porntrooper
Posts: 2497
Joined: 6/9/2006
From: Sheffield
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Saw it a third time last night, and I have to say I enjoyed it most this time round. It was another IMAX showing and it didn’t carry with it the weight of expectation that I had in that first viewing. I’d missed a few lines of Bane dialogue during the first two viewings, but last night I picked up everything, I also picked up things I missed first time round regards the plot – specifically Bruce’s fingerprints, his reclusiveness, the earlier involvement of Miranda. I also managed to catch some more of the themes – fear of death, spirit and soul as well as finally seeing the pay-off to the whole ‘Fire Rises’ dialogue during Bane’s plane heist.
It still has flaws – needs more time with Miranda before the Talia reveal, Bane’s ADR and the plot is still ridiculously convoluted– but it at least makes more sense now, and the timelines of everything seem to work out nicely. I still love the passing of the mantle, I think Bane is more entertaining that Joker, the fight in the sewers is easily my second favourite set piece of the whole trilogy and Hathaway is superb, playing Selina’s subtle changes in persona perfectly. I really do like Bruce’s overall story through the three movies. I know some people think there is too much time spent with Bruce trying to end his time as Bat’s, but I love it. It totally makes sense.
As for the plot, things do seem to fit together more for me after that third viewing. I don’t know why it took that many viewings to really click (the simple fact it did take so much could be considered a flaw) but it may have been that my first viewing my head was in the clouds, buzzing at the excitement. Second viewing taking things in from the IMAX may have distracted me, who knows, but now things certainly make more sense. As things did make more sense to me I noticed a few things too, such as I don’t think Bruce is in hiding for the full 8 years. Batman is, but not Bruce.
During a few conversations Miranda mentions to Wayne that he went into hiding once he shut down his clean energy project, also commenting that he was broken after his plan to save the world with clean energy failed. I think it’s being suggested that after Bruce hangs up the cape as Batman 8 years ago, he puts his effort to save Gotham into the clean energy project, using his funding and Wayne Enterprises to push it forward. Miranda also puts funding into it, although she confirms she wasn’t part of the Wayne Enterprise Board and she never met Wayne, simply put in the cash.
Once Pavel published the details on how he could turn that clean energy device into a neutron bomb, Bruce shut the project down. That’s when he goes into hiding, and it’s suggested that its approx 3 years ago. With Wayne in hiding and the project dead, Miranda needs a way onto the Wayne Enterprise Board so she can shut out Wayne and get access to the project again (so she and Bane can use Pavel to turn the device to the neutron bomb and destroy Gotham). So, using Bane as the mercenary for hire working for Daggett, Bane does Daggett’s dirty work in Africa or wherever it is taking over oil companies. Then, Bane is to be used as the hired muscle for Daggett’s plans in Gotham to take over the Wayne Board. Daggett uses Selina to steal Bruce’s finger prints and Bane to steal the stock data. He uses Bruce’s fingerprints to spunk Wayne’s money on bad options from the stock data, leaving him broke and having to leave the board. At this point Wayne approaches Miranda to take over, giving her and Bane the easy access they need to the clean energy device. Daggett is no longer needed so Bane does away with him (love that scene, as Bane puts his hand gently on Daggett’s shoulder “Do you feel in control?”). As part of payment for helping Daggett, Bane has taken control of his construction crews all over the city, setting up the explosives. It’s suggested during Banes final chat with Daggett that the plan is simply to destroy Gotham with it. There is no plan to cause the revolution, its simply destruction. However, that changes when somehow Miranda learns that Bruce is Batman – they talk about his scars when they’re fireside, and I think the only real explanation is she makes the leap that he is Batman?? – Bane and Bat’s get it on and that’s when the plan evolves into the torture of Bruce/Batman’s soul using Gotham. That only becomes part of the plan once they learn who Wayne really is. During the finale Miranda/Talia talks about forcing Bruce to feel the fire of a million souls etc suggesting that her, Bane and their Band of Mercs are more of a cult than initially suggested. They’re all going to die in the fire of Gotham, it’s only really suggested in two or three lines of dialogue, but it is there and does make sense – in a rather round about way!
The whole revolution in Gotham actually played out better this time too, noticed more of the scenes with certain elements of Gotham partying and buying into Bane’s revolution and the others being cast out, living in hiding under the marshall law. Those few little scenes stood out more this time and did make that whole occupation feel bigger in scope than it had done initially. I noticed more of the power outs across the city during aeriel shots, noticed more of the fires burning around the city at night and although I do wish Nolan had put us more street level as Bane’s bombs hit (it looks really good during those scenes with Blake in the car – needed more of that with innocent Gothamites to really sell the danger) the sweeping shots of the city crumbling looked great. I also loved Bane’s Black Gate speech more than ever, I love how he is really playing up his fake revolution to the cameras, all the while knowing what Bruce is seeing and with both of them knowing Gotham will be destroyed. Hardy is really great in that scene.
There really were a few elements of that that I missed on first viewing, particularly Miranda’s non-involvement on the board and how Bruce’s fingerprints were tied to it all. On third viewing this was getting closer and closer to Batman Begins in terms of how I rank the three films. I just love it. Am going again next week. What a fucking geek I am.
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"I've got an idea for a special infiltration technique. It involves draining a man of his blood and replacing it with Tizer."
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