The Dark Knight Trilogy: Christopher Nolan's Dark Saga Revisited

right now so what do you think does it come in Black this iconic line from Christopher Nolan's 2005 bat flick highlights the intentions of the movie Perfectly which was to move away from the cartoonish mess that was Batman and Robin and delved deeper into the psyche of both Batman and Bruce Wayne gone are the bat suit nipples and instead we have a more intimidating suit bladed gloves and a military prototype tank we're therefore about to get darker grittier and more raspy on today's DC Revisited as we descend into a cave of bats with Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins it's not who I am underneath but what I do that defines me [Music] foreign despite Studio interference and director Joel Schumacher basically being instructed to direct a McDonald's Happy Meal advertisement his much maligned Batman and Robin was in fact a much more important part of the DC movie Universe with Kevin feige himself paying the movie a backhand compliment in 2009 when he said Batman and Robin may be the most important comic book movie ever made it was so bad that it demanded a new way of doing things the franchise laid Dorma until 2003 when Warner Brothers hired Christopher Nolan fresh from directing the similarly dark Memento in 2000 and insomnia in 2002 to reboot the character of Batman changing the way superhero movies were made forever although Nolan didn't invent the origin story for the superhero genre he did nonetheless ensure that any franchise reboot would be told through an or virgin story for the foreseeable future Nolan stated his intention to reinvent the film franchise of Batman was by doing the origin story of the character which is a story that's never been told before back in 1989 when the much-loved Michael Keaton incarnation of the character was born in Tim Burton's Batman audiences were introduced to a seemingly unhinged guy who likes to dress up like a bat and fight crime however they never fully understood or were told why this was the case Nolan therefore went one step further and dedicated the film to answering the question of what Batman's motivations are and how he became Gotham's Dark Knight he also wanted to make the film as realistic as possible stating that the world of Batman is that of grounded reality it will be a recognizable contemporary reality against which an extraordinary heroic figure arises with some absolutely fantastic casting choices in previous Batman movies TV shows and even the Animated Series plus some uh not so excellent ones the pressure was on Nolan and Warner Brothers to deliver a suitably iconic Batman Kiki blinders own Killian Murphy auditioned for the role in the full bat suit and was strongly considered before eventually being cast as the villainous and manipulative scarecrow screenwriter David S goyer stated that the production needed somebody who could betray both personalities of Batman and Bruce Wayne and they went with an actor who they believed had just the correct balance of Darkness and Light required for the role Christian Bale Bale had already proven he could play unhinged in 2000's American Psycho and his physical transformation in 2004's The Machinist showed that he was willing to immerse himself into his roles entirely he had lost so much weight for his character in the film that he hired a personal trainer to help him bulk up and gain the 100 pounds required for the role of Batman and he did this all in a span of only a few months realizing he had actually bulked up a tad too much for the role he then had to shed 30 pounds by the time that cameras rolled and trained with fight choreographer Eric orram in Wing Chun Kung Fu for the role Master Wayne you've been gone a long time yes I have you look very fashionable [Music] taking over the role of Alfred from the legendary Michael goth was always going to be a big ask and after being rejected by Anthony Hopkins Nolan and his team pursued another English acting Legend Michael Kane Nolan even went to Kane's country home to hand deliver the script and insisted on him reading the part of Alfred then and there instead of leaving Kane with the script such as the secretive nature of the director Nolan felt that Kane would effectively portray the Foster father element of the character and he even devised his own backstory with Alfred having served in the Special Air Force and subsequently being invited into the Wayne household by Thomas Wayne after he was wounded during conflict Cain brought the Perfect Blend of warmth toughness and English wit to the character what is your point of all those push-ups if you can't even lift a bloody love with the key members of the Wayne household cast it was up to the production team to assemble the film's antagonist and with Nolan's Vision to keep the movie as grounded as possible there would be no place for the likes of Mr Freeze to whip out one-liners in this version of Gotham alright everyone chill no Theory instead sticking to the theme of fear throughout the movie Nolan introduced Killian Murphy's scarecrow also known as Jonathan crane one of Batman's oldest foes and famously uses fear and torment to get the better of his opponents with the movie centering on Batman's Evolution there arguably wasn't time to fully flesh out the introduction of a signature villain such as Joker or Riddler therefore Nolan also brought in Rachel ghoul alongside scarecrow to Showcase two characters who had never had a live-action movie depiction and therefore not as much pressure is attached to them Reish or Roz as it's pronounced both ways in the film is played by a former Jedi Master Liam Neeson a plot point that isn't revealed until later in the movie until then Bruce had thought that a decoy played by Ken watt knobby was raishal ghoul and had been killed when the League of Shadows Temple had burned down earlier