The Dark Knight Rises Reflections of a Trilogy

[bullets]

I felt old reading that but I was eight at the time of Batman (1989). I collected the trading cards , had the figures , and got it on vhs for Christmas. Good times.

 

[Alchemy Arcade]

I felt old reading that but I was eight at the time of Batman (1989). I collected the trading cards , had the figures , and got it on vhs for Christmas. Good times.

Every bit of this^ (including age) pertains to me as well.

Batman comics have been a part of my life since I learned to read, and the films since I was 8.

Never looked back.
Never going to.

 

[Ironhorse75]

I'm only 28 but this thread is making me feel old as well!

I had seen Memento and Insomnia but I hadn't put Nolan alongside the likes of David Fincher yet.

Going into Begins I was still skeptical considering the last time we saw Batman on screen. I came out pleasantly surprised. I loved the serious nature of the film. But I didn't walk out with the same feeling you did seeing The Empire Strikes Back, Terminator 2, or The Matrix. It was a fantastic movie but it didn't leave a personal impact.

That changed in 2008. Went on a road trip with some friends for a midnight imax release and it'll be one of those things I'll never forget.

 

[87vertgt]

Well....one day (when my son turns 18) I will be Chicagos own "Dark Knight"

 

[Metropolis_Man]

The photo above is my first viewing of Batman Begins. It's the only time I've worn a costume out to seeing a movie. I saw it with my wife and her family during a beach trip. The funny thing is, we had only been dating for about 6 months and this is the first time I really spent an extended amount of time with her parents and brother. They all loved the idea of me dressing up. We went in the middle of the day on a Saturday so I was the only one decked out in full Batman attire, and when I ordered my popcorn and drink the guy behind the counter gave me an awful look like I was an idiot. We all laughed at him though because he resembled Kenny G. This is the movie that really solidified my choice in getting back into comic books heavily. For me personally it is still my favorite Batman film.

 

[Yawsbass]

This is my first post here, so I figured this would be an appropriate thread.

I first saw Batman Begins with my best friend back in 2005. We're both Batman fans (me especially), but we were just hoping that the movie would be an enjoyable romp. You know what we got.

Fast forward to The Dark Knight: I'd decided before it even came out that I would see it five times in the theater so it could be the movie I'd seen the most in the theater (I'd seen Shrek 2 and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe four times each... hopefully you understand my decision). Long story short, one of my favorite movies ever, and I reached my goal.

With The Dark Knight Rises, I'm trying to keep expectations... in check, let's say. It's not that I expect less than excellence, but I'm not going to go into it hoping it tops the previous films; rather, I want it to tell its story, tell it well, and be a satisfying conclusion to the saga. Hopefully it will meet and exceed expectations, but as long as it's good I'll be happy.

Anyway, glad to be part of the board now. I've been surfing as a guest for months and finally decided to buckle down and get a membership.

 

[Polaris23]

I wish Nolan would read some of these, as an aspiring filmmaker I can imagine it must be insanely gratifying and wonderful to read a complete stranger's experience to something you made.

 

[CrypticOne]

Yeah, I was around 15/16 when Batman Begins came out. And I didn't see it in theaters. As a matter of fact, I didn't see it until a year after it came out. As a kid, I was into Batman, especially TAS. But I kind of fell out with it when those cheesy movies came out, granted I did watch them multiple times.

Christopher Nolan really brought my love back for Batman and this trilogy of his, is seeming to be the greatest to have come into existence.

I really can't pick a better movie between Batman Begins or TDK. Begins just has a special place in my heart. I bought it on DVD, knowing nothing about the story or Christopher Nolan. It blew me the hell away. It was gritty and just so real. The growth of Bruce into Batman was awesome. And my favorite parts of that movie were when he was training with Ra's.

Like most of everybody, when Heath was announced to play The Joker, I was really worried. But when they released that picture of his face. BOOM! Something just exploded in my brain. You knew that TDK was gonna raise the bar.

I can't wait to finally see this conclusion. How it all is going to wrap up. The end. I hate the endings of things, but like a quote once said, "Don't be sad for the ending, be happy you got to experience the ride." Nothing was ever truer.

I can say, without a doubt, that this trilogy, is something I love.

I remember when the credits rolled for TDK, I just sat there, waiting for Heath Ledger's name to come up. That made my eyes water. And I get the feeling, when I finally see TDKR, I'm just gonna sit there for a while. Thinking, "That's it. It's over."

What the hell am I going to live for after this movie comes out? HAHA! This trilogy is one of the reasons I signed up at this forum. To read all of your theories and thoughts. And it sure has been fun!

 

[KalMart]

I the Nolan's Batcowl looks good in certain angles, but because the ears are on the back, unless the sides with the Keaton Cowl, it looks weird in front shots.

I find just about every angle in TDK to look pretty bad with the cowl. Some times it looked strange in BB, but overall, I liked it a lot. And from what we've seen in TDKR, it looks a bit better, but I still like the BB-cowl more.

THought this might be aplace to move this, since it basically applies to all the films...but I did a little quick mod with 'straighter' ears. In this pic, it could probably go either way, but I have a feeling the straighter would look better from more angles.

 

[Art Damage]

This may seem be tl;dr rant to some...but if you have some time, see if this applies to anyone else.

Words can't even explain what this film series has meant to me. Obviously like everyone here the viral marketing for TDK from early 2007 to a month before it was released in 2008 was one of the most exciting things I was ever a part of. Viral marketing from both this film and Cloverfield inspired me so much, I decided to become an advertising major. I have recently graduated with my B.A. in the field. The virals and general excitement for the film has also really brought me and my younger brother closer together. We've been Batman fans since we were kids and it's so awesome that Batman has continously grown up along side with us. I also find it amazing how these films almost conincide with my life personally.

In 2005 when Batman Begins was released, I was starting my senior year of high school. I was getting ready to move on to college and begin a whole new life for myself. I found my first love that same year as well as started my first note-worthy show playing band, I had been just jamming guitar with friends years prior but finally got a good enough band together to start show. In ways that Bruce Wayne eventually layed down the groundwork for what his future life would include, so did my personal life in many ways. Batman Begins completely blew me away, I wasn't following the film too much before hand but when I saw it with my grandfather, father & brother. It knocked us all out. That was the first time I went out and HAD to play the tie in video game, which I beat the same night.

Obviously with the Joker being my favorite character sans Batman, it was understandable with the HYPE HYPE HYPE I had for that movie. The virals, the trailers, the stills...seemed like everything was in order for that to be (which it still is) my favorite film ever made. In 2008, I was in the middle of finishing my time in community college. I had since horribly split with my first love and had found another that I really thought was going to be the one, with eventual plans of marriage of moving out of St. Louis to Phenoix...she left me just as I was starting my semester at a university. Like Batman at the end of The Dark Knight, everything seemed to start just fine and be in order...but a situation rears it's ugly head and a choice needed to happen that I would eventually have to learn to deal with. Obviously Bruce Wayne's sacrifice at the end of TDK was higher in the scale of things, but I felt very connected to that film a year later when my life started to have to change.

Now for TDKR, we haven't seen the film. We have no idea what to expect. Yet I can already just feel a great connection to the movie based on the feel alone. I graduated college, I have great friends and a great family. This horrible thing that happened to me in my life, I rose over it and set out what I wanted to do...even after being "emotionally frozen" in time for a bit. Who knows what Bruce Wayne's eventual outcome will be but with the legend ending, hopefully at the end of the day the man behind the mask can have a sense of "job well done".

I know I may have ranted too long here and sorry if I've gone on a tangent, but I just love this film series. This is MY trilogy and forever will be.