decorativeed
Full Member
I've heard that before, but don't think he sounds anything like Sean Connery. He doesn't have a Scottish accent for one thing.
I think that saving the City is heroic but the dead are always remembered more than the living. He kind of had died in the eyes of many of the Gotham citizens eyes but he kept a few of the key people in his life in the know as to what reallly happened. I suppose it showed that he just wanted to give up on the who Batman lifestyle and leave it behind him. The major plothole I suppose is that he could have easily gone back to Gotham as Bruce Wayne and then lived a normal life, even if it meant moving away at a later date.Why is it always assumed that someone dying always makes an ending / sacrifice more powerful?
Did Bruce Wayne save fewer people by surviving? Did he somehow make the film less powerful? Like hell.
It's the same shit we had with Mass Effect, where the main character is gratuitously forced into sacrificing himself, because such bittersweet endings are simply more meaningful.
It's clearly more powerful though. Giving his life for the people he sought to protect, is the most selfless, brave and heroic act possible. If he could have taken the bomb away from the city and survived, then fair play, he'd have returned to the city a hero and they'd still have built a statue for him. But tricking people into believing he gave his life for them, that he flew the bomb away from the city despite knowing he was going to die in the process, but doing it anyway to save the people of Gotham; while really he's chilling in an Italian cafe, sipping espresso's with Anne Hathaway? Holds less of an impact for me.Why is it always assumed that someone dying always makes an ending / sacrifice more powerful?
Did Bruce Wayne save fewer people by surviving? Did he somehow make the film less powerful? Like hell.
It's the same shit we had with Mass Effect, where the main character is gratuitously forced into sacrificing himself, because such bittersweet endings are simply more meaningful.
I think this would have worked well. First you have the discovery of the autopilot thing. And then you finish with Alfred sitting in his cafe, and you see him smiling - maybe just a faint smile, a very ambiguous smile. That would have been a much better ending. Id still have left feeling he was alive, Id feel that way just from knowing about the auto pilot. But it would at least have left you thinking a little more about it.he could have ended it with the shot of Alfred's face if he wanted it to be ambiguous.
You're kind of missing the point of it all, it was never about him tricking Gotham or pretending to give his life for them, it was about Bruce ceasing the opportunity to leave his life of Bruce Wayne & Batman behind him and start completely afresh.It's clearly more powerful though. Giving his life for the people he sought to protect, is the most selfless, brave and heroic act possible. If he could have taken the bomb away from the city and survived, then fair play, he'd have returned to the city a hero and they'd still have built a statue for him. But tricking people into believing he gave his life for them, that he flew the bomb away from the city despite knowing he was going to die in the process, but doing it anyway to save the people of Gotham; while really he's chilling in an Italian cafe, sipping espresso's with Anne Hathaway? Holds less of an impact for me.
So you wanted Inception 2? An ending that would of torn people even more into believing Wayne was dead? Nolan wanted the trilogy to end, his story was told and he wasn't going to leave it open for people to think about. That was it, Wayne survived, Nolan's story of the character is finished.I think this would have worked well. First you have the discovery of the autopilot thing. And then you finish with Alfred sitting in his cafe, and you see him smiling - maybe just a faint smile, a very ambiguous smile. That would have been a much better ending. Id still have left feeling he was alive, Id feel that way just from knowing about the auto pilot. But it would at least have left you thinking a little more about it.
Otherwise, just scrap that whole scene. Given the auto pilot had been fixed, it really wasnt necessary.
No offense, but I think you've missed my main point here. I understand exactly why Batman faked his death, I just thought it was a shit ending, that lessened the emotional impact of his actions. I think having him fly off with the bomb, showing the explosion, having a scene with the people of Gotham finally accepting Batman and honouring his memory with the statue, having a scene where Alfred breaks down in tears in front of Bruce Wayne's gravestone, having him hand over his legacy to Blake etc. was an emotional ending to the film. Now, I already knew about the scene in the cafe, as some feckwit on another forum decided it would be funny to ruin it for everybody, but I can imagine all of that would be quite emotional for a lot of people, who love the character and who have followed this trilogy of films. I, personally, believe that the final scene took away a lot of the emotion and importance of his actions. But that's just me.You're kind of missing the point of it all, it was never about him tricking Gotham or pretending to give his life for them, it was about Bruce ceasing the opportunity to leave his life of Bruce Wayne & Batman behind him and start completely afresh.
That would be nowhere near as ambiguous as Inception. Once you find out the auto pilot is fixed, there really is no more debate. Everything else is just underlining it, putting a fluorescent jacket on it and giving it a sign saying "look at me, Im over here, please dont miss me". It is overkill.So you wanted Inception 2? An ending that would of torn people even more into believing Wayne was dead? Nolan wanted the trilogy to end, his story was told and he wasn't going to leave it open for people to think about. That was it, Wayne survived, Nolan's story of the character is finished.
