The Dark Knight Rises The TDKR General Discussion Thread - Part 128 (NO SPOILERS)

[Goku Goes Crazy]

Can someone post Ebert's review without the spoilers?

 

[ImAlwaysAngry]

So does anyone have an issue with Ebert rating TDKR the same as Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter? I just cant believe they are on the same level of quality.

You understand that most critics do not use their star ratings in such a comparative fashion. They don't grade on a curve. The whole star rating is sort of the antithesis of quality film criticism anyway, but just do we are clear it is possible to believe AL:VH achieved 3 of 4 stars for achieving what it set out to do and TDKR could as well, while not thinking they are films of equal quality.

The rating is more about meeting a success within the goals and parameters Of the individual picture in question.

 

[AnneFan]

As a huge TDK supporter, I have to concede you're right on this point. I always knew there would be some comparisons to TDK. Asking the inevitable questions like is it as good as TDK, or is Bane a worthy successor to the Joker. But they are going too far and making too many comparisons instead of just judging the movie on it's own merits and not how they measure up to TDK's.

Agreed.

 

[Batman137]

TDK got way to far off on Batman/Bruce Wayne's character arch until the very end. I hope TDKR is Bruce the whole time, the way it was in Begins.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

BB and TDK has the same amount of bat-time in the movies, and we didn't even see Batman until about an hour into BB. So I was expecting the same, if not more, especially with how much longer the film is.

Honestly, I'm expecting the same amount (Batman Begins). We'll likely see Bats twice in the first hour and then see him disappear in the second act for obvious reasons.

 

[slimshady247]

Well people need to just get the **** over the lack of Joker and adjust their sights accordingly. Theyve had four years to accept the fact that the Joker wasnt going to be in this movie and yet they went in expecting him or someone like him. Newsflash no other villain is like him and noone could live up to the joker. Giving this film a lower rating because they couldnt understand this is a load of **** honestly.

Ah well. We knew it was coming. It was somewhat expected.

 

[Spideyfan93]

So is this comparable to Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi where Empire was basically THE PINNACLE of the trilogy and Return was a great film but not as iconic as Empire...

 

[slimshady247]

So is this comparable to Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi where Empire was basically THE PINNACLE of the trilogy and Return was a great film but not as iconic as Empire...

Nope, one review explicitly stated this is better than Jedi as a film within the trilogy.

 

[redfirebird2008]

You understand that most critics do not use their star ratings in such a comparative fashion. They don't grade on a curve. The whole star rating is sort of the antithesis of quality film criticism anyway, but just do we are clear it is possible to believe AL:VH achieved 3 of 4 stars for achieving what it set out to do and TDKR could as well, while not thinking they are films of equal quality.

The rating is more about meeting a success within the goals and parameters Of the individual picture in question.

Doesn't Ebert grade based on genres? If so, that makes it pointless to compare two of his reviews from different genres.

 

[joker1524]

So is this comparable to Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi where Empire was basically THE PINNACLE of the trilogy and Return was a great film but not as iconic as Empire...

Well tdkr doesnt have ewoks...unless im not aware of it

 

[TangerineKnight]

So is this comparable to Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi where Empire was basically THE PINNACLE of the trilogy and Return was a great film but not as iconic as Empire...

No. TDKR is still getting major rep for being an amazing film.

 

[Agent Orange]

This film is about Bruce Wayne. Obviously, the villain is key but only ONE villain is allowed to up-stage Bruce Wayne/Batman and that's the Joker. And Ledger accomplished that in spades.

 

[Marvolo]

Grrr critics are really failing me this time. If I read another critic say Bane isnt the Joker or that its not TDK 2.0 im gonna break something.

 

[BuddhaWasABat]

Well people need to just get the **** over the lack of Joker and adjust their sights accordingly. Theyve had four years to accept the fact that the Joker wasnt going to be in this movie and yet they went in expecting him or someone like him. Newsflash no other villain is like him and noone could live up to the joker. Giving this film a lower rating because they couldnt understand this is a load of **** honestly.

This.

 

[stefan850]

Roger Ebert spoiler free review:

Spoiler

"The Dark Knight Rises" leaves the fanciful early days of the superhero genre far behind, and moves into a doom-shrouded, apocalyptic future that seems uncomfortably close to today's headlines. As urban terrorism and class warfare envelop Gotham and its infrastructure is ripped apart, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) emerges reluctantly from years of seclusion in Wayne Manor and faces a soulless villain as powerful as he is. The film begins slowly with a murky plot and too many new characters, but builds to a sensational climax.

