199 replies to this topic

[Steve Sensible]

There's either a flashback or a Lazarus Pit, because

Spoiler

Josh Pence plays young R'as al Ghul.

[Arjan Dirkse]

Maybe it'll just be a bit part having to do with the youth of Talia.

Or maybe even the origin of Bane or Selina, it could be they have ties to Ras al Ghul as well. I think it's possible Bane was sent by the League of Shadows to do to Gotham what Bruce wasn't willing to do, and what Ras al Ghul wasn't able to do.

[Adam Balson]

Or maybe even the origin of Bane or Selina, it could be they have ties to Ras al Ghul as well. I think it's possible Bane was sent by the League of Shadows to do to Gotham what Bruce wasn't willing to do, and what Ras al Ghul wasn't able to do.

I was going to say that but I was sure that Bane being part of the League of Shadows was already something that was being confirmed/discussed already? Or am I making that up?

I'm pretty sure I have an EMPIRE Magazine where Nolan says he liked the idea of a villain who was yet another analogy of Batman. Ras was his mentor and then everything Bruce hated, Joker was on the complete opposite spectrum of Bruce and Bane is the opposite side of the same coin. He's everything that Ras wanted from Bruce. It's really about not repeating what's gone before (like making a watered down Joker) while bringing it full circle and to a close.

[steveuk]

I think it would be unlike Nolan to confirm that much?

But I'm not going to look for any interviews, I'm starting to hold back now, ready to wait for the film and remain as spoiler-free as I can.

[Adam Balson]

You're right, had a flick through and he's kind of in-depth about Bane being a flip-side if not a superior compared to Batman but nothing about the League of Shadows. Must have made that bit up.

[Dave Wallace]

Having just read the "Batman versus Bane" TPB (which contains Bane's origin story, as well as the "Bane of the Demon" miniseries), I think that a story that has Bane being recruited by Ra's as a surrogate Batman could really work. Pretty much the same thing happens in that mini (which also features Bane becoming Talia's partner), which tied into a larger story in which the League tries to destroy Gotham by unleashing the Apocalypse plague on it.

Not sure if I see the biological warfare angle, but the rest of it could have inspired Nolan's story, at least.

[craggy]

ewwwwwwwwyuch. the mention of biological warfare reminded me of the horrible microwave mcguffin from Batman Begins.

[Steve Sensible]

Apparently this will be part of a special feature on the Dark Knight Rises blu-ray. A gathering of Batmobiles:

Attack of the Batmobile(s)! from Josh Turchetta on Vimeo.

[craggy]

they should add in the Dini/Timm version

[Dave Wallace]

Apparently this will be part of a special feature on the Dark Knight Rises blu-ray. A gathering of Batmobiles:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo....#38;portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href=" of the Batmobile(s)!</a> from <a href=" Turchetta</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vi...>Vimeo</a>.</p>

I still think the Burton one takes some beating.

[Johnny Henning]

Finally watched the 6-minute prologue. It was a bit hard to understand Bane with all the additional sound effects swirling around, and I think he sounds almost exactly like Javier Bardiem as Chigur in No Country For Old Men.

Otherwise, I really have to say that even though it was more confusing and less straightforward than the prologue for THE DARK KNIGHT, it was interesting.

It brings up a couple questions for me. I don't think these are spoilers, but I'll word them carefully.

First, it seems like Bane will be something like a Bin Laden level terrorist threat. So, I gotta wonder something here - it doesn't seem like a good idea to bring in the full force of the US government, but how believable will it be if Bane starts blowing crap up, and the freaking National Guard don't mobilize on Gotham with maybe even Seal Team 6 and a battalion of Marines? In The Dark Knight Nolan set Gotham up as more than a sort of metropolitan metaphor. It's a real city in the real United States and it co-exists with other cities like Hong Kong. So, if a foreign terrorist already wanted by the Feds used a criminal army to take control or even attack the authorities in New York or Chicago or even Pittsburgh (maybe not Philadelphia or Detroit), the State and Federal Governments aren't just going to sit back and let the local police or some weirdo vigilante deal with it. With the Joker, at least, it was still primarily a criminal operation.

