The Dark Knight gets a sequel - The Dark Knight Rises!

prisonermonkeys
Sorry for the triple-post, but I just found this, the latest poster:

Magnus_Mask_Dom_RGB_1600x2366.jpg
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I've been mulling this over since first seeing this: even if Nolan does decide to come back to Batman ten, fifteen, or even twenty years down the line...he's effectively begun the KnightSaga.

That is, if Bane only breaks his back and doesn't wind up killing him. Someone who knows Batman well enough and how to treat the story arc appropriately for a series of feature films can easily pick up where TDKR (hopefully) leaves off and introduce Jean Paul - the man temporarily filling The Bat's place. Of course that risks the possibility of the wider demographic being thoroughly confused as to why Batman, who once stood for justice, is now out for revenge and using stylized guns and what have you.
 
I just saw the trailer, and...

Flying drones MGS style, that is not new to batman but is something that I didn't consider for the dark knight saga.

Then there is the whole lunatics/criminals breaking loose from the prison or whatever, quite similar to the ongoing plot devices that Batman games have. I wonder if this would mean the appearance of other villains apart from bane.

Overall it looks interesting and it makes me wonder what kind of appearances will be on the film.
 
Terronium-12
I've been mulling this over since first seeing this: even if Nolan does decide to come back to Batman ten, fifteen, or even twenty years down the line...he's effectively begun the KnightSaga.

That is, if Bane only breaks his back and doesn't wind up killing him. Someone who knows Batman well enough and how to treat the story arc appropriately for a series of feature films can easily pick up where TDKR (hopefully) leaves off and introduce Jean Paul - the man temporarily filling The Bat's place. Of course that risks the possibility of the wider demographic being thoroughly confused as to why Batman, who once stood for justice, is now out for revenge and using stylized guns and what have you.
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It won't be a straight adaptation of Knightfall. Knightfall will inspire the plot, but it's also believe that elements of No Man's Land and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns have also been incorporated into the plot. Nolan has also said the series "comes full circle", meaning that there will be a call-back to BEGINS. The current theory as to the actual plot of RISES goes something like this:
Eight years have passed since the Joker killings, and life in Gotham has started moving on. But the city's elite have traded on Harvey Dent's "legacy" for far too long, and they are starting to let their guard down. The remnants of the League of Shadows, now led by Bane, have turned terrorist and are looking to finish what Ra's al Ghul started over a decades ago - the total destruction of Gotham. Bane sets off a series of attacks (like the football match) that highlight the class differences between the working elite and the man on the street. While the elite are protected, the ordinary citizens are not, and so turn on the upper class.
akiraacecombat
Flying drones MGS style, that is not new to batman but is something that I didn't consider for the dark knight saga.
Click to expand...
It's not a drone. It's the Batcopter.
akiraacecombat
Then there is the whole lunatics/criminals breaking loose from the prison or whatever, quite similar to the ongoing plot devices that Batman games have. I wonder if this would mean the appearance of other villains apart from bane.
Click to expand...
There are no other villains planned for RISES. The escapees are believed to be Bane's irregular army and entry-level crazies from Arkham or Blackgate.
 
Hate to beat a semi-dead horse, but I have to say that part of the film has to be inspired by Batman Beyond. I'm saying this based on currently available information.

Item 1. While it isn't posted in this thread, in another TV spot, Bruce Wayne was leaning on a cane. While that MAY have been seen in The Dark Knight Returns, a comic that I have never read, but in a lot of Batman Beyond lore Bruce walks around with a cane since episode 1.

Item 2. The "Batcopter" that was mentioned a few posts up as Wayne's primary use of transport in the film. Flying cars was a possibility in The Tomorrow Knight's Gotham, and the vehicle was simply a prototype, similar to how the Model T prototyped car assembly today.
 
Sanji Himura
Hate to beat a semi-dead horse, but I have to say that part of the film has to be inspired by Batman Beyond. I'm saying this based on currently available information.
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The three biggest influences on the film are "The Dark Knight Returns" (Batman returns to Gotham after a decade), "Knightfall" (Bane's first appearance), and "No Man's Land" (an earthquake hits the city, which descends into gang warfare) - and of the three, "Batman Beyond" owed a lot to "The Dark Knight Returns".
 
I think I'm going to have to get in early to get my tickets. I don't like in a particularly big town where you have to pre-order your tickets a month or more in advance, but I do recall that the first showing of THE DARK KNIGHT was populated mostly by fourteen- and fifteen-year old boys. The film premieres on a Thursday here, which means that if I don't see it on the Thursday, I'm inevitably going to get large parts of the film ruined for me by my students the next day.
 
Sorry to hear that, mate. I'm lucky because I'm going out of town on the 20th(when it premiers in the US) and I'll go see it there instead of a crowded theater that is close to my home.
 
My dad has booked tickets for him and I to see it at the IMAX in London, though we had to get tickets for late August, as most of the early ones are sold out already.
 
