The Dark Knight Action Sequences

[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, like you said, 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.

I hate it when I post on the last page of a thread.

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.

No one said that Raimi didn't make his name in cartoony action sequences, but if you think that train fight in SM3 was cartoony then I would really like to get what station you're watching, because those must be some friggin' awesome cartoons. That fight scene was energetic, fast paced, and full of action. It also had a very serious tone to it, and I wouldn't have called it cartoony at all. Spider-man is a super-powered individual, so his fight scenes are naturally going to be more explosive and stunning, but that doesn't mean it's any worse of a fight scene because of it.

Don't take away what Raimi accomplished in his fight scene with Doc Ock just because the rest of the movie was corny.

 

[Sun_Down]

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

The bolded part is purely your opinion, not fact. When you're talking about art, there is no objective "best".

I personally didn't care for the train sequence because it was basically all CGI, which looked unnatural and bad to me. And to make things worse, when they did cut to the actual actors, the change was really noticable, making the scene worse IMO.

 

[spideyman101]

The bank scene will hopefully be packed with action, also what Yurka added AND the final battle between Joker and Bats.

trust me, the bank scene is awesome...

 

[Conebone69]

From the looks of the trailer and prolouge I think the action scenes are gonna step up a notch. And I hope we can finally actually see whats goin on during the fights

 

[Conebone69]

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.

Lol, I actually laughed. Every action scene in SM3 was garbage except the sky fight between peter and harry

 

[hegele]

There was not one aspect I liked about Spider-Man 3 aside from Thomas Hayden Church being cast and J.K. Simmons, though neither had much to do.

 

[Infinity9999x]

Lol, I actually laughed. Every action scene in SM3 was garbage except the sky fight between peter and harry

My fault, that was a typo, I meant SM2. And you do make a good point, the sky fight between Harry and Pete was pretty spectacular.

The bolded part is purely your opinion, not fact. When you're talking about art, there is no objective "best".

I personally didn't care for the train sequence because it was basically all CGI, which looked unnatural and bad to me. And to make things worse, when they did cut to the actual actors, the change was really noticable, making the scene worse IMO.

I never meant it to be fact, otherwise I would have indicated it as so. And while the train scene was heavy on CGI, a good portion of it was shot with actual actors, so it may not be as much CGI as you think.

 

[Conebone69]

My fault, that was a typo, I meant SM2. And you do make a good point, the sky fight between Harry and Pete was pretty spectacular.



I never meant it to be fact, otherwise I would have indicated it as so. And while the train scene was heavy on CGI, a good portion of it was shot with actual actors, so it may not be as much CGI as you think.

Oh ok, I was like what! But yeah, the train fight in SM2 was pretty sick

 

[GoogleMe94]

i think the action in general in BB was just not very good. apart from the bad fight editing, the fights themselves were not good in general. the other batman movies i actually thought had better action scenes, at least more awe-inspiring moments then BB had. i will reiterate that the tumbler moments, well, aside from the whole crushing things, i just didnt think it was that impressive, if only because it was just a tank running over things. meh. i still dont really consider it a "batmobile".

 

[branwen]

I've never really much cared about big grand action scenes myself, but I am looking forward to the truck flipping over and the showdown between the Joker and Batman. Someone mentioned earlier that it's most likely not going to be any hand-to-hand stuff between them (for all of the Joker's badassness he doesn't strike me as very pugnatious, more likely to use his knife or something), though maybe dialog since I can see Joker trying to taunt Batman to send him into a rage or something. "Come on, hit me", etc.

I'm glad Nolan's not a big CGI fan. I mean CGI can be a wonderful, powerful tool under talented hands, but like many other technologies I think it can also be a crutch upon which a director can rely too heavily rather than focusing on tension and good....well, direction. If that makes any sense. Not that I know a thing about moviemaking, mind you.....

 

[Asgard]

Going off of memory, there weren't many action sequences in BB, but the few that were there was satisfying.

My only problem is the filming of the fight scenes. There was too much editing going on, even in the beginning when Bruce was fighting those inmates. If they would have pulled the cameras back so we could see more of what was actually going on, then it would have been perfect for me. The only exception to this was the fight at the docks. I can see why Nolan wanted it to look fast and disorienting.

Speaking of that fight, it would have been better if they showed a shot of Batman towering over his victims before going after Falcone.

 

[The Guard]

That's just how Nolan films fight sequences. That's how he filmed the prison fight, that's how's filmed fight scenes in other movies as well. I expect to see some more of it.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

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

It sounds more like you cant accept another persons opinion...


Baaa, baaa.

