The Dark Knight Action Sequences

[HCpride]

Spiderman's action scenes sucked. xmen set the standards. we need a fight similar to wolverine's and lady deathstrike's fight.

yawn,such a boring fight
spiderman set new standards for spiderman films
the only reason his fights are so gnarley is b/c no other super hero can do the stuff he does
no other super hero can fight on the side of a moving train
i dont care what anyone says, no other fight scene will ever touch the train scene in sm2,everything about it is awesome

 

[Nepenthes]

Well I'm pleasantly surprised by the number of JOKER scenes we seem to be getting. Already we know of.....

the bank robbery
the party scene
the truck chase, firing in the streets, confrontation with batman
the police cells, clapping, knives and lint
the interogation room, gets a beating from batman
the scene where he wears suspenders and a black t-shirt, as seen in spy pics and footage
the police disguise at Loebs memorial parade
the nurse disguise at the hospital
the garbage heap disguise with gambol, 'why so serious'

.....and that's just what we know for sure, there's bound to be others. For one it was rumoured a while ago that Joker attacks the TV station and Engel is escorted away by police. Then there should also be a final confontation with Batman after he escapes the cells, and very likely something with Scarecrow. That's at least 11-12 appearances! Compare that to the time Scarecrow and Ra's got in BB.

 

[saint sinner x]

Well I'm pleasantly surprised by the number of JOKER scenes we seem to be getting. Already we know of.....

the bank robbery
the party scene
the truck chase, firing in the streets, confrontation with batman
the police cells, clapping, knives and lint
the interogation room, gets a beating from batman
the scene where he wears suspenders and a black t-shirt, as seen in spy pics and footage
the police disguise at Loebs memorial parade
the nurse disguise at the hospital
the garbage heap disguise with gambol, 'why so serious'

.....and that's just what we know for sure, there's bound to be others. For one it was rumoured a while ago that Joker attacks the TV station and Engel is escorted away by police. Then there should also be a final confontation with Batman after he escapes the cells, and very likely something with Scarecrow. That's at least 11-12 appearances! Compare that to the time Scarecrow and Ra's got in BB.

Well some of those scene are not relatively long. The bank scene is only 6 minutes, I believe joker will have as much screentime as scarecrow and ras put together. Two-face will only come out for a few minutes we know that indeed. In terms of action, Nolan really needs to learn to be more creative, I mean the movie does look good, but I had some complains on when the bus came into the glass, it was too fast, he should of made it slowly and more impaction. The fighting still worries me, just pull the damn camera back, I actually like the keysi fighting style, Nolan needs to upscale the action, when batman was on the batpod and he drove through the glass door in the hospital that looked bad ass. We'll see.....

 

[JackBauer24]

It annoys me that people seem to expect "Action Scenes" in their movies. Like there should be scheduled 5-10 minute breaks in the talky story where everything stops and people hit each other and stuff blows up for a while before returning to the story.

Story and action ought to be integrated. I don't ever want to have walk out of a movie thinking about 'how awesome the action scenes were'. Unfortunately there are so few big blockbusters that manage this successfully. And most of them are directed by Jim Cameron.

 

[saint sinner x]

It annoys me that people seem to expect "Action Scenes" in their movies. Like there should be scheduled 5-10 minute breaks in the talky story where everything stops and people hit each other and stuff blows up for a while before returning to the story.

Story and action ought to be integrated. I don't ever want to have walk out of a movie thinking about 'how awesome the action scenes were'. Unfortunately there are so few big blockbusters that manage this successfully. And most of them are directed by Jim Cameron.

First and foremost it's damn batman movie. So show off his skills and let's pump up the action. This is a movie based on a superhero, without action this movie will go nowhere plain and simple, if you want to make money? Put in a lot of action, of course there must be a point to your action, this is where story comes in. Blow up that damn ugly tumbler already, taking up valuable batman weapons and all. I hate that thing, I was a bit dissapointed when I saw the tumbler in the trailer going through the brick wall it reminded me of batman begins the batchase. We need some fighting and stuff blown ed to kingdom come in this film.

 

[JackBauer24]

First and foremost it's damn batman movie. So show off his skills and let's pump up the action. This is a movie based on a superhero, without action this movie will go nowhere plain and simple, if you want to make money? Put in a lot of action, of course there must be a point to your action, this is where story comes in. Blow up that damn ugly tumbler already, taking up valuable batman weapons and all. I hate that thing, I was a bit dissapointed when I saw the tumbler in the trailer going through the brick wall it reminded me of batman begins the batchase. We need some fighting and stuff blown ed to kingdom come in this film.