in the film another character who first appeared in the DC Comics and plays a pivotal role in Batman Begins is Carmine the Roman Falcone a top mafia boss in Gotham who controls the city's non-super villain criminal underworld he teams up with Rachel ghoul and Scarecrow in order to smuggle ingredients into Gotham to unleash a fear toxin on its residents with crane using his influence as head of Arkham Asylum to ensure Falcone's henchmen are ruled insane and therefore not imprisoned when Batman manages to orchestrate falcony's arrest by Gotham police the mafia boss tries to Blackmail Crane and soon realizes that this was not a wise decision well he's not faking not that one two other villainous characters whose roles are smaller but still pivotal to the plot are Victor zaz played by Tim Booth and Richard breaks Joe Chill zaz is one of the deadliest villains in the whole DC Universe and he likes to torture and carve out a mark on his unlucky victims in the film he's an assassin for Falcone and plays an important role in the chaotic scenes and the Narrows Joe Chill on the other hand first appeared in DC Comics way back in 1939 and in most depictions of Batman's origin story he's a Mugger who shoots and kills Bruce Wayne's parents Thomas and Martha in an alley outside of a movie theater he's mostly been portrayed as a low-life Hood looking to rob the rich and wealthy and gives Batman a good reason to hate all criminals whether they are Petty or higher up in the mob food chain there's clearly no room for horny therapists in Nolan's Universe darn so for his Trilogy opener he opted for the rather strange casting of Katie Holmes who was brought in to play new character Rachel Dawes a childhood friend and love interest of Bruce Wayne with the right actor in the role the character of Rachel should have been a worthy foil to Bales Bruce Wayne with their childhood friendship being an interesting Dimension to establish and grow however although Holmes's performance began begins well enough in early scenes her performance ultimately comes across as flat and lacking in sentiment feelings or emotions it's no surprise that she was nominated for a worse supporting actress Razzie in 2006 and makes her Omission from sequel The Dark Knight an interesting debate for our next video other notable members of the bat cast were Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox who initially ran Wayne Enterprises and went on to become Batman's armorer supplying him with gadgets the aforementioned tumbler and also providing the cure for scarecrow's fear toxin rounding out the cast was English acting Legend Gary Oldman as James Gordon who despite becoming increasingly frustrated and despondent about the rise of violent crime and corruption in Gotham forges a great partnership with Batman to help clean the streets once and for all Gordon's character Arc throughout the the film and the subsequent sequels is a major highlight and is a great foil for Batman to work alongside Rutger Hower plays William Earl the CEO of Wayne Enterprises and Gus Lewis plays the young Bruce Wayne who we see falling into a cave of bats early in the film this is a pivotal scene that drives Bruce to face his own fears by becoming that very fear himself the score for Batman Begins was composed by frequent Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer who teamed up with James Newton Howard who is best known for his work on Pretty Woman The Fugitive and King Kong to create the music Nolan wanted the split personality of Bruce Wayne and Batman to be signified through the music and two composers set about writing over two hours and 20 minutes of original score with Zimmer taking on the action beats and Howard the more dramatic elements when it came to the overall design of the movie Nolan took inspiration from the 1982 sci-fi epic Blade Runner and screened the film to a key group of the production team including cinematographer Wally Fister with Nolan's vision for Batman's environment to be believable he admired blade runner's overall aesthetic describing the world of the film as an interesting lesson on the technique of exploring and describing a credible universe that doesn't appear to have any boundaries he applied that to Batman Begins and you can see the inspiration he took from Ridley Scott's classic especially during the film's city-based set pieces with the movie's look established it was then up to Nolan and regular collaborator and production designer Nathan Crowley to create the overall look of Gotham City in fact such was the detail that went into the production Crowley built a model of the city that filled Nolan's Garage they designed it as a huge modern metropolis and took inspiration from cities such as New York Chicago and especially Tokyo whose elevated freeways and monorails are up parent in the film's standout monorail sequence towards the end every Batman to date has had an iconic bat suit that has left a lasting impression on fans of the series both in a good way and in a I can't believe they stuck nipples on the bat suit kind of way Nolan and his production team wanted their iteration of the suit to be more mobile than previous versions making it easier for the wearer to fight and Crouch when being attacked costume designer Lindy hemming another regular Nolan collaborator created the batsuit in an fx workshop at shepparton Studios London that they co-named Cape Town see what they did there Nolan ultimately wanted the suit to have a cape that replicated what he had seen and admired from the graphic novels with it being able to flow as Batman moved fought or soared through the sky while wearing it the cowl was designed by Nolan Heming and also costume effect supervisor Graham churchyard who wanted it to embody the person wearing it as man who has angst and their overall design certainly displayed this character trait pretty