The Film Club Rises
And so this week our Film Clubbers finally got to see Chris Nolan’s Batman franchise-finisher The Dark Knight Rises. But did it live up to their expectations?
(MASSIVE spoilers. EVERYWHERE)
AMY ‘I loved the film! Joseph Gordon Levitt and Anne Hathaway were brilliant. Perfect casting, and I’m so happy to see Joseph and Tom Hardy doing so well for themselves.’
BILL ‘It’s been said before but Hans Zimmer’s score really does deserve a lot of credit.’
CHRIS R ‘I loved it, possibly my favourite film of the year.’
‘I loved Tom Hardy as Bane. All the cast was great…I was unsure about Anne Hathaway when she was announced but she was fantastic, Nolan really knows how to cast his films.’
‘I loved the prison scenes, I thought they were fantastic and a great look back at the League of Shadows.’
‘A perfect end to the trilogy. I wouldn’t like to be the guy who has to reboot this series!’
CHRIS M ‘The Dark Knight Rises is an almost perfect denouement to a fantastic trilogy. Brilliant acting from all involved, especially Anne Hathaway who stole every scene she was in. I really believed in the character.’
‘Joseph Gordon-Levitt was excellent, I thought he might even end up in the “suit” before the film’s end. He was really believable as the orphaned boy made good.’
‘Bruce Wayne’s plotline was handled perfectly throughout the whole trilogy, Bale is a fantastic actor and has made the role his own, portraying every nuance of the character from Batmans’ rise to his fall and rise again. Spot on.’
‘Loved the addition of The Bat and how it came to be an integral part of the film and its ending. The Batpod is stunning, as a motorcyclist I’d have one (although I feel the laws of physics might prevent it working).’
‘From the bombastic score to the intricate, meaningful plot this film scores an almost 5/5 from me.’
ED ‘The first blockbuster since The Dark Knight that lived up to the hype surrounding it. It was an absolute masterclass of Brits in Hollywood and Nolan now has nothing left to prove.’
‘The acting was stellar and the set pieces incredible. Any quibbles I may have with Bane being killed too easily or the way it has been left for open for a 4th instalment when it shouldn’t have are minor.’
‘The end was brilliant. The coda with Caine and Bale was perfect writing.’
‘My film of the year? Probably!’
MAXWELL ‘Wow. A great film that fully lived up to the enormous amount of hype that surrounded it, and a brilliant conclusion to one of the best trilogies ever made. There’s no doubt which of Nolans three Batman films is better, but The Dark Knight Rises was mind-blowingly epic.’
‘Bale was in fine form and Hathaway was stunning. I also thought Hardy did a very good job as Bane. As was pointed out, most of his face was behind a mask so drawing comparisons to Ledger’s Joker would be unfair.’
‘Joseph Gordon-Levitt was very good too. He is going from strength to strength with each new role.’
‘I really enjoyed the prison scene, it worked so well. And the first fight scene Bane and Batman had in the sewers was amazing. You felt genuine fear for him.’
‘I loved all the flashbacks and references to the previous movies, too.’
MIKE ‘Overall, a rather splendid conclusion to a superb trilogy.’
‘Surprisingly Anne Hathaway pretty much stole the show with her performance. I was sceptical about her in the build up and at the announcement, but she was great casting and deserving of praise.’
‘Tom Hardy was good; very effective and a great physical presence, but nothing on Ledger’s Joker. It’s unfair to compare though I think, as their roles were rather different.’
‘Personally, I think Hardy did the best possible job with the character. Michael Caine was great too, for the few scenes he did have.’
JEFF ‘I think it’s a good film, but not great. However, it is a great end to the trilogy and the final 10 minutes or so is as fine an example of perfect cinema as it gets.’
‘I’d say it’s a 4 star film at best to be honest and possibly the weakest of the trilogy. I enjoyed it immensely the first time, but there are some glaring issues.’
‘I was so into JGL’s performance and character. He stole the show for me and I’d love to see him go on to play Nightwing in a spin-off series.’
