Do you like The Dark Knight Rises?

[Solid]

I've seen this film getting a lot of praise and at the same time a lot of hate, as it's seen as the weakest of the trilogy by many.

So a simple question; do you like it?

 

[Spider-Fan83]

 

[Drizzle]

I've always liked it. I think it's the weakest of the trilogy and more than a little bloated but it's still a good film.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

Its the weakest of the trilogy because...

The first two movies are Batman at the beginning of his career. Dark Knight Rises takes a hard left to a time jump, and a Dark Knight Returns style character arc. But it doesn't work because Bale's Batman had only spent six months or so as Batman. He was barely beginning his adventures. Its not like DKR where Batman spent decades doing his thing before disappearing for ten years. That has an epic feel to it. A Batman who barely did anything disappearing for eight years in-between a second and third film doesn't feel epic to me.

The happy ending that Bruce gets is completely unearned. He hands the mantle of Batman to a young hot headed policeman and then fakes his own death and goes to Italy. More and more, this ending feels less and less true to the character of Batman for me. Not the fact that he retires, but the fact that he just gives up all responsibility for the mantle and just gives it to some guy he didn't even know until the third movie. That isn't Batman to me. At all.

 

[fan4stic]

For the most part, yeah.

 

[fan4stic]

Its the weakest of the trilogy because...

The first two movies are Batman at the beginning of his career. Dark Knight Rises takes a hard left to a time jump, and a Dark Knight Returns style character arc. But it doesn't work because Bale's Batman had only spent six months or so as Batman. He was barely beginning his adventures. Its not like DKR where Batman spent decades doing his thing before disappearing for ten years. That has an epic feel to it. A Batman who barely did anything disappearing for eight years in-between a second and third film doesn't feel epic to me.

The happy ending that Bruce gets is completely unearned. He hands the mantle of Batman to a young hot headed policeman and then fakes his own death and goes to Italy. More and more, this ending feels less and less true to the character of Batman for me. Not the fact that he retires, but the fact that he just gives up all responsibility for the mantle and just gives it to some guy he didn't even know until the third movie. That isn't Batman to me. At all.

I don't think that. I think it makes more sense for it to have been a few years, at least. I think this is also an expectation of exact reference than the movie's adaption basis. Batman didn't barely do anything. He helped bring down the mob and helped prevent potentially millions from being killed.

The movie specifically shows that Bruce physically has trouble being Batman. What's the problem with Batman admitting that and relinquishing an unhealthy and toxic role?

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Yes. It's the weakest of the three, but what's good is still good enough to get it an 8/10

 

[Captain Tired]

I like it, sure.

It's basically the 'can't get rid of a bomb' scene from Batman '66, but taken seriously.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

It's basically the 'can't get rid of a bomb' scene from Batman '66, but taken seriously.

Next time I watch TDKR I'm gonna look very closely. It would be hilarious if Nolan actually put a row of ducks in there somewhere!

 

[Erik20]

I still like it, but after people pointed out the flaws, I can't unsee them.

Like the "Light it up" scene... sure it looks cool, but when did Bruce have time to do all that? The knock out darts that are only used for that one scene... Or how Bane suddenly turns into a henchman at the end, and the way he's finally defeated is really lame...

I can still enjoy the movie though. Bane is great, up until that twist at the end.

Also like mentioned already, I don't think Bruce would ever quit being Batman. That ending just doesn't fit the character. (Well maybe it fits the Nolan trilogy, but l'm talking about the Batman character we all know)

 

[LoganPool]

I've come to like it over Begins, and I really like Begins. So yes, I like Rises.

 

[BlackFox]

Me joining these boards in 2012, wide eyed and full of hopes and dreams, excited to just talk about all the great things the entire trilogy had brought and how Rises was such a fitting end to the perfect Batman series and there could be no Batman fan unhappy with any of it.......so young, so naive.

 

[Frodo]

A decade later, my feelings are still mixed on TDKR.

Overall, I'd give it a solid B .

I think a few less characters , storylines, and ideas ,could have made it even better, but it's still a solid Batman entry.