successfully one of the most memorable designs in the movie that took a major U-turn in both its look and badass abilities is the redesigned Batmobile or Tumblr as it's affectionately been monikered just look back at Batman and Robin's Batmobile which was a glorified kids toy or previous versions from the Schumacher or Burton worlds which yeah they looked cool but hardly struck fear into Gotham's underworld in order to create something that aligned with this new Batman's Mantra of inducing fear Nolan and his team therefore created a vehicle that owes much to the tank-like version in Frank Miller's Batman The Dark Knight Returns it was a prototype military vehicle designed by Wayne Enterprises as a bridging vehicle and includes Weaponry plus the ability to boost into a rampless jump an attribute used fully in the movie six working Vehicles were used overall for the film including two full-size driving versions oh to be a stun driver in Hollywood if only Batman Begins opened in the United States on June 15 2005 and brought in almost 49 million at the domestic box office in 3858 theaters on a budget of 150 million it managed to rake in and wrap up its overall domestic total at just over 205 million and internationally went on to take just over 370 million the movie didn't set the worldwide box office alight but was enough of a success both commercially and critically for the head honchos at Warner Brothers to move full steam ahead with production on the next film in the series The Dark Knight review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the movie an approval rating of 84 based on 289 reviews with an average rating of 7.1 out of 10. while critics praised the movie for being able to dive deeper into who Batman is and what motivates him even the casting of Christian Bale opposite Katie Holmes Drew both criticism and surprising praise from some quarters American film critic James Berard Nelly felt that Bruce and Rachel's relationship didn't work because they lacked the chemistry of other big screen superhero couples such as Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst and Spider-Man or Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder and Superman on the other hand the UK's total film praised the pairing stating that their characters were so strong that the climactic action scenes can't compare to the frizzal of two people talking and the Romantic subplot has a spark refreshingly free of Peter Parker and Mary Jane style whining maybe they saw a different cut of the movie than most of us perhaps one of the most interesting reactions to Nolan's reimagining of Batman came from another director who took on a similar role 20 years prior to its release Tim Burton who stated that Nolan captured the real spirit that these kinds of movies are supposed to have anyway when I did Batman 20 years ago in 1988 or something it was a different time in comic book movies you couldn't go into that dark side of the comics yet the last couple of years that has become acceptable and Nolan certainly got more to the root of what the Batman comics are about Burns Batman movies were certainly dark at least in comparison to what had come before them but like he says they couldn't necessarily delve too deep into Bruce Wayne or Batman's motivations that the comic series managed to do so well at the end of the day Christopher Nolan began his journey into Gotham City and Batman's beer-induced psyche Inc incredibly successfully with a new Batman and some apparent new rules to boot after Rachel ghoul is defeated by Batman he is Left for Dead a move from Nolan and his writers that Drew some criticism from fans that felt that they had betrayed Batman's no death Mantra this would be revised again in future iterations of the character but the biggest and most tantalizing calling card was revealed literally at the end of the movie as Jim Gordon shows Batman just who they and fans of the series will have to face in the sequel however that's a story for next time join us same movie time same movie channel all right I'm gonna make this pencil disappear if you thought Christopher Nolan had gone as dark as a secret man cave with his Bat Trilogy opener Batman Begins this scene proves he was not only just getting started but was also causing a nightmare for the sensors begins may have introduced us to a new dark and brooding Batman who uses his own fears to induce the same into his enemies but the villains he dealt with in that movie don't compare to what the Dark Knight had in store so dust down your newly pimped up bat suit it's that Batmobile for a killer bike and put a smile on someone's face with the Heath Ledger inspired classic that is 2008's The Dark Knight why so serious [Music] after achieving very respectable if not earth-shattering box office with Batman Begins and after having established a new and more grounded Gotham City the shackles were well and truly off Christopher Nolan to delve deeper into the pot of classic bat villains and plot lines from the bat Universe the first movie undoubtedly showcased very entertaining bad guys in scarecrow racial ghoul and criminal underworld mob boss Carmine the Roman Falcone but needed to spend significant time in establishing and introducing Batman's origins and motivations for donning a fancy suit and beating up bad guys after dark therefore what we have in the sequel is a proper look at one of his signature villains that had already seen some pretty classic incarnations in past Comics TV shows and movies the Joker it's time for who do you trust who do you trust me Nolan and his writing team Drew inspiration from the Joker's comic book movie debut in 1940 that depicted the villain as a cold-blooded Maniac with an unnerving smile who goes on two separate murderous Rampages they were also inspired by The Killing Joke a 1988 graphic novel that delves into the Joker's Origins