In the plane at the beginning with his face bagged I thought it was Sean ConneryI've heard that before, but don't think he sounds anything like Sean Connery. He doesn't have a Scottish accent for one thing.
Accurate review in my opinion.Not to mention that it looked so vaguely bat-like that the whole exercise was futile.
Reconsidering the film as a whole, it featured a great cast and some excellent performances, some amazing set pieces and great photography, but was almost entirely ridiculous - which I did not find to be the case with the other two films, even if they did have their moments of ridiculousness. How it has been given so many flawless reviews is beyond me.
Having said that, it's still very enjoyable and one of the superior superhero movies.
Which superhero films do you think are better than it? Being "average" there must be a fair few of a higher quality.The first two were consistently fantastic silly superhero films. This one was a consistently average silly superhero film.
In TDK, there certainly are. Everything the Joker does is basically a plot contrivance. As is everything Two Face does tbf.I don't think there are anywhere near the level of plot contrivances in the first two as there are in this one
So, a weak screenplay is a weak screenplay...unless it has set pieces or bravado acting performances to cover it up?and neither are there the set piece moments (barring maybe the plane hijacking at the start) or bravado acting performances to cover it up.
A weak screenplay is a weak screenplay regardless of the genre.
As awful by today's standards as Donner's Superman: The Movie is, it is still the template to which all modern superhero movies follow. Chris Nolan credited Donner for this recently.No ones said it doesn't need to be good, or make any sense. That's certainly not my argument at any rate. Merely that it's plot conveniences are no less blatant or abundant than in it's predecessor.
I completely understand why people wouldn't like this. I just don't get the "TDK was amazing, but he's dropped the ball on this one" angle.
The main thing TDK has over this is Ledger and it's eschewing of the usual "Hero wins in the end" trend. And being the first superhero film to take this kind of blockbuster this seriously. The plot is no less daft.
And it sort of does have to be viewed as a superhero film first and a film film second. Because that's what it is. I watched Donner's original Superman the other day, and it was awful by modern standards. Being made in the 70s is the excuse, but the Godfather was made in the 70s, so it shouldn't really be a very good one. However back then, and right up until very recently, superhero films weren't taken even remotely seriously. They all had awful hokey plotting and all the villans had terrible, illogical plans and sketchy motivations. TDK had a huge impact on them being viewed differently, but not because it was actually a brilliant and tightly plotted film noir, but because it was closer to a brilliant, tightly plotted film noir than anyone had dared make a superhero film before.
Consequently post it, some people (IMO) seem to have expected Nolan to make a sequel to the film they imagine TDK to be, rather than the one it actually is, which is what he's done. I don't think anyone's claiming this is one of the greatest films of all time, but it's certainly one of the best superhero ones. Because I can't think of any that don't have the same amount of dodgy contrivances or suspensions of disbelief. And certainly not any that sell you on them as much, or contain the same level of performances or general film making. So fair play to it IMO.
Interesting, can you name some. I want to see if they're general comicbook tropes or can actually be attributed to STM.If you look at all Superhero franchises since STM they take elements of STM in nearly all of them.
This is how i see it. End of the day, both very good movies.No ones said it doesn't need to be good, or make any sense. That's certainly not my argument at any rate. Merely that it's plot conveniences are no less blatant or abundant than in it's predecessor.
I completely understand why people wouldn't like this. I just don't get the "TDK was amazing, but he's dropped the ball on this one" angle.
The main thing TDK has over this is Ledger and it's eschewing of the usual "Hero wins in the end" trend. And being the first superhero film to take this kind of blockbuster this seriously. The plot is no less daft.
And it sort of does have to be viewed as a superhero film first and a film film second. Because that's what it is. I watched Donner's original Superman the other day, and it was awful by modern standards. Being made in the 70s is the excuse, but the Godfather was made in the 70s, so it shouldn't really be a very good one. However back then, and right up until very recently, superhero films weren't taken even remotely seriously. They all had awful hokey plotting and all the villans had terrible, illogical plans and sketchy motivations. TDK had a huge impact on them being viewed differently, but not because it was actually a brilliant and tightly plotted film noir, but because it was closer to a brilliant, tightly plotted film noir than anyone had dared make a superhero film before.