The result, in Christopher Nolan's conclusion to his Batman trilogy, is an ambitious superhero movie with two surprises: It isn't very much fun, and it doesn't have very much Batman. I'm thinking of the over-the-top action sequences of the earlier films that had a subcurrent of humor, and the exhilarating performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker. This movie is all serious drama, with a villain named Bane whose Hannibal Lecterish face-muzzle robs him of personality. And although we see a good deal of Bruce Wayne, his alter-ego Batman makes only a few brief appearances before the all-out climax.

Bane is the least charismatic of the Batman villains, but comes close to matching Bruce Wayne and Batman in screen time. The film also supplies a heroic young cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), two potential romantic partners for Wayne, and lots of screen time for series regulars Alfred the Butler (Michael Caine, remarkably effective in several trenchant scenes), Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and the genius inventor Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman).

One of the women is the always enigmatic Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), and the other is Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), a millionaire who may be able to rescue Wayne Enterprises after Bane's stock market mischief wipes out Wayne financially. Catwoman is a freelance burglar who's always looking out for number one, and Miranda is a do-gooder environmentalist; both are drawn irresistibly to Bruce, who is not only still a bachelor but has spent the last eight years as a hermit, walled up in Wayne Manor with the loyal Alfred.

All of these characters and their activities produce stretches in the first half of the film during which, frankly, I was not entirely sure who was doing what and with which and to whom. The movie settles in for its sensational second half,


This is a dark and heavy film; it tests the weight a superhero movie can bear. That Nolan is able to combine civil anarchy, mass destruction and a Batcycle with exercise-ball tires is remarkable. That he does it without using 3D is admirable. That much of it was shot in the 70mm IMAX format allows it to make that giant screen its own. That it concludes the trilogy is inevitable; how much deeper can Nolan dig? It lacks the near-perfection of "The Dark Knight" (2008), it needs more clarity and a better villain, but it's an honorable finale.

 

[Reek]

Doesn't Ebert grade based on genres? If so, that makes it pointless to compare two of his reviews from different genres.

Yea, which is why Abe got 3 stars too... it was part of the 'Crap' genre

 

[J0k3r]

YES! It's the most spoilerish I've read so far, definitely.

I didn't read his review, but I think TIME review is the most spoilerish I saw until now. When the guy began to mention Juno Temple's caracter I stop reading.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

So is this comparable to Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi where Empire was basically THE PINNACLE of the trilogy and Return was a great film but not as iconic as Empire...

It varies with the critic, but a few critics have made comments/comparisons such as 'Its not as great as Empire, but it's better than Return.

 

[danoyse]

Will we still have to use spoiler tags after the midnight showing on Thursday night? I've got a lot of questions for everyone!

At least through the first week. Give everyone a chance to see it before we start untagging spoilers.

 

[Solidus]

So is this comparable to Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi where Empire was basically THE PINNACLE of the trilogy and Return was a great film but not as iconic as Empire...

No many reviews said it's not near as "disliked/bad" as ROTJ compared to Empire. So better then that.

But I figured (But hoped not) that people would not base this film on it's own merits. I mean like The Joker I'm a huge TDK fan, one of my all time favorite movies period. But it sounds like some are not keeping an open mind. They want the same thing but they don't at the same time. Someone put it best that the jump from B&R to BB, then from BB to TDK were so transcendental and huge, even if TDK has just jumped a little ahead of TDKR people would get disappointed that it was not as huge of a shift as the previous two. Sadly people can't judge the film on its own merit.

But overall this is getting very highly positive reviews and I'm glad of that a good trilogy seems to be with us. 2 more days.

 

[lordofthenerds]

So is this comparable to Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi where Empire was basically THE PINNACLE of the trilogy and Return was a great film but not as iconic as Empire...

Eh, I wouldn't go so far as to call Return of the Jedi a great film. Some reviewers have made that comparison, but they say TDKR is better.

 

[Marvolo]

I read Eberts review on his site and there wasnt any spoilers that havent been in the promotional material.

 

[Deserana]

Deleted

 

[pixiesvision]

So is this comparable to Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi where Empire was basically THE PINNACLE of the trilogy and Return was a great film but not as iconic as Empire...

I thinks statements like this need to be given more time. The film hasn't come out yet for the masses to see. It could be a film that grows on a lot of people, or they love it right away. Once more time has passed, I think everyone will be able to assess this better.

 

[JackWhite]

This has been a crazy day, lol. Good fun though.