and depicts him as a family man and failed comedian who suffers from one bad day that finally drove him insane sound familiar declare they also Drew inspiration from the 1996 series The Long Halloween that tells the story of Batman's relationship with district attorney Harvey Dent and his subsequent transformation into villain Two-Face before Batman Begins and it's reinvented bat Universe was Unleashed upon moviegoers in 2005. screenwriter David S goyer had actually written the treatment for two sequels that would introduce both Joker and Two-Face as the main antagonist his vision was to have Joker turn Harvey Dent into Two-Face in the final film in the trilogy by scarring him during the Joker's trial again the 13 issue comic book series The Long Halloween was used as inspiration for this story after some tinkering with ideas for the narrative the first sequel the Dark Knights production was announced in 2006 with an initially hesitant Christopher Nolan back in the director's chair it was also the first time the name Batman was omitted from a live-action Batman movie with the raspy voice crime fighter himself Christian Bale stating that this take on Batman of mine and Chris's is very different from any of the others with Batman's origins having been fully fleshed out in Batman Begins audiences were intrigued to see what form the main villain would take in this iteration of the Joker Nolan had his brother and co-writer Jonathan watched the 1933 Fritz Lang crime drama The Testament of Dr Mabus in order to successfully portray The Joker with Chris Nolan stating that the film is essential research for anyone attempting to write a super villain this certainly paid off as the Joker we see in the movie is as unhinged as they come but Nolan did not want to diminish his threat to Gotham and Batman by spending time on an origin story for the character instead wanting to establish his rise to power stating to MTV News that The Joker we meet in the Dark Knight is fully formed to me the Joker is an absolute there are no Shades of Gray to him baby shades of purple he's unbelievably dark he bursts in just as he did in the comics the director also reiterated this to American Media site IGN by stating that we never wanted to do an origin story for the Joker in this film because the Arc of the story is much more Harvey dents The Joker is presented as an absolute it's a very thrilling element in the film and a very important one at that but we wanted to deal with the rise of the Joker not the origin of the Joker this worked perfectly in the movie with Joker's introduction in the thrilling iMac shot opening sequence an intriguing and suspenseful way to establish just how much of a threat he is in the movie I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you stranger while the overarching theme in Batman Begins Was Fear The Dark Knight expanded upon this and extended the ending of that movie by using escalation to raise the stakes in the narrative the director elaborated Upon This by saying that things have to get worse before they get better and displaying this by having the Joker be a catalyst for Anarchy in a way in which no other villain could do for the storyline the film also develops the relationship and initially friendly rivalry between Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent into the backbone of the movie any psychotic ex-boyfriends I should be aware of oh you have no idea with Ben's character becoming the emotional and sympathetic Arc of the narrative with his transformation into villain Two-Face the title of the movie also references dense Fall From Grace with him as the Fallen White Knight with the new dark and gritty world of Batman fully realized and most of the principal cast members returning for the sequel Nolan not only had to find an actor who could bring his own take to an already iconic character he also had to recast one who was introduced in the first movie Rachel Dawes Katie Holmes was never fully welcomed nor her work in Batman Begins appreciated by fans so it's unlikely any bat tears were shed over her Omission from the sequel Holmes was actually due to return to the role but turned it down to star in um mad money with Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah um way to go Katie Maggie Gyllenhaal was therefore cast in the role and although her character is largely a damsel in distress in the film she is nonetheless somewhat empowered by her unwillingness to compromise her morals and brings a more mature Aura to the role Christian Bale Michael Kane Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman all returned to their key roles while other notable newcomers included Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent and Two-Face with some excellent and gruesome visual effects work with his eventual villainous transformation while Moni Gabriella Kernan and Ron Dean portray Anna Ramirez and Michael Wertz as corrupt detectives in Gordon's unit Nestor carbonyl best known for his role in suddenly Susan and lost appears as Anthony Garcia the mayor of Gotham City chin Han portrays Lao a corrupt Chinese LSI Holdings accountant Triad boss while Eric Roberts plays Sal Maroney an Italian mafia boss who takes over Carmine Falcone's mob and Richie Koster portrays the Chechen a Chechen mafia boss in charge of drug trafficking for the mob other notable inclusions to the cast were Anthony Michael Hall as Gotham cable news reporter Mike Ingle and both Colin McFarland and Killian Murphy return in their respective roles as the police commissioner for Gotham and the villainous but short-lived in this movie scarecrow most notably however was the casting of the Joker and actors such as Paul Bettany Adrian Brody Robin Williams and Steve Carell all publicly expressing an interest in the role however Nolan had been Keen to work with Heath Ledger on a number of projects