However, the strengths of the trilogy are TDK and BB.

 

[Boom]

It's fine but it has aged horribly.

 

[Erzengel]

I like TDKR but it's my least favorite of the trilogy. I think it tried to do too much.

 

[Solid]

Rises has higher highs but lower lows than Begins, and more flaws.

I'll detail it in two things;

one revolves about one character, and has literally no sub plots, the other has to juggle elements from Begins and Dark Knight and has Catwoman, Talia, Bane and Robin as new elements into the plot.

It's easy to see why the first is more tight and far less polarizing.

 

[Boy Scout]

It’s fine. I haven’t watched it since it came out. I remember my impression of the ending being essentially, “Is that it? Is this how it ends?”

That hasn’t really changed. It’s a decent movie with a subpar ending that, amazingly, doesn’t retroactively make the films that came before it worse.

 

[Herofan]

No. I loved the first Batman/Bane fight scene, otherwise too contrived and lacking, too often annoying.

 

[Awest66]

I still enjoy it quite a bit. In my opinion when divorced from the stigma of being a TDK sequel without Ledger's Joker, It's a pretty damn spectacular movie that's definitely superior to a good portion of the MCU and all of the DCEU currently. Plus it has arguably Bale's best performance as Bruce Wayne in the entire trilogy.

I think when it comes to fan reception, A lot of them were hoping the final film in the trilogy would basically be "Batman Forever done better", a story where Bruce's character arc would be another round of him accepting and coming to terms with the idea that he has to protect Gotham as Batman for the rest of his life and that realization somehow makes his Bruce Wayne persona healthier. Instead it's the happy ending Bruce is never gonna get in the comics.

Another thing that really makes me appreciate Rises is that so many fan ideas/pitches of what a sequel to TDK "should be" were just so mediocre in comparison to what we got (Riddler as a corrupt police detective leading the hunt for Batman, Black Mask uniting and taking over the Gotham crime families) I just don't see how they're better at all.

 

[Awest66]

It’s fine. I haven’t watched it since it came out. I remember my impression of the ending being essentially, “Is that it? Is this how it ends?”

That hasn’t really changed. It’s a decent movie with a subpar ending that, amazingly, doesn’t retroactively make the films that came before it worse.

So what would have been your preferred ending to the trilogy?

 

[Boy Scout]

So what would have been your preferred ending to the trilogy?

I dunno. Never saw much point in fantasizing about it. I think the execution could’ve been better. I also wouldn’t have hated a more ambiguous or bittersweet ending, but the happy one we got was still deserved IMO.

 

[Awest66]

I still like it, but after people pointed out the flaws, I can't unsee them.

Like the "Light it up" scene... sure it looks cool, but when did Bruce have time to do all that? The knock out darts that are only used for that one scene... Or how Bane suddenly turns into a henchman at the end, and the way he's finally defeated is really lame...

I can still enjoy the movie though. Bane is great, up until that twist at the end.

Also like mentioned already, I don't think Bruce would ever quit being Batman. That ending just doesn't fit the character. (Well maybe it fits the Nolan trilogy, but l'm talking about the Batman character we all know)

I've never really bought into the whole "Bane is a henchman" argument mainly because there's really nothing to back it up. Seriously why can't they be equal partners here? Why does one have to be above the other? Scarecrow from Batman Begins was more of a "henchman" than Bane was.

There are also a friggin ton of Batman stories where Bruce quits/retires as Batman. it never sticks of course because that's how comic books work but films put finite spins on things from them all the time. I think if the MCU is allowed to retire Captain America Nolan should be allowed to retire his Batman especially since the character talked about that quite a bit in The Dark Knight.

 

[OutOfBoose]

If it's just blunt "yes" or "no", then I'm leaning more towards "yes". I can watch and enjoy it. I can enjoy muuuuch weaker movies. But I'm still mixed on TDKR.

 

[Solid]

I do like it a lot though, it has it's issues but it’s still ambitious, well directed, emotional and entertaining.

 

[Filmfreak]

One of the very top comic book movies out there.