‘Marion Cotillard = worst miscasting of the trilogy. Yes, even more so than Katie Holmes!’
‘Even if TDKR is flawed and maybe the weakest of the three. It’s difficult to picture seeing any other take on Batman on the big screen within my lifetime, really. I think Nolan has done a great job with this series, but I’m definitely looking forward to him getting back to films that don’t have the constraints of a pre-established universe.’
JONATHAN ‘I absolutely LOVED The Dark Knight Rises. I tried not to get too excited about it (which was hard considering it has some of my favourite actors in it), but that meant that I was completely blown away by everything.’
‘I guess I’m slightly biased because I’m a massive Anne Hathaway fan, but I, too, would say that she completely stole the show for me. It was nice to have a Catwoman that was relatively normal.’
‘It was a great performance from Tom Hardy and that the voice he chose to use was brilliant. I think he was the perfect villain for this stage in Bruce Wayne’s life. He had to work himself up from being “broken” and come back a stronger person, mentally and physically, something Bane obviously wasn’t expecting.’
‘When bombs appear in storylines I always suspect they will be stopped, but with this one I actually thought they would fail to save the city.’
DAVE ‘I really loved it. It’s probably the weakest in the trilogy for me but that’s nothing because I now class it as one of the best trilogies ever.’
‘The bomb plot felt OK to me, even though it’s not the freshest idea.’
‘In the end the twist plays out nicely but Marion Cotillard’s death scene just felt a bit poor to me, I would have loved to see more of her evil side.’
‘Anne Hathaway stole the show for me.’
JAMES T ‘I loved it! Still not sure where I’d rank it in the trilogy as I think each one has aspects that are better than the others.’
‘I didn’t have an issue with Bane’s voice. It did come off a bit like a voiceover, but I’d rather that than not being able to hear him.’
‘For me, The Dark Knight Rises was a better film when Hathaway was on the screen. She nailed that character. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was great too, as he always is. I’ve been a fan since 10 Things I Hate About You and I’m glad he’s starting to get the recognition he deserves.’
‘I liked how they kept on bringing it back to Batman Begins, it made it feel like the final chapter in a planned trilogy, rather than a second sequel.’
‘Overall I loved all three movies. Nolan has created an amazing trilogy that I will be watching for many years to come. My favourite film of the year so far.’
MAXINE H ‘I loved it! I have a few tiny complaints but nothing major. I just think Chris Nolan has done such a fantastic job and it was the perfect way to end the trilogy.’
‘I had three problems with the film. Bane’s voice was very hard to understand at times, Marion Cotillard’s death scene was awful and that kiss between Batman and Catwoman….too cheesy!’
‘I was very apprehensive about Anne Hathaway. I don’t like her and she’s ruined films in the past but I think she did a fantastic job. As did Joseph Gordon Levitt and Tom Hardy…who proved he was a great actor even with 80% of his face behind a mask.’
‘I love the Batman franchise, I have since I was little and Chris Nolan has absolutely blown my mind with his Dark Knight. I’m excited for Nolan’s next project and I hope it includes some of our friends from the Batman trilogy. Oh yeah, and I want an Alfred in my life.’
RICH ‘It’s the most flawed masterpiece I’ve ever seen.’
MAXINE P ‘I loved it, it was such a good film.’
‘I thought Bane was played really well by Tom Hardy. I loved the first fight scene.
‘I liked how it ended because it got me thinking as to whether or not there’s going to be another Batman film.’
RACHEL ‘I was disappointed with this film as it wasn’t as good as it predecessor.’
‘Anne Hathaway blew me away with her performance, she was brilliant as Catwoman.’
‘As for Bane, I couldn’t understand him at all and feel he’s the weakest villain we’ve had for a while.’
‘The prison scenes were painful, I actually got bored! This film needed more Batman.’
‘I’d give this film 3/5. It could have been so much more but it just lacked something and I can’t put my finger on it.’