in the past and even unsuccessfully approached him for the role of Batman and Batman Begins after landing the role of the Joker Ledger fully immersed himself in the psyche of the character and in wanting to keep his portrayal as close to the tone of Batman Begins as much as possible he described his take on the joker as a psychopathic Mass murdering schizophrenic clown with zero empathy in the movie The Joker's white skin and red lips are achieved by applying makeup rather than the traditional chemical bleaching as seen in early earlier incarnations of the character and he has a Glasgow smile to further emphasize his shady past well you look nervous is it the scars you want to know how I got him Ledger was so immersed in the creative process that he spent a month living alone in a hotel room working on the character's posture personality voice and even kept a diary of the Joker's thoughts and feelings throughout the process Ledger also referred to both the killing joke and Arkham Asylum for inspiration and cited A Clockwork Orange and Sid Vicious as a very early starting point for Christian and I but we kind of flew far away from that pretty quickly into another world together Ledger's work on the film is undeniably excellent iconic and one of if not the definitive version of the character his work on the film was so mesmerizing and impressive that Aaron Eckhart recalls the conversation he had with director Nolan stating that Chris looked at me and he said Heath is doing something special and we all felt that way when you have Gary Oldman who is one of our greatest actors and he's in awe of what Heath was doing it showed what a performance Heath was giving the subsequent early and tragic death of actor Heath Ledger from a toxic combination of prescription drugs on January 22nd 2008 after filming had been complete did shock the production and the world to its core this led to intense speculation surrounding Ledger's death from the press and numerous Memorial tributes were also made for the late actor his performance as the Joker will forever be an incredible addition to an already impressive and growing acting career and as Nolan recalls it was a performance that lives long in the memory it was tremendously emotional right when he passed having to go back in and look at him every day during editing but the truth is I feel very lucky to have something productive to do to have a performance that he was very very proud of and that he had entrusted to me to finish Nolan dedicated the film in part to Ledger's memory the score for the Dark Knight was again composed by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard who delivered an iPod to Nolan during shooting that contained 10 hours of recording the composers created a nine minute suite for the Joker's signature theme why so serious that was based largely around two notes with Zimmer gaining inspiration from bands such as the Damned and German Electro Rock Pioneers craft work for the piece Zimmer also clarified that the main theme of the movie replicates what they created for Batman Begins and also in Trilogy closer The Dark Knight Rises with two prominent and repeated notes representing both Batman's pain and guilt while the movie was based upon familiar themes Nolan managed to push the boundaries of filmmaking during the project by utilizing and embracing the IMAX format beyond what had been achieved before many movies have been shot using the IMAX 70 millimeter format since tiger child by Canadian filmmaker Donald Britton Way Back in 1970. however they have mainly been documentaries or iMac specific releases that were designed for the format The Dark Knight was therefore the very first mainstream film to utilize the iMac 70 millimeter cameras specifically the IMAX Mark III reflex and the IMAX msm9802 cameras and 28 minutes of the film's run time was shot in the format four major sequences from the movie were shot with IMAX cameras including the opening bank heist and also the car chase Midway through the film the sequences look immense on a true iMac screen but proved to be somewhat distracting if you watch the movie on Blu-ray for example with the ratio changing when the iMac sequences appear you may also wonder why the entire movie wasn't shot using the IMAX cameras but there were various factors involved with this decision for starters the cost of the film stock was greatly more expensive than standard 35 millimeter also the cameras were heavier and therefore more cumbersome for the production team to use and compared to traditional cameras they produced a loud noise that made recording dialogue very difficult also the cameras had very short film loads that range from around 30 seconds to just two minutes in length Nolan also shared his disappointment with not being able to shoot the entire movie in 70 millimeter stating that if you could take an IMAX camera to Mount Everest or outer space you could use it in a feature movie will you be one in the back butcher middle of the day Alfred not very solo group much more subtle there's nothing subtle about a man who dresses up as a bat and kicks ass in a city overrun by an unhinged lunatic and a villain with half his face missing and we wouldn't have it any other way so when it comes to the production design of Batman's vehicles they're now entrenched in the new and more realistic and grounded aesthetic of the world Batman and habits but they're still not very subtle the Tumblers introduction in Batman Begins was awesome and its subsequent destruction and transformation into the bat pod and The Dark Knight was a little bit special also the bat pod or bat cycle as it's been previously named was first introduced in the 1966 Batman TV series in the form of a Harley-Davidson with a sidecar but was only used for the first season episode not yet he ain't and was later reintroduced in the 1966 Batman movie