The Dark Knight Rises Tom Hardy as Bane XXX

Here's the difference between what Nolan does and what Marvel does. It doesn't really have much to do with realism.

Nolan tries to capture of the source material, but not by trying to simply put a comic book on the big screen. He uses the source material for inspiration, but tackles the execution like he would any other movie. Marvel tries to capture the essence and feel of the comics, similar to what Raimi did with the Spider-Man films (in which the camp was true to the Silver Age comics). The Marvel Studios films might be less "campy", but they still feel like comic books. Which is fine. It's two different approaches. The illusion of realism that Nolan went for with the Bat-trilogy makes perfect sense, because that's the way many regular action movies are handled.

Yep. The 'realism' of the series is exaggerated to such a massive degree when Nolan never really subscribed to that level of realism. Microwave emitters, 6-inch heel acrobatics, walking around with half your face burnt off, etc., as others have said. The core elements (Ra's Al Ghul's 'immortality' (I still think that Ra's was a title for the leader of the LOS, rather than a name) Batman's arsenal, Joker's smile) are all brought to a believable level.
 
Here's the difference between what Nolan does and what Marvel does. It doesn't really have much to do with realism.

Nolan tries to capture of the source material, but not by trying to simply put a comic book on the big screen. He uses the source material for inspiration, but tackles the execution like he would any other movie. Marvel tries to capture the essence and feel of the comics, similar to what Raimi did with the Spider-Man films (in which the camp was true to the Silver Age comics). The Marvel Studios films might be less "campy", but they still feel like comic books. Which is fine. It's two different approaches. The illusion of realism that Nolan went for with the Bat-trilogy makes perfect sense, because that's the way many regular action movies are handled.

I would argue that TDKR felt a lot more like a comic book movie than the previous two. Whenever Catwoman and the Bat appear on screen I'm always reminded that I'm simply watching a superhero movie. This might not necessarily be a bad thing for some people but I think that was one of the strenghts of the first two
 
I would argue that TDKR felt a lot more like a comic book movie than the previous two. Whenever Catwoman and the Bat appear on screen I'm always reminded that I'm simply watching a superhero movie. This might not necessarily be a bad thing for some people but I think that was one of the strenghts of the first two

I felt pretty reminded I was watching a comic book movie when Joker and Two-Face shared the screen together, or when the Batpod ejected from the Tumbler to name a couple of instances.

But yeah, it all comes down to tastes. To me, there's a balance. You want to be invested in the story and want the story to have weight to it, you do kind of want to be reminded you are watching a Batman movie every now and then too. In fact, some fans slammed Nolan for years because they thought he was ashamed of the genre and tried to obscure the fact that they it was based on a comic book world. I never really got that feeling though. It felt more like gradual world building to me. We start off with a completely normal world in Batman Begins, and it slowly evolved into the world of Batman that we're familiar with.
 
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It felt more like gradual world building to me. We start off with a completely normal world in Batman Begins, and it slowly evolved into the world of Batman that we're familiar with.
Gotta disagree. The world of Batman Begins clearly looked more heightened in style than TDK and TDKR's grounded, contemporary cities.

But yes, the quantity of comic book elements in Rises far surpasses the other two. It's evident in the very outlandish plot, the nuclear doomsday device, every Bat/Cat interaction and the resultant ass kicking of goons, and the gloriously comic booky the Bat.
 
Gotta disagree. The world of Batman Begins clearly looked more heightened in style than TDK and TDKR's grounded, contemporary cities.

But yes, the quantity of comic book elements in Rises far surpasses the other two. It's evident in the very outlandish plot, the nuclear doomsday device, every Bat/Cat interaction and the resultant ass kicking of goons, and the gloriously comic booky the Bat.

Well, you're right. TDK definitely went for a more real-world "feel" than Begins, but I suppose it's just the colorfulness of The Joker and the extremity of Two-Face that made it feel like more of the Batman world I already knew and loved. Plus things like more Bat-gadgets and bigger action too.
 
