RISE. - An epic conclusion indeed. (a.k.a. my accidental review of The Dark Knight Rises)
Okay, so the past couple of weeks I've had a number of thoughts that I was thinking of blogging about. I actually made a draft about one of them. But all that will either be pushed aside or forgotten entirely because right now all I can think about is:
HOLY MOTHER OF BATS.
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES WAS EPIC.
I LOVED IT. I can't believe I almost passed this up. I can't believe I'm even blogging about how much I loved it! (I never really saw myself as a fan.) I think it helped that I'm not OMG-NERD level familiar with the Batman universe? Although, I think it wouldn't have mattered that much anyway. Unless you're those purists type, or you generally have a problem with Nolan's version of the the Dark Knight, you would absolutely love this.
If it isn't obvious yet, I am totally incoherent right now. Plus I keep accidentally closing or leaving the LJ window while blogging. HNNGH. (I blame Cillian Murphy!) Not to mention the brain is on hyperdrive thanks to fangasm and coffee. So in an effort to be more comprehendible, I shall use bullets. Not the ones that hurt.
"It's your fault for browsing pictures of me while blogging."
First off, my non-spoiler comments (just to get it out there):
- I think it's safe to say that The Dark Knight Trilogy is one of the most successfully excuted trilogies.
- While I have told people that I liked Val Kilmer's and Michael Keaton's portrayal of the Batman, Christian Bale's was just awesome. He makes it so real, which probably has a lot to do with the movie's over all treatment. A lot of people complain about how raspy and exaggerated Bale's voice is as the Batman, and I'm not a fan of it either, but when you think about it, it makes sense. He wants to be as unrecognizable as possible, so he can't have anyone recognizing his voice even by a bit, even if it means sounding stupid. After all it was established that he is that paranoid.
- This has been discussed a number of times, but what I liked about this franchise the most is that it's so different from the previous franchises. There's no real point in comparing them. The previous ones went for fantasy, literally bringing the animated world to life. In The Dark Knight, they totally went for realism. For me, the treatment answers the question, "What would Batman be like, if he's real?" And it's not just about the gadgets. I suppose this was also the prevalent thought in choosing and portraying the villains and anti-heroes. I most particularly like the realness of the human drama among the characters, especially since it seems to be the most often glossed over or mishandled factor by movie adaptations of comic books. (although I'd like to think that lately there's been a huge improvement.)
- During credits last night, when I saw Gary Oldman's name I thought, "Is Gary Oldman in this fil--- OH. MY. GOD. HE'S COMMISSIONER GORDON." Seriously, self. 3 movies and 7 years later, and I still wouldn't have realized that THAT was Gary Oldman had I not looked at the credits. oTL In my defense, while I enjoyed The Dark Knight trilogy, I have never exactly checked for casting and updates. Plus, it shows that Gary Oldman was very believable as Jim Gordon. My scumbag of a brain didn't bother asking who was playing him. All I saw was Gordon, not an actor playing Gordon. Ah, magnificent, magnificent Oldman. * w*)b
- I think everyone was awesome! Even Anne Hathaway! I initially loved the idea of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, but the naysayers got to me a bit. I'm sorry for ever doubting you, Anne Hathaway! DX
- With that said, I really need to stop doubting Christopher Nolan's casting skills. Or whoever's in charge of casting. I did the exact same thing with Heath Ledger's Joker, and that was EPIC.
And now for the spoilers. HEAVY SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED:
[So, no. You are not entitled to send Bryan Mills out to get me.]