using a Yamaha Catalina 250. the bike was then utilized in the TV series from that point onwards the bat cycle or should we say bat blade was also seen in the 1997 debacle that was Batman and Robin with Alicia silverstone's Batgirl riding it and what appears to be slow motion as they battle Arnie's villainous Mr Freeze the bat pod and The Dark Knight is first introduced in the altercation between Batman and the Joker when an RPG fired by the villain critically damages the tumbler the bat pod is used almost like an escape pod but is also equipped with dual front mounted cannons machine guns and even grappling hooks the vehicle would go on to be used in the trilogy Closer by another classic bat villain but we'll save that story for our next video The Dark Knight was released in the U.S on July 18 2008 and set a record for midnight showings earning 18.5 million dollars from 3040 theaters its midnight debut also earned the movie 640 000 from IMAX screens before opening on 9200 screens across a record 4366 theaters whilst also setting an opening single day record at 67.2 million plus an opening weekend record gross of 158.4 the film's release went on to break further records and ended on a huge final growth of 533 million domestically and a worldwide final number of just over 1 billion dollars we hold the world ransom for one 100 in dollars the movie also received glowing praise from critics and fans alike with it being regarded as not only one of the best films from the 2000s but one of the best superhero movies ever made it has a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 94 based on 345 reviews with an average score of 8.6 out of 10. with the website's critical consensus of the movie calling it dark complex and Unforgettable The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film but as a richly thrilling crime Saga can't argue with that the movie is a modern Masterpiece that is elevated by inspirational turns from actors who bring their a game to a tight script and showcases a director at the top of his game other franchises with similarly epic and successful part twos The Godfather and the original Star Wars movies in particular fail to stick the landing for some fans with their Trilogy closers so what does Nolan have in store for the next chapter oh and if you thought Batman's new raspy voice was controversial just wait until you see and hear what the next installment has lined up however that's a story for next time join us same movie time same movie channel thank you if I pull that off will you die it would be extremely painful you're a big guy for you say the most painful thing about sitting through Christopher Nolan's ambitious yet flawed Trilogy closer The Dark Knight Rises is probably Bane's voice when the prologue for the movie was played ahead of screenings for Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol fans were in awe of the opening scene spectacle but left bemused by just exactly what Tom Hardy's hulking villain was actually saying I mean just check out the scene for reference whoa they expect one of us to the wreckage brother uh say what Bane Warner Brothers were so concerned about the negative reaction to Bane's voice after the prologues release that they reportedly asked a reluctant Nolan to redub the scenes but the director denying that he did actually go ahead and change them this was just the beginning of what was ultimately a more or less satisfying end of the Nolan bat Trilogy for some fans so grab your replica Bane mask Don your favorite cat suit and don't go celebrating that touchdown too soon as we revisit the Dark Knight Rises a storm coming Mr Wayne you sound like you're looking forward to it I'm adaptable [Music] the trouble with completing a Trilogy as Rich diverse gritty and well received as Nolan's first two movies is that it has to try and match or even top what came before and provide a satisfying conclusion for all involved not the easiest of tasks for any director but did Christopher Nolan deliver all this with change despair well yes and no 2005's Batman Begins revolutionized both Batman as a character and also the world in which he takes down Gotham's villainous underbelly after dark while 2008's The Dark Knight is rightly considered one of if not the definitive superhero movie also Batman is only as compelling as the main threat of Gotham that he's put up against and it was a massive task for anybody to top Heath Ledger's iconic take on Gotham's clown Prince of Crime The Joker while the shackles were well and truly off for Nolan to delve deep into the vast bat cave of villains for The Dark Knight the original idea to close out the trilogy was again to involve Heath Ledger's Joker in the plot the actor was even Keen to reprise the role before his tragic death in 2008. Nolan decided not to recast the role out of respect for the late actor and also had concerns about actually making the third film with the director stating that on a more superficial level I have to ask the question how many good third movies in a franchise can people name good point Mr Nolan The Godfather Part three oh no way Return of the Jedi I mean I guess so he walks aside Gold Member oh hell yeah get in my belly okay well maybe not however it was a legitimate concern for Nolan and the dreaded Studio suits I love initially wanted to have the Riddler be the main antagonist in the movie as he was similar to The Joker in their opinion and even suggested Leonardo DiCaprio for the role being a Visionary filmmaker and Keen to have the villain be a major departure from Ledger's Joker Nolan decided that Bane would be the one to finally break the bat and subsequently committed to him as the main villain of the film he was initially unfamiliar with Bane's backstory but wanted the character to be archetypal labeling his mindset and intentions as the extreme of some type of villainy