Sanji Himura
Sorry to hear that, mate. I'm lucky because I'm going out of town on the 20th(when it premiers in the US) and I'll go see it there instead of a crowded theater that is close to my home.
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Oh, hey, "I don't want it to be spoiled by my students" is a thinly-veiled excuse for me to see the first screening of the film.

I just hope the distributor doesn't do what they did last time, when they accidentally sent the first reel of THE DARK KNIGHT to Adelaide (how, I have no idea; it's in another state), and the cinema had to delay the first screening until midnight.
 
I went to the midnight screening (well, 12:25), managed to stay awake... now the hard part is staying awake at work today. :scared: Excellent film, definitely need to see it again soon just to get some things that went over my head at the time. It felt like the series was coming to a conclusion throughout the whole film and not just an idea thrown in at the end, not that I expected it to be that way, although I do think the story started off a little too slowly this time around.
 
Saw it. Loved it. It wasn't quite as good as THE DARK KNIGHT, but still a fantastic film.
I probably would have thought even more of it if I hadn't seen THE AVENGERS and TRANSFORMERS - DARK OF THE MOON, given that some of the plot elements are very similar.
I'd love to write a teaching unit on BATMAN BEGINS, THE DARK KNIGHT and THE DARK KNIGHT RISES.
 
12:05 showing for me, thankfully, with reserved seating, since I'll be at work until 10:30.

This just may be the longest shift.
 
prisonermonkeys
Saw it. Loved it. It wasn't quite as good as THE DARK KNIGHT, but still a fantastic film.
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Dark Knight had pretty bad writing - lots of nonsensical things and unsupported motivations. I hope Dark Knight Rises manages to avoid that pitfall.
 
prisonermonkeys
Saw it. Loved it. It wasn't quite as good as THE DARK KNIGHT, but still a fantastic film.
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I LOVED the Dark Night. I thought they did an amazing job with that movie. So if its at least close to it then I will be very happy. Its going to take one heck of a Batman movie to top The Dark Night. I dont have my expectations set too high so hopefully I shouldnt be disappointed. Planning to see this on Saturday.
 
Saw it last night at a private screening. And my personal opinion is that it just surpasses the TDK completely.

Because as great as the TDK was, most of its praise comes from Ledger's performance. Very rarely is anything else praised about it. But I found Bane to be everything the Joker was (as far as performances go), but with the inclusion of much more physical violence instead of the games Joker played. And I honestly found that much more enjoyable because
Unlike the Joker, Bane's way of being "shoot first, ask questions later" nature is what broke Bruce & his thought that he was still capable of being the Batman & dealing with anything that he came across. And he finished it by instead torturing Bruce's emotions before "giving him permission to die".
Honestly, I just found Hardy's performance as amazing as Ledger's, maybe even better. Bane was just this crazy, unstoppable psychopath who had this intriguing wit about him in the way he spoke to everyone. He just had a lot of memorable lines.

But, ultimately (besides the ending), I loved that the movie really centered itself more around Bruce Wayne than Batman.
From Bruce's return & belief he was still able to save the city despite Alfred's plea to leave Batman behind him, to Bane physically & nearly breaking his will and learning a lesson from the men in the pit, to his evident return & ultimate "sacrifice" so that he could finally escape being Batman as Alfred had wished.
Unlike TDK which praises Ledger more than anyone else & made fun of Batman's voice (which was really toned down in this one; I think again, due to the movie being more about Wayne than Batman saving the day once more), everyone delivered a great performance.

Bale finally getting to really spend more time portraying Wayne perfectly demonstrated his struggles & "duty" to protect Gotham, as said before.
Hardy as Bane will be as memorable as Ledger, imo. Again, his destructive nature combined with his witty responses really delivered the character.
Gordon-Levitt is a favorite actor of mine & he was just amazing as Blake, capturing his fascination with Bruce/Batman as well as learning from him. My only issue is
I can't see Gordon-Levitt actually portraying the character of Robin as a superhero. But, I don't think Nolan will actually run with it & leave it as just a satisfying ending.
Hathoway, Cotillard, Caine, all brilliant in their portrayals. Oh, and
Watching Liam Neeson & Cillian Murphy make cameos were fantastic touches, esp. Neeson who Nolan made note of Ra's capability of "immortality" to taunt Bruce.

And if there was ever a way to perfectly end the trilogy, I believe Nolan nailed it. All the little cues in the movie set it up beautifully. The last movie I watched where I thought the ending couldn't have been any more perfect was Toy Story 3, & like Toy Story 3, I hope Hollywood leaves it alone & that nobody tries to continue exactly where the trilogy left off and that includes Nolan himself.

I will easily catch this movie another 2-3 times in theaters.
 
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CAMAROBOY69
I LOVED the Dark Night. I thought they did an amazing job with that movie.
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I think THE DARK KNIGHT is as close as you could come to a perfect film, or at least a perfect superhero film.