KURT ‘It was a five star film and a great way to end the current Dark Knight legend, but it wasn’t as good as The Dark Knight.’
‘The only thing I really didn’t like was the whole ‘fusion reactor being used as a bomb’ plot. It felt too much like Spider-Man 2.’
‘I thought Hardy’s Bane was great. Bit of a “thesp” voice at times, but it suited his character well. I won’t hear a word against him or his Saruman voice.’
‘When the inevitable reboot comes I doubt it will bear any resemblance to this trilogy. If Warner’s want a Justice League movie they’re going to need a more action-orientated Batman franchise. Plus, no-one is going to be able to top dark and broody Batman.’
‘I thought it could have done with less flash backs. That moment between Batman and Gordon at the end was beautiful, but was ruined by the flashback.’
GINA ‘I was a little dubious about Anne Hathaway playing Catwoman – fortunately she was excellent.’
‘They really did a good job with the plot; I never saw the twist at the end coming! And when Bruce Wayne was thrown in the dungeon to watch Bane destroy the city, I actually felt his despair. I remember thinking “there’s no way he’s gonna be able to get out of that.”’
LOUISE ‘I absolutely loved it; the best film I’ve seen all year. I loved every second of it!’
‘I loved Anne Hathaway and thought Joseph Gordon-Levitt was brilliant! Though I think I’m biased as I love him in everything.’
‘I liked that Batman was trapped away from all the action for a while, helpless. It gave the others a chance to shine.’
‘I loved Talia and Bane’s relationship (what we briefly got to see of it).’
‘I loved that first fight scene. It was absolutely amazing. Bane just destroyed Batman, it was crazy at the end when he just threw him down all broken. Bane was truly terrifying.’
MEGAN ‘It lagged a little mid-way through for me and I was worried it wouldn’t be what I hoped it would be but the third act was phenomenal.’
‘I really liked how they handled the plot – it felt in sync with the rest of the trilogy. I loved the nods to previous films, I thought they worked very well.’
‘I felt the prison was a great metaphor for Bruce. He grew a lot in this film.’
‘My favourite moments were actually the character moments. I really felt the action was secondary to the story this time, although still impressive.’
LYNN ‘Anne Hathaway was the perfect Catwoman. Sexy and alluring when needed yet demure which helped to put people off their guard at times. I loved her “ears”.’
‘In my opinion, they cut back on the violence too much when compared to The Dark Knight. The back-breaking wasn’t as dramatic as it could have been and the fight scenes were too choreographed for me, not organic enough. But they were beautiful to watch.’
‘Tom Hardy did so well in conveying his hatred and determination with just his eyes.’
‘I thought the allusions to the previous characters were a nice touch, a “thank you” for what they contributed to the trilogy.’
‘I have a suspicion that whoever is taking Batman on next is already involved and that Robin will carry the mantle and wear the cape next.’
EVERTON ‘I loved the film and think it was a very fitting end to the trilogy’
‘Joseph Gordon-Levitt just about stole the show from Anne Hathaway.’
‘Bane wasn’t difficult to understand at all, except when he was meant to be…if you know what I mean?’
‘The first fight scene with Bane and Batman was horrible, in all of the right ways…it was as though Bane grew several centimetres after each attack and poor old Batman was trying trick, after trick, after trick. Very well played Sirs!’
‘My only problem with this film – and believe me it wasn’t a problem at all – was how clean the GPD in the sewers were. I’ve looked worse after a weekend camping!’
But just what is this Film Club malarkey all about? It’s simples, really. Each week we send a pair of cinema tix (ODEON or Cineworld, whichever is best) to 10 of our most active Facebook/Twitter followers. We put the film we’re going to see to the vote, and the winning film is the one we all go to see. Then we all sit around on Facebook on the Sunday night (6.30) and chat about it. Magic. Sound like something you want to get involved with? Drop us a line at twitter.com/f_t_r_c or on Facebook at on.fb.me/d4dMv8
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