The Dark Knight Rises
So, I saw TDKR yesterday afternoon and had a lot of mixed feelings about it.
My first reaction to the end, when Bruce Wayne fakes Batman's death and uses the blank slate to start a new life with Selina Kyle, was somewhat negative. Thinking back, I'm going to assume that that reaction was just me, as a fan of previous Batman works, disliking the break from basic continuity. The idea isn't bad, really, it's just very unexpected because it's new.
After having a day to digest it, I like it (in the context of the films).
My brother and I are both comic book/superhero fans, but often times our specific interests diverge because he enjoys "dark and gritty" stories while I stive to avoid anything too full of angst. We've discussed before how my problem with many Batman stories is that Bruce Wayne is a big ball of angst whose relationships keep falling apart. For example, in Batman Beyond we find out that he has basically no friends or family by the time Terry comes into his life AND Gotham is still full of crime. How depressing is that?
In TDKR Bruce seems to have moved on, has a potentially happy life ahead of him, and Gotham still gets a protector in the form of Batman 2.0. Now that I've thought about it, this ending is perfect for me!
Of course, I kind of rolled my eyes at the Batman mantle being taken up by a guy named Robin. Really? It seems just a little silly. I guess I can understand the motivations behind the decison, but it's hard not to judge it. The upside is: brand new character! The end of Nolan's trilogy has officially changed the films from "an adaptation of the comic book material that changes some things but is at its core the same story" to "an alternate reality with its own story to tell". Are we going to get some Blake!Batman stories, or what? Where he recruits apprentices from the orphange over the Batcave? Fandom, at least, needs to get on this. I will also accept official DC comics.
I few other elements were iffy for me, but that was the main issue. Overall I liked the movie!
My first reaction to the end, when Bruce Wayne fakes Batman's death and uses the blank slate to start a new life with Selina Kyle, was somewhat negative. Thinking back, I'm going to assume that that reaction was just me, as a fan of previous Batman works, disliking the break from basic continuity. The idea isn't bad, really, it's just very unexpected because it's new.
After having a day to digest it, I like it (in the context of the films).
My brother and I are both comic book/superhero fans, but often times our specific interests diverge because he enjoys "dark and gritty" stories while I stive to avoid anything too full of angst. We've discussed before how my problem with many Batman stories is that Bruce Wayne is a big ball of angst whose relationships keep falling apart. For example, in Batman Beyond we find out that he has basically no friends or family by the time Terry comes into his life AND Gotham is still full of crime. How depressing is that?
In TDKR Bruce seems to have moved on, has a potentially happy life ahead of him, and Gotham still gets a protector in the form of Batman 2.0. Now that I've thought about it, this ending is perfect for me!
Of course, I kind of rolled my eyes at the Batman mantle being taken up by a guy named Robin. Really? It seems just a little silly. I guess I can understand the motivations behind the decison, but it's hard not to judge it. The upside is: brand new character! The end of Nolan's trilogy has officially changed the films from "an adaptation of the comic book material that changes some things but is at its core the same story" to "an alternate reality with its own story to tell". Are we going to get some Blake!Batman stories, or what? Where he recruits apprentices from the orphange over the Batcave? Fandom, at least, needs to get on this. I will also accept official DC comics.
I few other elements were iffy for me, but that was the main issue. Overall I liked the movie!