Quick thoughts on THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. True IMAX presentation is always worth the money. It’s stunning.
But this installment is a big drop off from THE DARK KNIGHT. There’s something wrong with the structure – Nolan seems to want to take things away from the Batman mythology so much, he cripples his own story (and hero) to do it. Alfred disappears. There’s no Batmobile. They never say the name ‘Catwoman’ once. And most importantly, Batman is out of action for the majority of the movie. I get why. Bruce Wayne is fighting an inner struggle with himself, and being in that jail is a reprise of being stuck at the bottom of the well in BATMAN BEGINS. Unfortunately, it means there’s no overt hero in your superhero story.
The other problem I had is with the ticking time-bomb at the end. This is so ridiculously literal, especially with the numbers counting down on the side. There had to be a better way to create urgency than that. Also, I really missed Heath Ledger’s Joker. I know that’s sadly out of anyone’s control, but he was noticeable by his absence. It highlighted how much Batman needs the The Joker to come alive, character-wise.
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