 

[Gianakin_]

I didn't like the BB action sequences, where melee fighting was involved.
I forgive the fight in the docks, where Nolan wanted to show what a vicious and quick fighter he is, but the others were dramatically useless to have been shot in that way. Oh, and the Arkham battle, that was fine.
I mean, in prison in the beginning, he doesn't know hot to instill fear and panic, so why are they shot so closely?
In the end, the ninjas and Ra's are not panicked by Bats (they trained him ffs), so why shoot it so closely?
All in all, pull back the camera and let Bale work his magic. Still haven't seen any real melee samples from TDK, so I'm still worried. Anything else looks excellent. I'm sure we'll get another great chase with the Pod.

 

[Octoberist]

yeah, as much as I like Batman Begins, I didn't like the fight scenes. At first, it was okay to watch, but I thought the 'ninja fight' at the Narrows near the end was almost unwatchable. Samething with the Ra's right in the train. (Don't hurt me)

 

[Frank Noir]

Maybe they were a bit insecure about pulling back the camera. I hope they've learned more since BB and are more comfortable with it now. BTW, I think the fights in BB are a lot different than the fights in TDK will be. The Joker will avoid a physical fight with Bats like the plague. It's more about the weapons this time. Plus, during the fights I expect there will be constant talking between Joker and Batman. The camera can't be so close this time.

 

[Juha]

I had absolutely no problems at all with the BB action scenes. They were fast, pretty brutal and down to earth. And I loved the fights! Batman really came off as this unnatural being which was exactly what Nolan wanted!

The final fight with Ra's was great too. You could really feel those punches and kicks. The final fight between Spider-man and Green Goblin comes close but it was nothing compared to the pure badassness of the Batman Begins fights. The action and fight scenes in the Spider-man movies lacked the real sense of danger and that bone-breaking power. I'll take old school brawls a la Begins over matrix-spider-man-acrobatic-flying stunts-high jumping-wire technique-showy fights any day.

 

[Gianakin_]

I'll take them everyday, too, but I'd also like to be able to see them.

 

[fabman]

I had absolutely no problems at all with the BB action scenes. They were fast, pretty brutal and down to earth. And I loved the fights! Batman really came off as this unnatural being which was exactly what Nolan wanted!

The final fight with Ra's was great too. You could really feel those punches and kicks. The final fight between Spider-man and Green Goblin comes close but it was nothing compared to the pure badassness of the Batman Begins fights. The action and fight scenes in the Spider-man movies lacked the real sense of danger and that bone-breaking power. I'll take old school brawls a la Begins over matrix-spider-man-acrobatic-flying stunts-high jumping-wire technique-showy fights any day.

Word!

 

[Mr. Socko]

I'm easy to please when it comes to action scenes in a Batman movie. As long as I can see what's going on and the fights are choreographed decently I am happy.

 

[az824]

I thought that fight was pretty good. i didnt like any of the spiderman fights, they seemed pretty cliche to me. i guess its more opinion than anything.

 

[Sun_Down]

I'm not sure if this has been discussed or not, but the trailer had some interesting action scenes. The Batman movies have never been known for their great action sequences. They've been good, but not great. I wonder if this movie will finally give us something impressive in the action department. I think the Spider-Man movies have set new standards for superhero/comic book adaptations in terms of action scenes. Perhaps Nolan is trying to live up to that.

If anything, the Spider-Man movies set a standard for BAD fight scenes by overusing CGI and just being corny in general.

All I'm hoping for in TDK is that the fight scenes will be clearer, I hated that whole "justification" for the shaky, jerky camera work in BB.

 

[MaceB]

First and foremost it's damn batman movie. So show off his skills and let's pump up the action. This is a movie based on a superhero, without action this movie will go nowhere plain and simple, if you want to make money? Put in a lot of action, of course there must be a point to your action, this is where story comes in. Blow up that damn ugly tumbler already, taking up valuable batman weapons and all. I hate that thing, I was a bit dissapointed when I saw the tumbler in the trailer going through the brick wall it reminded me of batman begins the batchase. We need some fighting and stuff blown ed to kingdom come in this film.

I could care less about how much money this movie makes. I care about whether it's good or not...and the only way to make a quality film is to make the action suit the plot, not the other way around.

 

[Yurka]

I'm hoping that Nolan cleaned up the fighting for TDK, I hope we can see whats going on in a fight this time.

 

[saint sinner x]

I could care less about how much money this movie makes. I care about whether it's good or not...and the only way to make a quality film is to make the action suit the plot, not the other way around.

You should care, because if this movie doesn't make money, say good bye to the sequel or shadow of the bat.... GOOD ACTION + GOOD STORY= BOX OFFICE GIANT, Terminator 2, the matrix etc... NOLAN NEEDS TO BALANCE OUT ACTION AND STORY. HE SUCKS AS AN ACTION DIRECTOR.

 

[DieSmiling]

The action scenes in Batman movies are hard to compare to other superhero movies, because without superpowers you're obviously going to see less CGI -- tie that in with what Nolan is doing in terms of realism, and it's going to be different.