I would argue that TDKR felt a lot more like a comic book movie than the previous two. Whenever Catwoman and the Bat appear on screen I'm always reminded that I'm simply watching a superhero movie. This might not necessarily be a bad thing for some people but I think that was one of the strenghts of the first two

One would feel the same with Scarecrow, Joker and Two-Face as well.
 
One would feel the same with Scarecrow, Joker and Two-Face as well.

Not really. The Joker isn't really wearing a costume, he's just wearing a purple suit. Plus there is some element of functionality to it, he needs a place to hide all the knives, explosives, guns, stuff like that. All Two Face is wearing is a half burnt. All Scarecrow is wearing is a mask, one that he utilizes to protect himself from his gas AND to scare his victims. The Batsuit works because the previous movies spent time explaining to the audience how each element helps Bruce and aids him in his crusade. But Catwoman's costume feels like just that, a costume
 
Bane is never an inch shorter since he is as tall as Batman in TDKR.

I find Hardy to be the right build as well. He could've been a little bigger but only through working and not awful enhancements through production or any crap like that that would be unnecessary and ridiculous, imo.

Bane totally reminded me of a circus strongman. And I don't mean that as a bad thing at ALL. :) Hardy's voice in the movie is totally what I would imagine this strongman's voice to be in this pic.

circus_strongman.jpg


Was just thinking up fan fic where Batman storms a circus in search of a villain, but runs into a version of "Bane" that is a strongman, and gets decimated as he does in the comics and the movie.
 
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Not really. The Joker isn't really wearing a costume, he's just wearing a purple suit. Plus there is some element of functionality to it, he needs a place to hide all the knives, explosives, guns, stuff like that. All Two Face is wearing is a half burnt. All Scarecrow is wearing is a mask, one that he utilizes to protect himself from his gas AND to scare his victims. The Batsuit works because the previous movies spent time explaining to the audience how each element helps Bruce and aids him in his crusade. But Catwoman's costume feels like just that, a costume

The Joker is still wearing a costume. A purple suit is a purple suit that personifies Joker, simply put. Don't see how anyone wouldn't call it a costume.

But even if only a half-burnt face or a burlap mask, they do have something special about them that makes them Two-Face and Scarecrow respectively.

Seeing any of those three characters show up definitely makes things feel like a CBM.
 
One would feel the same with Scarecrow, Joker and Two-Face as well.
Agreed. With Joker and Two Face a lot comes down to their face too. Half of Harvey's face is burnt to a crisp just like the comics. The Joker has his makeup, red lips and green hair which instantly recalls the comics as well. What they look like in the material was translated.
 
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Joker, Two Face, and Catwoman are the most comic booky looking villains Nolan did in the trilogy:

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Not really. The Joker isn't really wearing a costume, he's just wearing a purple suit. Plus there is some element of functionality to it, he needs a place to hide all the knives, explosives, guns, stuff like that. All Two Face is wearing is a half burnt. All Scarecrow is wearing is a mask, one that he utilizes to protect himself from his gas AND to scare his victims. The Batsuit works because the previous movies spent time explaining to the audience how each element helps Bruce and aids him in his crusade. But Catwoman's costume feels like just that, a costume

To me its the other way. Its the one that looks completely outside of the superhero realm (visually speaking , not the structure ).
 
I would argue that TDKR felt a lot more like a comic book movie than the previous two. Whenever Catwoman and the Bat appear on screen I'm always reminded that I'm simply watching a superhero movie. This might not necessarily be a bad thing for some people but I think that was one of the strenghts of the first two

SO in Batman begins, during all that craziness of water melting machines[not water in the body mind you lol] a league of super secret ninjas who destroy cities, guy fighting crime in high tech Bat-suit,tank running over cop cars,guy in creepy mask with "fear gas" .......what did you think you were watching? Im curious also cause at what point in The dark Knight did you think you were not watching a Billionaire in a batsuit fight crime? Does that happen in other types of movies?
 
