The Dark Knight Rises The TDKR General Discussion Thread - - - - Part 153

[BatLobster]

Haha that guy is a tool. Lives in an age where Marvel is dominating the genre witha plethora of light and funny CBMs...writes off entire genre based on a handful of serious CBMs that also got made.

 

[Brother Jack]

As dark as the trilogy is I've never understood the criticism that it was too grim and joyless. The movies are very entertaining, at times funny, and ultimately pretty darn optimistic. Snyder has a teenaged aesthetic sensibility. I pretty much hated the washed out color palette that Man of Steel had and the charcoal filtering on BvS stuff.

 

[I Am The Knight]

It wasn't joyless at all.

 

[Snow Queen]

As dark as the trilogy is I've never understood the criticism that it was too grim and joyless. The movies are very entertaining, at times funny, and ultimately pretty darn optimistic.

Completely agreed. Especially baffles me how people, regardless of how they feel about the film as a whole, can call Rises grim and depressing as I've seen when it's a story about a man who has lost the will to live learning to again.

Snyder has a teenaged aesthetic sensibility. I pretty much hated the washed out color palette that Man of Steel had and the charcoal filtering on BvS stuff.

Snyder's a bit hit or miss for me aesthetically. I'm liking the look of Batman v Superman so far and I liked the look of Watchmen a lot as well despite some spotty CG at points. They look very comic book come to life, which works in small doses I think. Unsure how I'm going to feel though if this is the aesthetic for the two Justice Leagues and possibly the Man of Steel sequel since, as I said, it works in small doses.

 

[The Chris]

As dark as the trilogy is I've never understood the criticism that it was too grim and joyless. The movies are very entertaining, at times funny, and ultimately pretty darn optimistic.

Yeah if they weren't as optimistic I think the ferries would have blown up in TDK and Batman would have died in TDKR. I think it's that hope and optimism that set it apart.

 

[BlueLightning]

It is because people often think on the surface. Most of Nolan films twist the knife, but ultimately have a heart. And in that way, mirrors reality too.

Darn! The Dark Knight Trilogy is more inspiring and hopeful than everything from MoS and what I can see from the BvS trailer.

You know what? I feel the need to watch the trilogy again.

 

[titansupes]

^ Exactly. Even the end of TDK, with Harvey and Rachel dead and Batman becoming the villain is done in this very inspiring way. "I'm whatever Gotham needs me to be". Great, great ending.

 

[shauner111]

The Miller version of Batfleck will probably be a total pessimist. At least he'll start off that way. This is probably a much darker version of Batman. At least the trilogy was hopeful.

I guess Superman will bring the hope in this version. Bale's Batman seemed to represent both sides of the coin.

Im happy that Larry Fong is back because whether you like the writing of those movies or not (300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch), he and Snyder are the perfect match. Im already liking the look of BvS waaaay more than MOS.

 

[titansupes]

^ I'm glad the shots are steady, more composed. I was wanting that after MoS... But there's too composed, y'know? Watchmen felt suffocating to me, not just because of everything being soundstage or greenscreen, but because it was so controlled and over-stylised. There was no energy to it, it felt dull and yet like it was trying too hard. I'm worried about BvS doing that.

 

[shauner111]

^ I'm glad the shots are steady, more composed. I was wanting that after MoS... But there's too composed, y'know? Watchmen felt suffocating to me, not just because of everything being soundstage or greenscreen, but because it was so controlled and over-stylised. There was no energy to it, it felt dull and yet like it was trying too hard. I'm worried about BvS doing that.

I see what you mean with Watchmen, but i dont think we're getting that this time around. I think it will sit somewhere between MOS and Watchmen.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

My favorite comic book director from a visual style standpoint is Matthew Vaughn.

His films are reigning with color, and they are gorgeously composed, yet, at he same time, they feel lived in and dynamic. Absolutely none of the blue screen overload you will see in Snyder films.

BTW, titansupes, I don't think Snyder's films feel suffocating because they are too composed. It's because they are far too artificial. You don't believe in the reality of the shot. It looks fake.

Take Nicholas Refn. His films are just as impeccably framed as Snyder's. But they never feel try hard.

 

[shauner111]

I hope it doesn't feel like a video game when Batman and Superman fight. MOS went nuts with that stuff. I hope it's more balanced since Batman isn't an alien that Superman has to fight and fly in the air with. Then again, if Doomsday is in this, ill expect the same type of destruction that looked like it came straight from a Playstation console, like the first movie. Not saying the effects weren't good for what those people had to work with behind the scenes, but it still felt like a game.

