It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
Love this movie and trilogy; extended editions are the best! And yes the CGI that is used in those movies is used brilliantly, like how it can look more natural with the environment.
Still Nolan's masterpiece, such an unsettling ending when you realise what Leonard is doing, Pearce is mesmerising, I put Prestige a close 2nd though.
Every aspect is perfect, the acting, the writing, the score and the cinematography, alongside Usual Suspects & Se7en as one of the most audacious and original thrillers of the last 25 years.
Incidentally My Wife and I did the Nolan Bat trilogy over the last few weeks, Batman Begins, great opener, remember catching this twice on the big screen and being so impressed that Batman had finally been done justice on the big screen.
Not being prepared for the masterful sequel, Ledger is a revelation, as some have already said, it's rare when you see an actor completely inhabit a role like Heath does with the Joker.
I remember the criticism that was fired at Nolan for casting him, he didn't want a name, someone everyone would associate with the role like Nicholson had been touted for years before Batman 89 came out and then delivered a performance that as charismatic as it was ended up being an extension of his own personality.
Ledger was immersed under that suit and make up that when you looked at him you saw the Joker and no one else, as Nolan said he's not part of the main story, he's wild card, like the shark in Jaws he cuts through the film causing havoc.
That being said everyone hits their marks and Bale just excels in the three roles he plays, Billionaire Playboy Bruce Wayne, the real tortured Bruce Wayne and of course Batman. The supporting cast are superb, cinematography and yes Zimmer and Newton Howards score, it might not be memorable and melodic like Elfman's anthemic offering for Burtons films but it drives and lends the film an edge and tension.
Rises for me is the weakest but it's far from terrible, that opening is utterly thrilling and Bondesque, that being said the opening to TDK takes some beating and as ambitious as it is I prefer the Jokers scheme and intro to that to this. Rises just seems like it's handling too much, the plot is over complicated and is striving to tie up loose ends and the plot holes are many.
That being said the ending is thrilling and the moment when Batman lets Gordon know who he is, is still one of the best of the whole series, a great trilogy with flaws but DC will strive to top this when they give it a shot.
It might not be loyal to the comics as some would wish but then that might be why I embraced it so and haven't been moved by any subsequent film in the genre since.
The Marvel output is kiddie fare in comparison and many films set in so called reality (including the FF series) also seem childish when held up against what Nolan gave us.
@bondjames, exactly. It shouldn't feel as natural and normal that a man runs around in a batsuit, but somehow the films make you treat it as such.
This is one thing the new WB/DC films don't have. I don't believe in the heroes or their world because they're so shoddily written. The result is that I now look at Batman in a suit and think, "this seems so weird." There's not the depth and rich character and world building of Nolan's approach to give those images any ability to trick us into accepting them. Nolan was all about meaning, subtext, theme, connectivity, resonance; in short, a director in the classic style. Snyder just likes to make things explode and have heroes punch each other in ways that look "cool." As you said, kiddie fare in comparison.
Memento is also now my favorite movie because it's made so well. It is endlessly confusing but yet still makes sense.
The Dark Knight is a lot more complex, and at times examines things beyond Batman, commenting on the nature of humanity and society with a real psychological bent, such that it's not as easy to call it a simple Batman film for all the bases it covers. Our main villain is a man who doesn't know the truth of his own past, and his schemes are all meant to psychologically ravage the minds of his victims and bring them to his low point of sanity, proving his point that anyone can fall to his depths on a bad day. It makes sense why his final act is to make two boat-fulls of people blow each other up. Because he beat down Dent and made him into a monster, he thought he could bring down loads of others too. In the end though, we see that the criminals and civilians are a lot more understanding and sensible than Joker would have us believe in his anarchic speak, and though he was victorious over Dent, the hope for society to rise above chaos is evident.
I never really call TDK a Batman film, as simply referring to it by those terms isn't enough. It takes a comic character, teams him and his world with a neo-noir style of storytelling, and presents a masterfully structured story that somehow is able to make statements on everything from right and wrong, sacrifice and responsibility, chaos and fear, dark and light, myth vs. reality, regret and trauma, and so many more aspects of life through its characters. It's one of the only films in the past fifteen or twenty years that truly feels like it earns its title as a modern classic for hitting so many strong bases as a piece of art and filmmaking.