In order to understand why, you have to look back at what Tim Burton did wrong with BATMAN RETURNS.

Firstly, he used the Joker for the first film. There wasn't much of a way around that, since it was the first film in the Batman franchise, and you really have to go all-in with the frst film to make it viable. So they had to use the Joker as the series' most-iconic character, and when it came time to do RETURNS, they didn't have much to go with. Nolan got away with using Ra's al Ghul and the Scarecrow in BATMAN BEGINS, because by 2005, Batman films were already ingrained into popular culture.

But more importantly, there is no story in RETURNS. The Penguin plans to frame Batman for a crime that he did not commit, but this is a serious problem because the ending is already decided: no matter what happens, Batman will find the evidence he needs to exonerate himself. I first came to that conclusion when I was six and saw the trailer to the film.

THE DARK KNIGHT, on the other hand, created a story where there was the possibility that Batman could not continue - and as THE DARK KNIGHT RISES establishes, Batman was not seen for eight years after the death of Harvey Dent. Christopher Nolan understood that you don't have the villain frame the hero. You have the villain take away everything he loves, everything he fights for, everything he represents, lower him down to the villain's level and see what he does next, which is precisely what the Joker does. Batman was created as a symbol to protect Gotham. The Joker understood this, and decided to prove that there was a man underneath it all, and that that man was like any other - filled with his own prejudices and values and emotions. He killed Rachel Dawes, brought terror to Gotham, lured people into doing things that they never would have done otherwise in an attempt to prove that they weren't worth saving or couldn't be saved to begin with. And finally, he tried to make Batman kill him (the only sure way to stop him), thereby breaking Batman's one rule and lowering him to the Joker's level so that even if the Joker was dead and buried, Bruce Wayne could never be Batman again. That's why the Joker was laughing instead of screaming as he fell off the tower, and why he was so impressed with Batman when he reeled the Joker back up. And then he forced Batman into a position where he had to make the city believe he was a killer anyway.

Compare that to BATMAN RETURNS, where the Penguin simply wants to frame Batman. THE DARK KNIGHT was much more interesting, and much more complex in its characterisation - and that's always a good thing.

CAMAROBOY69
So if its at least close to it then I will be very happy. Its going to take one heck of a Batman movie to top The Dark Night. I dont have my expectations set too high so hopefully I shouldnt be disappointed.
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It's not as good as THE DARK KNIGHT, but it's no slouch.

Personally, I think it fits in very well with the rest of the Nolan trilogy. Most of the returning characters feel like they're eight years older than when we last met them, and act accordingly, and the newer characters fit in, even if there are a few too many and one in particular gets an exposition dump early on. Some of the plot elements are a little unnecessary, and only really serve as a vehicle for the themes - the film isn't particularly subtle in showing the audience what the stakes are, which is a shame because it does overshadow some of the more-interesting aspects of the plot. Story-wise, it might be a bit confusing to begin with, but I think Nolan was still in INCEPTION mode, laying multiple plot threads that all spring together about halfway through, like a tightly-wound trap. By the end of the film,you might have forgetten some of the finer points that are laid down early on, though. Unfortuantely, the film does gloss over a few elements that it could have explored a little better.

As for the performances, I think pretty much everyone is dead on. I'm not that familiar with every interpretation of every character in the comics, but I did feel that Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway really got into the swing of things. Bane might not be as interesting as the Joker, but I loved the way Hardy made him very eloquent in his speech and utterly brutal in his fighting. History will probably remember him as being a little trapped in Heath Ledger's shadow, but if he had played Bane before Ledger was the Joker, hsitory would probably be a little more complimentary. As for Anne Hathaway, I think she was let down by the script dragging her character back to a few standardised tropes, and she does very well, but when it relaxes is when she really gets to stretch her legs. Her Selina Kyle is definately my kind of girl, so long as she doesn't take my watch.

I know Nolan takes a lot of flak for not being able to do humour very well, but I think humour would really ruin it. The actors play the humour best when the themes are relaxed, and they clearly have a lot of fun with those scenes. There is one returning character who gets the best line in the film, and his self-satisfied smirk at being able to deliver a joke is what makes the delivery so good. I won't spoil it, but you'll know it when you see and hear it. Personally, I think it would have been a mistake to make this an overly-funny film. It would have taken away from the themes, and probably would have been seen as imitating THE AVENGERS, even if they had similar production windows. It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but there are a few lines that make you crack a smile.

Overall, I think the film works quite well. it fits in with the rest of the trilogy, and is probably the natural extension of the story. There are a few flaws, but by the end, it's very well executed. It ties everything off in such a way that Nolan and Bale can leave the series, but the films can continue in the same universe and allow for a new director and a new style. The big question are whether or not the studios will be willing to keep going, and if so, who they will get to replace Nolan. If talk is to be believed, Nolan will still be involved in the production, so if the studios do decide to continue with the Nolanverse, he'll at least be able to guide the boat a little bit.
 

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