 

[Stotch]

I thought sheep go like, "Maaa, Maaa"

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

[YT]2le2kz-GYiY[/YT]

 

[superkong 500]

lets put it this way, to me the tangiers fight in bourne ultimatum is the best way to go with TDK tightly shot quickly edited but you could still tell what was going on while showcasing the fighter's skill. I mean what's the point in practicing keysi and choreographing the fight scenes carefully if you won't be able to see the hard work that went into creating them. Part of what should make watching batman fight amazing is that he's an incredible fighter and that in itself is an important physical aspect of the character. So by undermining that with choppy fight scenes you're restricting the character itself if you will.

 

[Stotch]

ooooOOOOOOOOoooooh

 

[zanos]

Actually I didn't notice any interesting action sequences at all! I don't know why everyone has such low standards.

 

[thegameq]

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

I agree 100%.

The SM2 ock and spidey fight scenes are the standard for any comicbook movie--it was the comicbooks come to life (I start to grin just thinking about how fun it was to watch). Granted, those type of battles don't work for Batman--but that doesn't mean Batman's fight scenes can't be can't be impressive or fanciful....although, Batman really doesn't fight as much as attack and subdue. Brawling isn't Batman's MO.

Expect more of the same from Nolan with regards to action and how sequels go. TDK will be bigger and thus have bigger (grander) explosions, etc. Don't expect it to push the visual envelope the way SM2 did.

 

[Marvin]

That's just how Nolan films fight sequences. That's how he filmed the prison fight, that's how's filmed fight scenes in other movies as well. I expect to see some more of it.

yay

that being said
I think that due to audience and fan outcry after the first, the studio demanded atleast a bigger a approach to stuff

thus the trailer filled with kinetic shots right off the bat
(the car crunch for instance)

 

[thegameq]

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.

Are you complaining about the action scenes in SM2 or just comparing directors? Two different directors with different styles is all. I like both, not crazy about Nolan's variant of Batman though.

Nolan's style is very understated, which is why I believe as many, that he isn't cut out for this genre of film. There's that certain something that the well known directors of the fantasy genre have that I don't feel at all with Nolan. Not saying he's a bad director, again I don't think he's a fit for the fantasy genre--which is probably why he pretty much removed most of the fantasy from Batman...duh.

oops...OT.

 

[Anita18]

There's that certain something that the well known directors of the fantasy genre have that I don't feel at all with Nolan. Not saying he's a bad director, again I don't think he's a fit for the fantasy genre--which is probably why he pretty much removed most of the fantasy from Batman...duh.

oops...OT.

I put this in the viral marketing forum since it related to the ARG, but it definitely relates here too.

http://www.theasc.com/magazine/june05/batman/page1.html

Nolan adds that his take on Batman is a considerable departure from the stylized, baroque approach director Tim Burton adopted in his 1989 movie Batman. “Tim Burton’s Batman came from a very visionary and idiosyncratic view of the character,” he muses. “It’s a pretty fascinating movie, and it has its place in movie history. But they created an environment for Batman that was as exotic and extraordinary as Batman himself. That worked very well, but Batman has never had a film that portrayed him as an extraordinary figure [amid] a relatively ordinary and recognizable world. That was the thrill I’ve been seeking — the thrill of being amazed and of seeing the ordinary citizens of Gotham be as amazed about Batman as we are.”

Putting Batman in a realistic world was an artistic choice. It doesn't mean that Nolan is incapable of doing fantasy. He's not known for it, and he hasn't really stepped into the fantasy realm yet (unless you count the second half of The Prestige), but I don't think it means he's incapable of it.

Del Toro is a director who I think steeps himself in fantasy, but he's able to portray a gritty real world as well. Pan's Labyrinth is obviously the best example. The Spiderman films are kind of in between real-life and fantasy.

 

[Spider-Jay]

I prefer both styles really.

Two different superheroes, two different fighting styles.

The SM films I feel captured the fight scenes well, as Spider-Man is known to be flailing and flying about as he fights. Obviously you can't make that look good in a film without using CGI. CGI works well for the franchise and there's realy nothing wrong with using it. Just taking advantage of technology.

However, Nolan's Batman is much more gritty and real-world. Thus I enjoyed the more realistic and close-up fights of Batman Begins. However, I would be lying if I said I didn't want a better view of the fights in TDK. I firmly believe however that Nolan has least listened to those criticisms.

In the end, both films have their own styles which both work well.

 

[Marvin]

I don't think the issue is that nolan isn't attempting a real world grit in a way burton decided not to

it's that his actual style, execution is just very unterstated...
Norrington for example gave the vampire world a very grand dose of reality in blade one (where as ann rice/del torro/whedon even are more fantasy)...
yet that movie has so much style.

if it wasn't for the semi engaging script, and the title of batman, begins would fade from everyones memory.

(ninjas)

 

[Marvin]

i'm sure if Ridley Scott directed the films, they would be real world yet epic
(ie, blade runner)