Personally, I felt the action in Batman Begins was the weakest aspect of the film, and I'm hoping for better stuff in The Dark Knight. I hated the close up cameras during the fight scenes -- you could tell Batman vs. the Ninjas near the end in the narrows was a sweet fight, but you could barely tell what was going on.

To me, instead of CGI you just need to have badassery. Batman needs to take names, kick the crap out of people, and just be the man. And it needs to be well done, in a cool way.

 

[Juha]

I hated the close up cameras during the fight scenes

I loved that!

Some minor improvements could be made but as a concept I loved that technique.

 

[saint sinner x]

The action scenes in Batman movies are hard to compare to other superhero movies, because without superpowers you're obviously going to see less CGI -- tie that in with what Nolan is doing in terms of realism, and it's going to be different.

Personally, I felt the action in Batman Begins was the weakest aspect of the film, and I'm hoping for better stuff in The Dark Knight. I hated the close up cameras during the fight scenes -- you could tell Batman vs. the Ninjas near the end in the narrows was a sweet fight, but you could barely tell what was going on.

To me, instead of CGI you just need to have badassery. Batman needs to take names, kick the crap out of people, and just be the man. And it needs to be well done, in a cool way.

You can have great action sequences without CGI, just take a look at Bourne ultimatum and the Bourne identity. Also, take a look at die hard with a vengeance. I feel that realistic action is way much better to watch then CGI action, because the thought of that can happen to you, will occur in your mind if you watch realitistic action, this is why Nolan needs to intensify and make it as viewable as possible within the action films. Terminator 2 had cgi in it, but the action was realistic.

 

[CrypticOne]

I'm not sure if this has been discussed or not, but the trailer had some interesting action scenes. The Batman movies have never been known for their great action sequences. They've been good, but not great. I wonder if this movie will finally give us something impressive in the action department. I think the Spider-Man movies have set new standards for superhero/comic book adaptations in terms of action scenes. Perhaps Nolan is trying to live up to that.

I like where Batman Begins was in terms of action. Of coarse this movie will be pretty explosive, with the Joker and all, but I don't think they'll go too crazy with it.

 

[DieSmiling]

You can have great action sequences without CGI, just take a look at Bourne ultimatum and the Bourne identity. Also, take a look at die hard with a vengeance. I feel that realistic action is way much better to watch then CGI action, because the thought of that can happen to you, will occur in your mind if you watch realitistic action, this is why Nolan needs to intensify and make it as viewable as possible within the action films. Terminator 2 had cgi in it, but the action was realistic.

Oh, I agree. When talking about "badassery" I was referring totally to the Bourne films -- badass, realistic action. Nothing cooler than seeing Matt Damon beat someone's ass with a rolled up newspaper. That was my whole point, I agree with you.

 

[Infinity9999x]

If anything, the Spider-Man movies set a standard for BAD fight scenes by overusing CGI and just being corny in general.

All I'm hoping for in TDK is that the fight scenes will be clearer, I hated that whole "justification" for the shaky, jerky camera work in BB.

I doubt that. The train sequence in SM3 was one of the best filmed action sequences in Superhero films.

Now, while I'll admit that, it's certainly not my favorite. I liked the fights in V for Vendetta more because I think there was more emotion behind them because it had a more intriguing story.

Like others have said, one of the key elements to a good fight scene is a good story. You won't care how the fights turn out if you don't give a crap what happens to the characters. If you're emotionally invested in those characters then the fight will be more intense and enjoyable to you.

I do think however, that it would be wise for TDK to pull the camera back just a tad. Some of the BB fight scenes were shot so close that it took away the "brutal" feeling of the fights and made it simply hard to tell what was happening.

The best filmed "close quarters" fight in my opinion is how they filmed the apartment fight in Bourne Ultimatum and the non slow-motion fights in V for Vendetta. Those fights still retain that brutal "in the fight" feeling, but still allow you to realize what's going on.

 

[wootbaby]

I liked BB's action sequences barring the train scene, the ice lake scene is awesome imo.

seriously, anyone who complains about the train scene in BB is like a sheep. BAAAA BAAA

I know this is a comic book forum not a film forum but anyone who compares sam raimi to nolan doesn't know jack about films

from the very beginning raimi has made a career with cartoony and over the top action... EVIL DEAD??? HUH??? Nolan grounds his movies in realism. Even the shaky cam from BB was a misguided attempt to give a more kinetic in-the-middle-of-the-fight realism to the fight scenes

look at the doc oc on the operating scene in Spiderman 2. THAT is vintage Raimi. not in a million years would Nolan de-escalate the menace of his action scenes into camp like that

and for the record I think sam raimi is a ***ing GENIUS. much of what we've seen in the past 25 years has been influenced by his work, particularly camera angles. but seriously cmon people. it's like comparing XENA to GLADIATOR.