there were so many problems with plot lines that I could not even begin to enjoy it like the other two movies in the series.

Was TDKR a let down?

No....because many of the things I heard about the movie before I saw it made me feel that I would have trouble with it, and so I did not have high expectations going in.

[Anno_Domini]

Originally Posted by Squaremaster316

Avenger's crossover novelty will wear and expose itself for the lackluster film it is long before this film drops anywhere near that level.

Ehh...

out of the three big CBMs in 2012(The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man), I see TAS-M quickly becoming a film that'll wear itself out over time before anything happens with TA and TDKR, two movies that quickly jumped into my top five favorite CBMs along with The Dark Knight, Batman Begins and Watchmen.

[Edguy]

Just rewatched it, and I stand on that it's a good movie. Not a great one, like TDK, though. The special effects and the fighting really bugs me..

Someone seriously needs to teach Nolan how explosions work..

[The Guard]

And contrary to what some people think here, I feel it makes the trilogy complete and works best when viewed in conjunction with the previous two films.

I don't know...the difference between Ra's Al Ghul's mustache and beard from BATMAN BEGINS to THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is pretty jarring.

[Anno_Domini]

^

[BatLobsterRises]

Haha, touché Guard.

[Edguy]

Originally Posted by The Guard

...

..do you happen to read Sluggy Freelance?

[BlueLightning]

Originally Posted by The Guard

I don't know...the difference between Ra's Al Ghul's mustache and beard from BATMAN BEGINS to THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is pretty jarring.

[Destructus86]

It was a decent movie...but a huge step down from The Dark Knight

[Jick09]

No letdown, because the movie itself met my expectations. Bane and the ending surpassed it.

[M-2]

I think the film has some pitfalls, but it was still a thrilling entertaining ride. I dont think it was let down.

I just think that after doing TDK and Inception, people expectation for TDKR went through the roof.

[GremlinZilla89]

It was not a letdown in the least. I think a lot of the issues (most of them really) can be just as easily attributable to TDK, which seems to get a pass because of The Joker. As much as I love it there are just as many WTF moments in TDK as there are in TDKRs yet for some reason people just ignore them completely.

As an emotional story, Rises is better imo. It also builds to a more thrilling and well constructed climax, which is something I feel TDK fumbled with. After the hospital scene the film felt too faced paced and frantic. Rises builds and builds to a crescendo wonderfully. In fact, I'd say TDK is my least favorite of the three. It suffers for losing focus of Bruce too much imo. It's still thrilling and entertaining as all hell, but it doesn't hold the emotional weight as BB and Rises imo.

[The Joker]

TDK doesn't get a pass because of the Joker, it gets a pass because it doesn't suffer from as many flaws as TDKR, and is generally a far superior movie for most people, and with justification. Out of the three Batman movies Nolan did, Rises is the one that got the most complaints about the pacing. Which I also think is justified, especially in the second and third acts. It wastes so much time on dull characters, and keeps Batman out of action for the bulk of the movie.

4 and a half years later TDK's still the comic book movie everyone talks about and loves the most. It's the comic book movie that's influenced, inspired, and impressed dozens of directors and other alumni in Hollywood;

http://www.empireonline.com/features...-knight-effect

http://www.cleveland.com/movies/inde...says_dark.html

http://collider.com/sam-mendes-skyfa...knight/204523/

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=89076

http://nerdbastards.com/2012/05/02/k...es-in-general/

I don't see TDKR ever having a legacy like that. That's the true status of TDK. The only one where an argument could be made for calling a Nolan Batman movie a masterpiece, IMO.

[Drambuie]

Hi all, I joined the forum because I came across it as I was of the opinion that TDKR was disappointing for me and was intrigued why others agreed/disagreed.

My main reason is that as I left the cinema I realized that at no point during the whole film did I stop and think - wow, that's great, or wow, that's a shock. I drifted through the film with little excitement - eg. the football stadium scene was well filmed, but so what. The scenes in Gotham chasing the nuke were ... boring and just a bit daft really. Batman returns at the end to fight Bane, and just exchanges slaps and punches. Bane himself was just a big bloke with a strap on facemask that was surely a very obvious weakness.

My wife liked the film, friends liked it and some saw it more than once. But I thought it was simply a quite good 'superhero' film - nothing more. You could have inserted any movie hero in there, and it would have been the same. I can usually tell if I like a film by a desire to want to see it again - and even now I would feel no sense of loss if I never saw it again.

I wanted it to be good, no great - and that was part of the problem I suppose. It wasn't. In my opinion, by a long, long way.

[Cannikin]

I thought it was a great end to the trilogy. Casting Hathaway as Selina left me scratching my head, very much the same way I did when I heard Ledger had been cast as my favorite villain, but she impressed me almost as much as she did. She was more of the Selina Kyle I'm used to reading than I've ever seen on screen so far.

I enjoyed it's nods to some of my favorite story lines, like No Man's Land.

People are upset that Batman didn't continue on, and to some degree I was too, but I liked that Nolan showed the toll that being Batman would take on a human body.

Loving the Blu-Ray, especially with the IMAX scenes included. I've enjoyed the repeated viewings and find the pacing to make me a bit less drowsy than TDK did.

All in all, NO it was not a let down in any way aside from knowing it was the last of the Nolan films.

[optimus2861]

Yes it was. When I first watched BB I was left thinking, "Damn that was a solid film and really set Batman up well." When I first watched TDK I was left thinking, "Holy hot damn that was incredible! How can they ever top that?"

When I first watched TDKR I was left thinking, "... What the heck was that?" I'm still not entirely sure what to pin it on, but TDKR just didn't work for me. Plot holes? Contrivances? Cliches? A combination of them? Somehow the movie just never drew me in and made me believe what I was seeing, and I'm left scratching my head and can't figure it out.

[Powerman34]

I loved all of the Nolan Batverse! With Begins I thought it set up this world very well. With TDK we saw Bats getting in the swing of things and then an incredible ending(although personally I wished we could've have gotten a whole movie with Two Face on a rampage!) Then with TDKR we got a wonderful conclusion to this trilogy! It was moving, unrelenting and pulled nicely from various Bat story lines throughout his history. I think what got alot of fanboys down was that many wanted this to be a series of Bat films that go on indefinately like the Bond films. We wanted to see the UberBat on film. I get that, but even Bond had to be rebooted after so long! And the general audiences (which is what Hollywood really cares about) spoke loud and clear that they loved the Nolan Bat films!