SO in Batman begins, during all that craziness of water melting machines[not water in the body mind you lol] a league of super secret ninjas who destroy cities, guy fighting crime in high tech Bat-suit,tank running over cop cars,guy in creepy mask with "fear gas" .......what did you think you were watching? Im curious also cause at what point in The dark Knight did you think you were not watching a Billionaire in a batsuit fight crime? Does that happen in other types of movies?
I think I've heard what he's mentioned already in the past too. About The Dark Knight films not feeling completely like straight-up comic-book movies. So many liberties are taken here and there and all the 'realism' and whatnot that some is lost in the translation when calling them comic-book movies. I'm not a strong debater on that but I know what he's talking about when he says that, to a certain degree. Besides, it seems he only thinks it felt more like a comic-book movie than the previous 2, not like the other 2 weren't at all.
 
I think I've heard what he's mentioned already in the past too. About The Dark Knight films not feeling completely like straight-up comic-book movies. So many liberties are taken here and there and all the 'realism' and whatnot that some is lost in the translation when calling them comic-book movies. I'm not a strong debater on that but I know what he's talking about when he says that, to a certain degree. Besides, it seems he only thinks it felt more like a comic-book movie than the previous 2, not like the other 2 weren't at all.

What in the first 2 movies was "realistic" or didn't feel like a comic book movie? Name one plot point, the water melting machine, the secret ninja League,Joker,scarecrow?
 
What in the first 2 movies was "realistic" or didn't feel like a comic book movie? Name one plot point, the water melting machine, the secret ninja League,Joker,scarecrow?
Well, would you consider it more of a comic book movie if Ras al Ghul was immortal and over 500 years old like the comics or just a normal guy hiding his identity? I think that's what it revolves around, things of that nature. You can also just call it personal opinion too *shrug*
 
So when I hear him say that TDKR felt more like a comic book film than the others I kind of know what he's saying because when I saw the main villain lift a grown man over his head and break his back, it kind of broke Nolan's rules for a minute and gave the fans that special treat. I for one didn't think Nolan would have the balls to do it, I thought he'd break his back a different way.
 
If anything, the TDK is a much smaller film than the grandiose stuff happening in TDKR. So it can be a bit jarring if you weren't expecting that. The only part that felt a bit off to me was seeing the President for a second and I'm not sure why. Maybe that seems a bit to "comic booky" to me. Meaning it seems like seeing a fictional President is something we might see in other genre movies. When watching TDK and BB to a lesser extent you could imagine that the President was whoever was really President in real life. I never thought about it till we see a recognizable character actor (whose name escapes me) that it starts to feel less grounded in the world created in TDK, specifically. That President looks more like a Marvel comics President, which I guess is strange because DC has a less grounded universe than Marvel, if you think about it. Marvel actually has real U.S. cities unlike DC. This kinda ties into the problems DC is going to have when they try and make a shared universe. The Nolan Gotham is more grounded than the Marvel worlds and it's gonna make it really hard for Supes and the like to exist in that kind of grounded universe.
 
So when I hear him say that TDKR felt more like a comic book film than the others I kind of know what he's saying because when I saw the main villain lift a grown man over his head and break his back, it kind of broke Nolan's rules for a minute and gave the fans that special treat. I for one didn't think Nolan would have the balls to do it, I thought he'd break his back a different way.

I think sometimes people overstate Nolan not doing certain things because they are "unrealistic." I think a lot of Nolan's changes are simply aesthetic. The reason Joker has a painted face is because he likes the way it looks and what it says about the character. Nolan could have come up with any reason to have him be permawhite and in the context of the move, have it make sense. He chose not to to that. Two Face is not realistic at all and there are more realistic ways for that character to look. It would have been more unrealistic to see a man missing have his face than to see a dude with really pale skin, actually. The same thing with Bane. Bane doesn't have a luchador style mask because Nolan doesn't like the look more than anything. The realism that fans talk about with Nolan is more an aesthetic decision above all things. Catwoman does not look realistic, she just looks good to Nolan.
 