this was definitely in contrast to the Joker who Nolan described as diabolical chaotic Anarchy and has a devilish sense of humor with the director juxtaposing him to Bane who he likened to a classic movie monster with a terrific brain Nolan also confirmed that his script was heavy heavily inspired by Charles Dickens 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities which is based around the French Revolution and he pays homage to this scene in the movie with Bane indulging in a spot of knitting during the courtroom scene Allah Madame defarge from A Tale of Two Cities as well as commissioner Gordon's eulogy for Bruce Wayne which is also taken directly from the novel in February 2010 it was announced that Nolan had finally cracked the overall story and work on the screenplay began with the story arc and comic series Nightfall that also featured Bane reportedly being the inspiration for this story along with the miniseries The Dark Knight Returns from 1986 and 1999's no man's land that saw Gotham overrun by gangs and cut off from the rest of the world the official synopsis for the movie pre-release subsequently reads as when Commissioner Gordon stumbles upon a plot to destroy the city from within Bruce Wayne gets back into action as the Batman waiting for him is the mysterious Selena Kyle and Bane a lethal adversary on a crusade to tear apart Batman's Legacy piece by piece this led to speculation as to just how mysterious Selena Kyle would be and what other surprises Nolan had in store in terms of new and returning characters we won't drone on unintelligibly about Bane's voice too much longer calm down doctor now is not the time for fear that comes later However the fact that it detracts from an otherwise excellent physical performance and great production design for the character is a real shame we may laugh at Bane's voice and it has helped to create countless memes however would you mess with this hulking brood if you ever cross paths yeah I don't think so Tom Hardy isn't the tallest guy in the world he's five feet nine inches tall and had to wear three inch platform shoes to match up to co-star Christian Bale but his bulked up physique is menacing and evokes memories of Hardy's earlier turn as the serial killer Charles Bronson from the 2008 movie Bronson his mission is to break the Dark Knight both literally and figuratively with one of his primary goals to fulfill his leader Rachel ghoul's work by destroying Gotham for its decadence and Corruption he achieves his objective to break the Batman in an excellent scene in which an underprepared and unwitting Batman is easily bested by who eventually lifts them Aloft and breaks his spine over his knee ouch this shows just how much of a threat Bane is to the Batman and Gotham overall and saw Clues from the teaser poster that featured Batman's broken cowl come to fruition it woken the similar storyline from the comic series Batman Nightfall in which Bane also breaks the bats back unfortunately however a third act reveal takes away some of the agency Bane had from his comic series background in which he rose to become the most fearsome inmate in the hellish Santa Prescott prison panaduro where he became a test subject for an experimental drug Venom that ultimately gave him his super strength this led his Relentless Spirit to become obsessed with striking fear into Gotham by breaking Batman's mind body and spirit in The Dark Knight Rises however he is a trained member of Rachel ghoul's League of Shadows and in a third act plot twist it is revealed that he is second in command to Rachelle Ghul's daughter Talia played by Mary Ann Courtyard he is an inmate of the pit and received his League of Shadows training for helping to protect Talia and aiding in her escape this takes some of the agency and fascinating Obsession he had with Batman that was in the comics away from the character Bane was nonetheless a compelling and fearsome villain in the movie Becoming the only foe to easily destroy the Dark Knight in any of his films still Shame about that voice then I will break you as well as Bane Nolan also gave fans the return of another iconic DC character famously played by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns meow who is one of the most recognizable faces in the Rogues Gallery appearing in everything from animation Comics TV and of course film Catwoman however in the Nolan bat Universe She is played by a very game Anne Hathaway and has never actually referred to as Catwoman but as her Alter Ego Selena Kyle with a director Keen to keep his world as grounded in reality as possible foregoing outlandish costumes and cartoonish names in the process while we don't get an outfit as memorable as fifers and Batman Returns what we do get is a stealthy Thief with nods to Catwoman in the form of a pair of goggles strategically placed to allude to her feline sensibilities Kyle has previously been everything from an ally a villain and a lover to Bruce Wayne and in Rises she is a mixture of all three her introduction sees her using her master thief and Olympic gymnastics-like skills to outsmart Bruce before she betrays The Dark Knight by selling him out to get his back snapped by Bane Selena soon realizes the era of her ways though and it's not long before she helps a miraculously fully healed Batman sees back control of Gotham City Anne Hathaway's performance is absolutely fine and she has a very good range of skills and emotion to bring to the character however it's a shame that her iteration of the character isn't as memorable as what we've had in the past perhaps Nolan could have found a way to incorporate the name Catwoman into the narrative without compromising his artistic Vision I mean even the name Robin gets a one-word mention later in the movie when Joseph Gordon Levitt's John Blake's legal name is revealed you should use your full name