Consequently post it, some people (IMO) seem to have expected Nolan to make a sequel to the film they imagine TDK to be, rather than the one it actually is, which is what he's done. I don't think anyone's claiming this is one of the greatest films of all time, but it's certainly one of the best superhero ones. Because I can't think of any that don't have the same amount of dodgy contrivances or suspensions of disbelief. And certainly not any that sell you on them as much, or contain the same level of performances or general film making. So fair play to it IMO.
Yeah I've read that a few times now, I don't get it, it didn't even come across that he was lovesick with Talia to me, more like a brother & sister type relationship... or even a father & daughter. There was nothing wrong about it at all, Bane was there to protect Talia, in the past and in the present of the film. Nothing more, I mean Talia couldn't of called him 'friend' anymore times towards the end to get it across there was no other relationship other than that. If there is something, it was Bane's remorse for allowing Talia's mother to get killed in the prison, if he loved anyone it must of been her and he seen protecting Talia as redemption.Wait.....wait.......wait......so if I protect a kid from some other grown ups and bond because of that, that would make me vaguely paedophilic? I mean theres absolutely that shows them being more than that, nothing that even shows Bane being any other than the typically Superhero villain asexual really.
Superman The Movie is not awful by any standards. You could certainly get rid of a bit of the sillyness of Ned Beatty's character and excise that "Can you read my mind" scene, but it is still a great film.As awful by today's standards as Donner's Superman: The Movie is, it is still the template to which all modern superhero movies follow. Chris Nolan credited Donner for this recently.
Before STM superhero's were reserved only for kids tv shows and not taken seriously in the public's mind. That's why Donner cast highly respected actors for the supporting roles to give more credibility to the public.
It also paved the way for a more serious character driven superhero film.
If you look at all Superhero franchises since STM they take elements of STM in nearly all of them.
I know what you mean . I left the cinema saying "They can't end it here!"Reading and posting in this thread is ruining the movie for me. I really enjoyed it and now I can't stop thinking of reasons why it was stupid
I left the film thinking, shit, there is going to be a Robin film soon.I know what you mean . I left the cinema saying "They can't end it here!"
The origin story is probably the most used aspect but the main one which he gets most credit for was that he treated the superhero as a serious film with a romantic storyline as the basis for the whole movie, along with the casting of highly respected (Oscar Nominated) actors in supporting roles. That was why Tim Burton cast Jack Nicholson as the Joker, Devito as the penguin etc..Interesting, can you name some. I want to see if they're general comicbook tropes or can actually be attributed to STM.
I agree that STM is still a great movie but the effects are what makes it very dated looking now.Superman The Movie is not awful by any standards. You could certainly get rid of a bit of the sillyness of Ned Beatty's character and excise that "Can you read my mind" scene, but it is still a great film.
Donner didn't cast Brando and Hackman for added credibility, either. It was the producers who needed box-office draws to ensure the success of the film.
Don't know if that can be attributed to the film particularly or the fact that they are big budget films and Hollywood studios like their big name actors. I don't think Bale, Ledger or Hardy are typical hollywood fare.The origin story is probably the most used aspect but the main one which he gets most credit for was that he treated the superhero as a serious film with a romantic storyline as the basis for the whole movie, along with the casting of highly respected (Oscar Nominated) actors in supporting roles. That was why Tim Burton cast Jack Nicholson as the Joker, Devito as the penguin etc..
You win that one.Even the new Man of Steel is using the same casting ethos with Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe & Laurence Fishburne all in supporting roles.
Comics established that with hero characters long before.Even small things like making the hero having to become a lonely figure in order to protect the one he loves.
Again from the comic books more than the film it's one of themost iconic images of Superman. Spiderman has also done it in the comic books as well as pretty much every other costumed hero.Spiderman had so many nods to Superman 1 & 2 the fact that Spiderman does a shirt rip is pretty blatantly stolen from Superman.
Tim Burtons was very camp and not straight. Bryan Singers was more inline with the comicbooks. In fact Batman was originally a very straight character. He was a gangster buster who went around kicking and the satuday serials played them and superman very seriously (although with with the usual weekly cliffhanger) It was only when the 60's batman tv series that brought camp into the occasion. Spiderman himself was never a camp story and the was mostly about teenage angst, lonelyness and dealing with growing up more than anythng.http://www.ksitetv.com/forums/showt...imilar-the-Spiderman-trilogy-is-to-Superman-s
http://superman.wikia.com/wiki/Richard_Donner
In the case of Superman, it was Donner who insisted the subject of the comic book superhero should be treated "straight" rather than "camp", an approach that strongly influenced later genre directors such as Bryan Singer and Tim Burton who have made successful superhero films of their own. The influence of Superman: The Movie can, to this day, be seen in superhero films outside the Superman storyline, and even outside the DC Comics universe. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film is debatably one of the strongest examples of that influence.