So when I hear him say that TDKR felt more like a comic book film than the others I kind of know what he's saying because when I saw the main villain lift a grown man over his head and break his back, it kind of broke Nolan's rules for a minute and gave the fans that special treat. I for one didn't think Nolan would have the balls to do it, I thought he'd break his back a different way.

what?? what are you talking about? what "rules", its a movie series about a wealthy guy who was trained by super secret terrorist ninja League, and with the help of his British butler and business partner fights crime and freaky criminals in a high tech bat suit using improbable weapons created by a fictional corporation. So before Bane broke BATMANS back, everything that came before that was in the realm of plausibility? Batman begins is fantasy movie, TDK and TDKR are fantasy movies with real emotions and characters we can relate to.
 
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I was just thinking about the first Bane fight in the movie. I like it because...

When I read the Knightfall breaking 20 years ago, I thought, Bruce didn't fight back with his usual skills. He didn't disapear into the shadows, he didn't use his gadgets like bombs and gas. I thought, if Batman had used his usual skills, he could have taken Bane even ill and tired,

But now we know. He can't use the shadows against Bane because Bane is used to them, he can't use his gadgets as Bane is trained to withstand them,

so thanks TDKR for clearing up those 2o yr niggles from the old story.
 
SO in Batman begins, during all that craziness of water melting machines[not water in the body mind you lol] a league of super secret ninjas who destroy cities, guy fighting crime in high tech Bat-suit,tank running over cop cars,guy in creepy mask with "fear gas" .......what did you think you were watching? Im curious also cause at what point in The dark Knight did you think you were not watching a Billionaire in a batsuit fight crime? Does that happen in other types of movies?

I'm not by any means in the "they're not comic book movies camp", but if we're talking the genres we "felt",

to me Begins felt more like a dark noir sci fi movie like Alien or Blade Runner. And TDK felt like a kind of Bond spy movie (high tech suits and all) crossed with epic crime drama. Both coming from a comic book movie foundation of course. TDKR "imo" felt like classic Batman comicbook noir in the first third and in the last 2 thirds a "ruined city sci fi" like Escape from NY or Robocop.

But I think thats the essence of Sci Fi. You have outlandish things but it has to be based on science, it had to convince you that it "could" happen. It has to have a basis of logic and believability to convince you - it definately should rely on you to "suspend your disbelief" - it should have it's own solid rules about what can and can't happen (ie, batman has outlandish tech, but he is human) and stick to those rules.
 
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The Joker is still wearing a costume. A purple suit is a purple suit that personifies Joker, simply put. Don't see how anyone wouldn't call it a costume.

But even if only a half-burnt face or a burlap mask, they do have something special about them that makes them Two-Face and Scarecrow respectively.

Seeing any of those three characters show up definitely makes things feel like a CBM.

I was flipped off on here in the past (when someone wrongly told me the movie had a large chunk of Bane unmasked) for saying that I thought the film would be dull if Bane was just a merc with no mask for a bulk of the movie. I said it would make the film seem like a generic action movie. Someone responed to me "it's a gas mask, not a magic wand", implying that I wanted the mask to make the movie comic book fantasy. But what I meant was I just wanted Bane to be distinctive, the way Rambo is distinctive with his hair and band. Of course the fighting was all moot as the prologue did not feature an unmasked Bane.
 
what?? what are you talking about? what "rules", its a movie series about a wealthy guy who was trained by super secret terrorist ninja League, and with the help of his British butler and business partner fights crime and freaky criminals in a high tech bat suit using improbable weapons created by a fictional corporation. So before Bane broke BATMANS back, everything that came before that was in the realm of plausibility? Batman begins is fantasy movie, TDK and TDKR are fantasy movies with real emotions and characters we can relate to.

I concur.

I will never understand why some people call Nolan's Batman movies realistic. I'm wondering what real world they are living in lol.
 

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