I have been looking forward to this movie for a loooooooong time. I have loved this Batman series, and I just knew this one was going to be fantastic, if for no other reason than because it was one of the very few series that had a god 2nd movie. It's a fact of cinema that the sequels are always a letdown. This was an exception.
But this isn't the 2nd film, it's the 3rd. So.
It was fantastic.
The music was brilliant and evocative, and that is Hans Zimmer for you, so it was to be expected. The cinematography was excellent, which was also to be expected, given the other movies. The movie was a liiiiiitle long, but I never really mind that.
Christopher Nolan has done an AMAZING job with this franchise! New aspects to a hero whose stories had already been told! The man is a genius, and I am convinced that he will be making many more amazing films in the years ahead.
Dialogue was good, banter was fun, and the special effects were AWESOME. Did we have any doubts, really?
Now to the meat and potatoes:
Christian Bale. What. A. Hunk. Seriously, I could watch him all day. He could read the dictionary out loud and I would say, "Do it again." Sorry, but it's true. He was absolutely brilliant. He delivered a stunning performance, with a depth to the character that I hadn't expected at all. Dimensions previously untapped for our favorite caped crusader are what you will get from this movie. I've long been a CB fan, but this movie might have made me devoted to him for life.
Michael Caine. Oh, I adore Michael Caine. The man is fabulous, and not just because he's British [although that helps]. Alfred has always been on my awesome list, even when I watched the Batman cartoons. But MC puts such tenderness and wit into his performance of Alfred that it just makes your heart go "awwwwwww". I wish there had been more of Alfred in the film, but I guess it makes me value those moments even more.
Tom Hardy. Ohmygosh, he scared the bejeezes out of me. I wish I could have understood his dialogue a little better, but that kind of made him all the creepier. I was thinking "what did he just say?" and then he would do something that made me jump or made my jaw drop. One of the greatest bad guys ever. And THEN he has the GALL to make me feel sorry for him by the end! The nerve of some people.
Gary Oldman. Brilliant. Was there any doubt? The man is a genius and I love him. The end.
Morgan Freeman. Phenomenal. Of course. He's Morgan Freeman. He could read in any language on earth and it would be amazing. I love him.
Joseph Gordon-Leavitt. I still see him as the crying kid in Angels in the Outfield. Haven't taken him seriously since. Boy, did he prove me wrong. He was AMAZING. It was an awesome character and he totally delivered. Put him on your watch list.
Marion Cotillard. I have been fascinated with her for a few years, ever since she won the Academy Award. She was fantastic in this movie, but I had trouble buying the supposed romance between her and CB. It went from zero to WHOA in like 4 seconds, and the build-up was just not there. Maybe there are deleted scenes that will help me with that, but oh well. I can't fault her for the performance, because by the end, I was gaping in awe. literally open-mouthed. No spoilers here, so go see it and you will understand.
Lastly, and leastly [is that even a word?] Anne Hathaway. I do not like her. I do not like her as Catwoman. I could write an entire blog on my dislike of her [blog, not blog post. as in multiple entries] but I won't. I will say that she did better than I expected. I almost liked her. I honestly think that almost anybody else could have done a better job [almost....I think Kristen Stewart would have been worse]. But nobody asked me, and she wasn't trying to be sexy, so it was okay. Definitely had better chemistry with CB than MC, but that's cuz she was being fun and flirty. Whatever.
The story was awesome, but a little slow to get started. Once it gets started, however, you have to shake yourself and go "wait, what did I miss?!?". Nice little trick there. And the ending.....WOW. It took me completely by surprise, which is a little hard to do with me, I think, and I loved it. When the movie ended, I said out loud, "That was freaking amazing." It's always good to end a movie with that.
Now for my parental warning: THIS IS NOT A MOVIE FOR CHILDREN. I would think that the PG-13 would tell people that, but there were children in the movie theater when I saw it, and I just shook my head. It was an intense movie, and it isn't for kids.
Non-children, go see it. Go see it now. Amazing. I will see it again, and soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment