Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Pictured: two good actors.

The Dark Knight Rises was not at all what I was expecting, but neither was I at any point surprised while watching it. In short, The Dark Knight Rises was really just another superhero movie, despite all the hype. Many have gushed over the ostensibly intellectual nature of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, but The Dark Knight Rises is not a superhero movie for the thinking man. It is, however, a great superhero movie.

Of course, spoilers ahead.

The Dark Knight Rises Spoilers

It Goes Without Saying That This Is Completely Read At Your Own Risk

I told myself I wasn't going to do it.... but I did. The Dark Knight Rises comes out Friday at 12:01 in the States, but has been out overseas for a short amount of time. That being said, a lot of people know what happens already, and are posting it on the internet. If you're the person that likes to know these things before you see a movie, then by all means keep reading. If you're not one of those people, seriously, just stop now. This is a film that's going to be much more worth i if you go in blind. You've had your final warning, so here it is.

Guest Writer, Ethan Smith - The Dark Knight Rises Trailer 5 - “Journey”

YAMB Welcomes Guest Writer Ethan Smith from Ethan Unscripted

The Dark Knight Rises is only a week away, and if you’re between the ages of 5 and 95, you’re excited about it. As if Warner Bros. needed to add any more fuel to the fire, they have released one final trailer that highlights some key moments from the previous two films. This is especially exciting for those of us who are nerdy enough to go see the marathon before the midnight showing on the 19th. (9 hours of Batman! I hope we get bathroom breaks!)

The trailer begins with a quote from good ol’ Alfred, one of the many characters who provides moral direction for Bruce Wayne. “I never wanted you to come back to Gotham. I always knew there was nothing here for you, except pain and tragedy.”

Creepy Batman is creepy...

Well, that’s kinda depressing! Alfred never wanted Bruce to come back (he was probably enjoying having the mansion and the cars to himself), but it is a good point. As long as Bruce is in Gotham, he will always be reminded of his parents’ deaths, and as long as that reminder is there to drive him, Bruce will never be able to escape the Batman.

Next we get a shot of Bruce in the well, being swarmed by bats from Batman Begins, before seeing the screen title: “The Beginning of a Legend.” This is followed by the often repeated lines, “Took quite a fall didn’t we, Master Bruce?” (Alfred) “And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.” (Bruce’s dad) We see Bruce kneeling over his fallen parents.

The Dark Knight vs. The Dark Knight Rises

On July 20 the wait for The Dark Knight Rises will be over. But can the final installment of director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy rise above and beyond the standards set by its predecessor, The Dark Knight? Boasting popular and critical acclaim, including a score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Dark Knight cannot be topped easily. Here are five things the third film in the trilogy needs to have in order to rise above its predecessor.

The Dark Knight Rises

Less than a month remains until the release of one of the most highly anticipated comic book movies of all time. Featuring an amazing cast, 100 minutes of action, and one of humanity's favorite heroes, The Dark Knight Rises is sure to be a success. We here at YAMB have several posts concerning Christopher Nolan's final entry in the Batman trilogy, and have compiled them here for you. Read and enjoy. While you're at it, take some time to get your midnight premiere tickets through the link below!

The Dark Knight Rises: Who is John Blake? No Really...

Proving once again, JGL is cooler than you.

Even though the monstrosity and absolutely terrifying character, Bane, has been grabbing most of the headlines for The Dark Knight Rises, there are a multitude of characters who remain key pieces to the film. Not only do they seem vital, but their characters are new and supposedly not based on any character previously seen in Batman lore.

With the latest trailer released, certain characters are a bit more fleshed out, while others remain in the dark. When Nolan was in the midst of casting for The Dark Knight Rises, a flurry of rumors and people became attached to the finale of Nolan's Bats trilogy. They were ridiculous, over-the-top, and downright sad. Seriously, Cher? Miley Cyrus? Philip Seymour Hofman as the Penguin? Johnny Depp as The Riddler? Catwoman? Oh wait. (For the record, I no longer have a beef with Bane and Catwoman...)

Thankfully, that mayhem and madness is over. However, again, many of the characters who have been cast are suspiciously lacking backstory...

Seriously, WHO ARE YOU???

While we have more than enough news on Bane, Catwoman, and the returning cast (Bats/Bruce, Fox, Alfred, Gordon, etc.), other newcomers such as John Blake, Miranda Tate, Juno Temple's character, and a certain mad scientist. There may even be two returning characters, but again, their place in the film is yet to be determined.

Read on if you care to be a bit spoiled... They won't be major spoilers because, well, there's not a whole lot to spoil about the film, yet. Nolan and crew are keeping their baby under lock and key. Plus, some of the spoiler news have come from forums and other untrustworthy areas.

We'll be covering the likes of Catwoman, this Miranda Tate character, and many others in the coming weeks, but for now, on to the mysterious character that will be played by 500 Days of Summer actor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt...

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer #3 Analysis and Breakdown

EPIC!!!

By now, many of you have probably seen the latest trailer of Chris Nolan's epic conclusion to his Batman franchise, The Dark Knight Rises. While released to the general public as of April 30, 2012, the trailer will also be included with The Avengers as previously reported.