Just on my way back home from seeing this. It was the London Premiere for which I won two tickets for. Had James Gunn and the cast come up on stage and twll us how awesome we are before the film started. Man, this film was incredibly entertaining. I think it's better than the first film and the character dynamics had more substance and depth. The humour was great and baby groot and Drax were scene stealers but all the characters got to shine and had great moments. I'm definitely seeing this again once it's out on wide release.
I realized the first and only time what a complete failure it was.
Yeah, I'd heard so much hype about it and my friend raved to me about how awesome it was and that he'd seen it 4 times at the cinema, so when I actually watched it I was a bit underwhelmed.
It's an enjoyable enough film but it thinks it's so cool but just comes across as smug.
The ear friendly soundtrack is predictable and I'm afraid I found the CGI Raccoon very badly done.
I think it fared well with the easily pleased audience. A group that seems to be the majority of moviegoers these days....
Or maybe some people just like to have fun when they watch a film...
The movie didn't reinvent the wheel, but I have always been impressed with its use of music as a character building device, actually doing more to tell us who the characters were than the script did at times. Many of the songs commented on the coming action in a clever bit of foreshadowing or self-aware playfulness, or in others became full on anthems for the characters. The lead character was especially shaped and given dimension through music, as he used it not only to get through dangerous or disarming situations but also to remember his late mother that he felt tied to through the art form even when she had passed on. The music also drove a bunch of the youngins who didn't grow up knowing what good tunes were to seek out more songs and artists like what the film advertised, so that's never a bad thing.
I've no problem people just having 'fun' when watching a film but I guess I'm quite a demanding movie goer. I must admit I've got fussier as I've got older.
I did like the film, just not as much as I expected to.
Your dislike of directors using retro songs to nail audiences is one of the essential tenets of Tarantino's shtick, so I don't get what about GoTG offended you to such a high degree that you hate it so much more for doing the same things. I also think Guardians did more to use the songs beyond just obvious scene dressing (again, very Tarantino) and instead made music a fundamental element of the script and how it built its characters. Tarantino uses music to give life to scenes, but giving life to characters using music is another thing entirely.
If it didn't work for you, it didn't. Moving along...
I didn't say I hated it. I do like the film. Yet again, just not as much as I thought I would.
As I mentioned, Tarantino is like Scorcese in that he's skilled at weaving it into the soul of his films. With other directors its a bit obvious and impersonal.
Quoted for truth.
Honestly, it's just a movie that's meant to be fun and entertain. Some people are acting like these movies should give their lives meaning. How many people can say they even knew who the GoTg were before the film came out? Meanwhile this obscure Marvel property became a critical success and made over $700 million, in fact it made exactly $100 million less than BvS. Yes, failure on all levels.
@doubeloego, I just resented the "easily pleased" remark. It shows somewhat of a myopic reaction to the very wide breadth of filmmaking going on these days. Just like you wouldn't judge a comedy for its lack of character studies and high drama, you wouldn't take a space opera with a frivolous and colorful edge to task for not doing the same things. It's quite clear what the movie was shooting to be from trailer to the final release, and I think it succeeded in that regard. There was no identity crisis like you see with so many others today, including DC's line-up. So you either like it for what it is, or you don't. But it is only what it is, and shouldn't have to be more.
As I always say, though, Guardians is one of those films that actually has a lot going on that you don't see on the immediate surface. But on top of that it carries a nice message of unity and understanding, and that's something for kids and adults to take to heart. And yes, it's simply a fun movie. Heaven forbid in a shitty world we get to hear characters enjoying their lives and dancing to great music that gives them meaning and happiness. As someone who often needs music to get through the day, Starlord is my kinda guy.
Is that the 'Hooked on a Feeling' song that nobody knew about until Tarantino used it in Reservoir Dogs over 20 years ago...? ;)