I think people were bored with the fights or criticized how long they were because it was always Superman fighting a bunch of obscure alien characters. Not played by the biggest celebrities in the world either. This is not only Batman and Superman but it's also Ben Affleck, so im down with long fights in this movie. As long as it doesn't look too fake. There's no reason for that this time around.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

There is no precedence in Snyder's filmography to suggest it won't be video gamey. The action in 300, Sucker Punch and Man of Steel all had that weightless video game feel. And i see no reason this won't. Old habits don't just go away.

I myself enjoy that kind of thing, in spurts, for what it is. So it's not an immediate turn off for me.

There is also the fact that there is no way you can make a fight between two gods look dynamic but also believable at the same time. There is always going to be that video-gamish element to it. If you try to do it for real, you get Thor vs Loki. And I don't think I want that.

 

[shauner111]

Im just being hopeful. Everything he does gets video gamey at some point. I liked it when Superman was fighting Faora and her crew in broad daylight. The only problem i had with that sequence was how long the fighting lasted and how much destruction it caused when Zack knew he was going to go apes**t on the destruction with the later Zod fight. That last huge fight with Shannon was absolutely ridiculous with the visuals. It took me right out of the movie.

I really dont mind the odd shot of Batman and Superman running into each other with fists of fury, and it comes off video gamey (like the end of the Imax trailer). Im cool with that but don't overdo it.

When Zack isn't doing that, he's creating fight sequences that feel like it's coming from a bad, generic, metal music video. I was just watching the hallway fight from Watchmen and that's exactly how i felt about it.

Add some flair, some style, sweet. This is a new universe with a new Batman and a lot of aliens and super-powered beings are included. Great. But i want to feel like what im watching is real and could take place.

I do agree with you Ronin, that two gods put together is just hard to pull off. Im expecting Justice League to be one giant video game once you throw Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman into a scene where everyone's flying and attacking their opponent. But for Dawn of Justice i expect something a little different.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

I'm waiting to see how the Russo Bros. handle superpowered fights. If they can bring that real world grittiness of TWS, but in the realm of gods. If they can pull it off, then ....damn. They would succeed where Raimi, Whedon and Snyder didn't.

 

[shauner111]

I'm waiting to see how the Russo Bros. handle superpowered fights. If they can bring that real world grittiness of TWS, but in the realm of gods. If they can pull it off, then ....damn. They would succeed where Raimi, Whedon and Snyder didn't.

Same here.

Maybe i have an old school mentality. I get irritated with the overuse of CG. Ever since the Star Wars prequels, it just bothers me. It takes me out of the movie and i clearly remember walking out of 300 and Watchmen and thinking "meh". That was my answer to my friends when we left the theater. MOS had the opposite effect on me perhaps because of the hype going into it. The more i saw it, the more the CG bugged me. Maybe that also had to do the Imax 3-D experience too, of just letting it wash over you and having a good time with your friends. When i saw the movie in 2-D (3rd viewing on a smaller screen) i was like "Ouch.."

Amazing Spidey 1 and 2 (Lizard and Electro scenes) were even worse. The first Spidey was doing a great job with that until we got to the final act.

 

[BatLobster]

Yeah, I can take bits of Snyder's video game-ishness is the right doses. The hyperstylized end of the trailer where Bats and Supes are about to square off and Supes lands all feels like a video game cutscene, but an epic video game cutscene nonetheless.

Then there's the Zod fight in MOS where it just completely lost any emotional investment I had in the movie because you had two CG characters as little blips on the screen.

I hope BvS can find the balance.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

The first Spidey was doing a great job with that until we got to the final act

i thought the fight with Goblin and Spidey was incredibly brutal. But the thing is it wasn't a very good comic book battle. As in, that's not how a battle between Spidey and Goblin would go. It was more like a bar fight with two drunks.

And here in lies the problem. To make a comic book battle you need to make CG concessions. We do not yet possess the tech to make superpowered feats not look rubbery.

Then there's the Zod fight in MOS where it just completely lost any emotional investment I had in the movie because you had two CG characters as little blips on the screen.

Being a Dragonball fan, that fight sequence is a guilty pleasure. I know how dumb it is, but my god, so DBZish.

 

[shauner111]

I was talking about the first Amazing Spidey though. I should rewatch Raimi's movies.

I never saw DBZ, wasn't my cup of tea, so i just took MOS for what it was.

 

[BatLobster]

So uh...Frank Miller doing a third DK book. Umm...

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Holy terror, Batman.

 

[I Am The Knight]

So uh...Frank Miller doing a third DK book. Umm...

 

[Snow Queen]

So uh...Frank Miller doing a third DK book. Umm...

Oh goodie. Maybe this time he can fulfil his dream of having Batman and Catwoman beat up Muslim people.

 

[Thoix]

So uh...Frank Miller doing a third DK book. Umm...

 

[Panthro]

So uh...Frank Miller doing a third DK book. Umm...

Epic Fail