Even though the trailer was included in yesterday's YAMB article on Bane, it was hastily tacked on, as the article was written before the trailer was released and unfortunately scheduled to post the day after the trailer was sent out. Bummer. 

However, let's take a closer look at this trailer. But first, just back in it's glorious amazing-ness:

Um. Wow. Sorry Avengers you're great and all, but... 

BAZONGA! THIS IS GOING TO BE SO EPIC!!!!!

Whew. Calm down... okay. Now, let's take a rational look at what exactly is going on in this wonderful, spectacular, stupendous trailer.  

And here... we... go.

The Dark Knight Rises: Bane and NEW TRAILER

...until the reboot.

UPDATE: Check out this article to get an in-depth look at the third trailer!

With the flurry of Avengers news and updates, very little has been said about arguably the most anticipated film of the summer. This will-be blockbuster is obviously Chris Nolan's third and final installment of his acclaimed Batman franchise, The Dark Knight Rises. While The Dark Knight was on a full out viral marketing campaign, its successor's internet presence has been remarkably quiet. There has been some chatter about the announcement that a new trailer (the third) will be attached to The Avengers, but other than that, there hasn't been a whole lot of buzz concerning The Dark Knight Rises.

Bane breaks Frat Boys.

After The Dark Knight was released, people were already putting its sequel on their "Most Anticipated" lists. Regardless of the slow news days for Batman fans, this has not changed. I definitely expect that The Dark Knight Rises will undoubtedly release a viral marketing campaign soon (most likely when the trailer is released, or perhaps the trailer will launch it...). Unfortunately, 42 Entertainment is NOT going to be involved in the internet blast. It's a shame too because they did an amazing job with The Dark Knight and Pirates of the Caribbean: Whatever. 

Oh well. I will only have to assume that Mr. Nolan and the big wigs at Warner Bros. have something pretty sweet in store for us. Although, I do have the secret, nagging fear that The Dark Knight Rises won't really have much of a viral campaign, instead sitting back and like a frat boy saying, "What. What ya going to do? NOTHING! THAT'S RIGHT! NOTHING! 'Cause ya gonna watch my movie no matter what! SUCK IT!"

In the meantime, there is still much to be covered in The Dark Knight Rises. Just because there isn't much to talk about now, doesn't mean that there never has been. Au contraire mes amis. There is much to be covered!

For now, we will explore the vast network of characters involved in the threequel. A bit of a warning, there will be some spoilers, soooooo... Ye Be Warned.

Before we do this though... CHECK OUT THE LATEST TDKR TRAILER!!!

Updates from Zack-April 26

This is me. Obviously.

This week featured a lot of comic-book movie news.  The Avengers is hitting international theaters tonight, The Amazing Spiderman is releasing their final trailer, and The Dark Knight Rises is apparently starting their uber-promoting earlier than expected.  I'll take you guys through the best parts of recent news, and give you my thoughts and feelings.  Afterwards let's hear your opinions!  Just shoot us a comment or a reaction, or help us out by posting on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter!

Updates from Zack - 24 April 2012 (Iron Man 3 and The Dark Knight Rises)

Zack has been an awesome addition as a Guest Writer! So much so, we've made him a member of the prestigious B*Team! Stay tuned for a short intro to Zack...

This is going to be the staple image for my updates.  Just imagine it's me in that suit, looking super serious.

        In an attempt to generate more traffic bring you more comic book news, as well as get an idea into your heads just what we at YAMB at working on in the future, I decided to write this nice article for views you.  Since I'm still technically a guest writer, you're welcome.  In a different reality (obviously not this one) I'm really just writing more so that I can figure out how to use the writing tools for the site.  However like I said....different reality...

Update for The Dark Knight Rises: Grand Budget for a Grand Finale

Gotham is crumbling... Will Batman be able to save it?
Duh. He always does.

Where to begin…? Since the last update of The Dark Knight Rises, so much has happened that it would be nigh impossible to cover it all. Which is why I am not. All the casting rumors and certainties will be gathered up in a later post.

First officially released image of Bane. 

As the last article covered, TDKR cast both Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway as Bane and Catwoman(Selina Kyle) respectively. While I loved the choice of actors, I was none too thrilled by the idea of having either villain set in the Nolan Universe he crafted for the Batman, to say the least. Not to mention my boy, David Tennant, is nowhere to be found on the cast list, even though I pleaded that he be included… I’m an astounded that a giant studio or an incredibly busy filmmaker doesn’t read an incredibly small-time movie blogger, like myself. If the oozing sarcasm from that did not soak you to the bone, just to clarify, THAT WAS SARCASTIC.

The genius.

Once again, Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman reprise their respective roles. The Nolan brothers team up to write the script, and David S. Goyer takes part in the story, as they did for the previous two Batman films. The producers and co-producers largely remain the same as the prior two films, as well. If it ain’t broke, don’t YOU DARE FIX IT!

Anyway, there has been so much more news than just Bane and Catwoman. The Internetz are all a-buzz about the latest news on The Dark Knight Rises…