I like that name Robin there's no way any of the previous incarnations of Robin would have worked in the Nolan universe so this was a neat way to introduce the character with the seemingly late Bruce Wayne leaving an inheritance to John that effectively sets him up to become the new Batman now that Bruce and Selena have slinked off to Italy to start a new life while we're treated to two distinctive takes on iconic characters what we also get is the introduction of several other key figures as well as the return of some Trilogy Mainstays as well new to Nolan's bat universe is the aforementioned Miranda Tate or Talia al Ghul daughter of Rage who has a key role to play in the movie there's Matthew Modine as Peter Foley commissioner Gordon's second in command and also distinctive Australian actor Ben Mendelson who portrays John Daggett a rival billionaire socialite who recruits Bane and his plan to overthrow Wayne Enterprises also joining the Fawn are Juno Temple Brett Cullen Aiden Gillen Tom Conte and even Nolan's Uncle John Nolan has a small role as a board member of Wayne Enterprises keeping it in the family Chris returning cast members include Michael Kane as Alfred Gary Oldman as Commissioner James Gordon and Morgan Freeman as lucious Fox while there are also brief appearances by Killian Murphy's scarecrow and Liam Neeson as Ray shout ghoul who appears to Bruce in a hallucination there were also cameos for several of the Pittsburgh Steelers American football team who play members of the fictional Gotham Rogues team in the film with the movies in the Dark Knight trilogy so far having very cool looking and revolutionary design Vehicles it's worth noting what The Dark Knight Rises brought to the table and how Nolan was able to make them work within the narrative both the tumbler and the bat pod make an appearance in the movie in a slightly different yet equally awesome context this time but the main addition is the bat which is basically Nolan's version of a bat plane or the batcopter to fit in with the other vehicles in the series and also the more realistic and grounded aesthetic of the movies production designer Nathan Crowley approached it as if it were an actual military project the final look for the bat was taken from the Harrier jump jet the Bell Boeing v22 Osprey and the Boeing h64 Apache so clearly Batman wouldn't be pulling any punches in the aerial battles in the film Nolan's emphasis on using mainly practical visual effects was a headache for the production team with some shots requiring the bat to be supported by wires suspended from cranes and even helicopters being mounted on purpose-built vehicle with hydraulic controls just to make the bat appear to fly sure some shots would have to be CGI but the approach to using practical effects as much as possible is quite refreshing if a little Troublesome to fully realize tragedy would accompany the release of The Dark Knight Rises when on July 20th 2012 a mass shooting occurred during a screening of the movie in Aurora Colorado as a gunman wearing a gas mask open fire inside the theater killing 12 people and injuring 58 others this awful event meant that Warner Brothers decided to cancel the Paris Mexico and Japanese premieres of the film while the marketing campaign for the movie was suspended in Finland box office analysts had predicted a 198 million dollar opening weekend but in the wake of the tragic shooting in Colorado Warner Brothers decided not to report box office takings on till the Monday directly after its opening weekend overall the movie eventually made 448.1 million in North America and 632.9 million in other countries summing up to an excellent worldwide total of 1.081 billion dollars critical reaction to the movie was largely positive with the Daily Telegraph in the UK giving it 5 out of 5 stars and praising the movie for its intricate plot and narrative and even likening it to The Godfather Part 2. High Praise indeed IGN gave the movie 9 out of 10 stars and compared it to the opening installment Batman Begins but also describing Bane as being slightly less interesting to watch than Ledger's Joker however CNN called the movie A disappointingly clunky and bombastic conclusion to a superior series and after other sites gave the movie a negative review some fans threatened to take violent action against critics and also take down the websites who had the temerity to criticize the movie Rotten Tomatoes gave the Dark Knight Rises an approval rating of 87 based upon 372 reviews and a rating average of 8 out of 10. the website's critical consensus reads The Dark Knight Rises as an ambitious thoughtful and potent action film that concludes Christopher Nolan's franchise in spectacular Fashion Cinema score reported that audiences awarded the movie an average grade of an A on their scale from a plus to F overall the movie is a fitting if not slightly frustrating ending for Christopher Nolan's epic ambitious and revolutionary Batman series he proved that the world of The Dark Knight and Gotham City could be grounded in a largely believable reality and if only his apparent ongoing obsession with indecipherable dialogue could be curbed he's been made The Siege is apply for them to vanish you it may have been remembered more fondly by some fans now that our retrospective look at Nolan's bat Trilogy is over we now turn our attention to another polarizing superhero who has literally been to Hell and back and who is played by someone more recently renowned for ass kicking in a very successful and forever expanding action franchise however that's a story for next time join us same movie time same movie channel foreign [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: JoBlo Originals

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Id: Ie9LItEfWjM

Length: 55min 58sec (3358 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 09 2023