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| "Loses all respectability at that moment" Narry B |
Starring: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway
"His only crime... was that he loved me" (*Narry B spontaneously pukes all over the TV screen*)
Rises' script features such powerful lines as the above. The film plays host to a whole heap of cliches, in fact:
- The invincible villain makes an entrance
- The superhero is defeated
- He trains hard while in exile
- He returns and beats him with ease
- There's a final "shocking" plot twist
- The film sets itself up all too nicely for a sequel, against all the odds
This is 'plot by numbers', straight out of the ABC of filmmaking. Of all these, no. 5 is the most ridiculous. The last minute identity twist adds nothing to the story. It only serves to undermine the character of Bane, who would otherwise be one of the better villains from modern comic book films.
Rises mimics some elements of Hugo's Les Miserables in order to hint at a deeper political meaning. Yet the overall story is utterly facile. It would have been better off trying to be an all out entertainment feast, instead of hinting at revolutionary ideals.
Admittedly, the film is kind of compelling - the first half in particular. There's plenty of action and it's very pacy. You can't fault the production values, either - for £200m you'd expect that, at least. Anne H is excellent as Catwoman, and provides the movie's best moment wherein she pretends to be hysterical when the police turn up after she causes a ruckus in a bar. And, as Smaltz noted, Bane is a great villain - which is why it's so annoying that all his credence and cachet is taken away at the end.
But at the end of the day... "His only crime was that he loved me..."
I'm afraid you lost all respectability at that moment, Christopher N.
Rating: Average
Agreed on all points! Definitely the worst of the three (also the worst Nolan film ever). Plot: disjointed. Pace: stuttering. Bane: emasculated. Ouch!
ReplyDeleteCastro Banes.
ReplyDeleteAbsolute twoddle. What you refer to as 'plot by numbers' is not plot but the building blocks of all hero stories dating back as far as stories go. Most do follow the same pattern in the way that most music is in 4/4 time. For whatever reason it works. I can think of numerous films that do the same, Superman, Gladiator, any number of Eastern and Western animated films. Greek myths are built on this stuff. It's not that it's by the numbers that just how stories of this kind work. The actual plot is very clever following one greedy business man's desire to control Wayne enterprises when he is actually being played and not by the person we think. I actually this film will age very well and naysayers will watch it back in 10 years and be pleasantly surprised.
ReplyDeleteTrue... that's probably why I don't like Hollywood superhero films. They can only end in one way. Besides, the script will not age well at all.
ReplyDelete