- SO. JOSEPH GORDON LEVITT. MOTHERFUDDER JGL. Aa, I love him! He was awesome! Yes, I am biased, but he was still awesome. I wasn't expecting him to have such a major role in the film. The only reference of a Johnny Blake in the comics was of this one kid, a victim of the Joker. And by victim, I meant the Joker stole his report card. That's it. LMAO. I've been reading Batgirl lately, and I totally forgot the characters' names, so at first I thought he could be Nick Gage. Both were promising young detectives that worked closely with Commissioner Gordon. But then we get that magnificent twist by the end of the film where it is revealed that Blake's first name is ROBIN. Which brings us to---
- YES. THE NO ROBIN IN THIS FRANCHISE WAS A LIE. Well, technically there is no Robin, just someone named Robin. Christopher Nolan, you magnificent troll. And that Robin was so awesome, he didn't need to be a masked sidekick before getting the right to be Batman. HAH. (For those reading this but haven't watched the movie yet: 1.) you're not allowed to kill me as I have properly tagged this entry; 2.) After Robin John Blake quit the force, Bruce, assumed to be dead, left some of his belongings to Blake, including a GPS of where his secret lair is.) Now, purists would probably hate this twist, but I love it, and not because it's JGL. I think it's a good twist because, aside from the fact that John Blake's characterization makes him the perfect candidate to be the next Batman, (He is like all of the Robins combined! Okay, maybe just Dick and Tim. Okay, I don't really know what I'm talking about.) the whole idea coincides with one of the themes in the movie: Anyone can be a hero. Anyone can be Batman. And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense that Christopher Nolan made Bruce Wayne choose John Blake, because in the comics, Johnny Blake is just another ordinary civilian. He is the personification of anyone.
- Speaking of twists and Christopher Nolan being a total troll - I love that I actually got surpised by the movie's plot twists. Although as I said, it may have helped that I wasn't nerd-level knowledgeable about the Batman universe. I believe one of the elements that are hard to use in these kind of movies is the element of surprise. You're working on material that has been known and loved by generations, with a storyline that people know like the back of their hands, so you no longer have that to your advantage. However, the movie managed to make an entire world of their own, enough to be able to pull off their own twists, but at the same time staying true to the characters and the original work. Kudos to Nolan and the entire cast and crew for that, and for being able to keep those said twists under wraps until the movie came out. MISDIRECTIONS. YOU ARE USING THEM RIGHT. 8Db
- Selina Kyle! I love that they included Selina Kyle in this universe. I'm not sure if her yearning for a clean slate is canon, but I loved that she was characterized that way. My heart broke for her during that brief moment when she's made to believe her dream was impossible. That frustrated-but-trying-to-still-look-tough look! It's those little moments of emotions and such that I appreciate the most in these films. For me, That's how I gauge whether a movie adaptation or a character portrayal was good or bad. Small details matter!
- ALFRED MADE ME CRY. Ugh. Should I even go on about how much I loved everyone's characterization? TT3TT
- I shall cap off this list with the ending: I think some people may not be as happy with the ending. At first I was kind of on the fence about it too. I mean, I was happy for Alfred, (LOL, invested much?) but I think a part of me would've preferred for Bruce to have actually died. But hell, he wouldn't even stay dead in the comics. I guess I was just thrown off by the surprisingly feel-good, and even kind of fluffy ending. Bruce and Selina running off to the sunset, living happily ever after isn't exactly the ending you'd expect from The Dark Knight. But, aside from being effectively pulled off, it wasn't exactly unprecedented either. One of the themes of the movie was the two characters' need to move on and have a fresh start. So it's not that farfetched for them to be together, since they are going the same way. Or, you know, maybe they're just together for Alfred's amusement. LMAO. In any case, the BruceXSelina fangirl in me is happy. XD
And that... was a lot longer than expected. LOL. All in all, The Dark Knight Rises was an epic conclusion to the trilogy indeed.
Slightly off topic: The other night, a couple of friends and I were talking about whether people are inherently good, or inherently evil. I was just slightly amused that the idea seemed to be touched slightly in TDKR? Hahaha, I'm not sure. It could just be me thinking about it.
I wonder if I should do this more often. Pseudo review movies, etcetera. I have to say, it was fun, albeit time consuming, thanks to my clumsiness and obsessive compulsion. LOL.
o/
P.S./Disclaimer:
I am in no way a certified Batman fag, so if I made any mistake that you'd like to correct, feel free to comment. Same goes with my grammar. =))
P.P.S.:
I used the word love and magnificent. A lot.