Second, the bank robbery at the beginning of The Dark Knight served a catalytic effect on the story the movie told. It was an event that affected all the players, the mob whose money it was, the cops and Batman who were tracing that money, and the district attorney Dent who used it to force Gordon to let him in on his relationship with Batman. I'm wondering exactly how this prologue will actually impact the story -

Spoiler

Obviously, since the Pavlov character is a doctor, you get the idea that there may be some sort of bio-chemical agent planned. Or maybe a Lazarus pit?

I don't think it is a Lazarus Pit, because that seems just too far into fantasy SF territory than Nolan would go (still, this is a man who did THE PRESTIGE and INCEPTION which both have fantasy inventions), but here's why I think it could be a Lazarus Pit. Unless I missed something, ALL of Bane's men (the ones we see anyway) willingly, almost carelessly, die in the prologue. The only people who survive are Bane and the Doctor. Now, I don't really see Bane as a religious zealot - so it is doubtful some inane version of paradise in the afterlife really appeals to his men. That likely means that they are, probably, dedicated to the cause enough to see these deaths as the most worthy they can attain with the knowledge they played a part in Bane's plan being enough for them to die.

However, on the other hand, maybe Bane has promised them resurrection after death with the Lazarus process which is why they die so willingly and readily. I really doubt that will turn out to be true, but it did strike me as strange that they all died so needlessly. Again, maybe I missed the shot where they returned to the plane, but it seemed like they just decided to fall with it.

[Steve Sensible]

Why not just wait and see the movie?

[Johnny Henning]

Wait - I thought this was the discussion thread for The Dark Knight Rises. Are we not supposed to discuss it? I mean, isn't that why they released the prologue - to generate "buzz."

[steveuk]

The Dark Knight Rises, the new Batman film from Warner Bros. and director Christopher Nolan, has been rated PG-13. The move is not unexpected (2008’s The Dark Knight had the same label) but it does underscore some interesting tidbits about the movie.

• The rating means Dark Knight Rises is completely finished — sound and score included — more than three months before its July 20 release date. That’s an unusual accomplishment for an epic tentpole movie these days. Most are finalized just weeks before their release. The Amazing Spider-Man, which opens July 2, doesn’t have a rating yet, nor does Prometheus, the Ridley Scott-directed sci-fi film set to open June 8. It also means the cut of the movie screened by Nolanfor top Warners brass March 16 was far from a rough print and was close to his final version. The timeline highlights how efficient Nolan is as a filmmaker.
• The early rating also fires the starter pistol for the most aggressive phase of Warners' marketing plan, according to sources. As a follow-up to a movie that grossed $1 billion worldwide, hit status for Rises seems inevitable. But Warners clearly isn’t leaving anything to chance. With three months to go and a ratings label in hand, Warners will be able to hone its message with laser-like focus. It also means the studio will be able to start screening the movie for taste-makers and critics. If it chooses to, of course.
• Finally, TDKR scored its rating for “intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language.” The 2008 movie was considered envelope-pushing for its intensity — some parents were left wondering why the Batman movie hadn’t been rated R — and the rating leaves no question that audiences can expect the same with the new movie. But by singling out “sensuality” in the label, the ratings board might be indicating that this movie has something new to show about the caped crusader. It might also preview a more emotional side of Nolan, whose films have been described more cerebral than emotion-filled.

http://www.hollywood...3-rating-309633

[Johnny Henning]

"Sensuality" is vaguely defined by the MPAA. The Devil Wears Prada was rated PG-13 for "sensuality." Other movies, like The Illusionist got PG-13 for "sexuality." The difference? Anne Hathaway is sensual and Jessica Biel is sexual, I guess.

Can't really read too much into it, though. I don't find Nolan's movies to be all that cold and emotionless, actually. Quite the opposite, I think, since really all his protagonists and antagonists are slaves to their extreme emotions - he just writes the script in a way that gives you a cooler perspective on those drives.

I doubt DKR will be as "sensual" as THE PRESTIGE. I mean, I don't think we'll have a Bruce-Selina make-out scene along the lines of Clooney-Lopez in Out of Sight.

[Steve Sensible]

[Johnny Henning]

Interesting - that is a bit more like the comic book version than I expected. Someone, I think in EW, said that they thought she looked anorexic.

I don't see that at all.

[Arjan Dirkse]

Awesome.

[brucegray666]

http://www.slashfilm...k-knight-rises/

Some new Dark Knight Rises pics up on /Film:

[Arjan Dirkse]

Is Brucie holding an Ipad there??