Jul 20, 2012

What Christopher Nolan got wrong?

 
The first day, first show of the Dark Knight Rises on the last day of my vacation. As the credits rolled, the fully packed hall gave a standing ovation. As I watched, I wondered whether it deserved this. No wonder, it was a fantastic movie, exceeding my expectations in terms of action and entertainment, but there were certain errors which most people would fail to detect.

WARNING: THIS IS NOT A REVIEW AND CONTAINS SPOILERS. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE MOVIE.

No 3D:
Well, this has led to mixed reactions from fans. Nolan says,
The Dark Knight Rises Isn’t in 3D Because Nobody Likes 3D
Seriously, Nolan? I like 3D. Most of my friends love 3D. With the action scenes in Batman, don't you think 3D would have been a far better option? And if it's about the cost, it ain't gonna add much to the quarter billion dollars already pumped into the movie.

Murders:
The reason I like Batman more than other superheroes is that he never kills his enemies. He only knocks them unconscious. However, in the movie series, he is the reason behind the death of Ra's Al Ghul and Harvey Dent(apparently). He does mention his no guns policy to Catwoman once, but it doesn't change the fact that he indeed murdered some of his enemies. Batman says- Guns are evil, and then you show him roaming in 'The Bat' filled with weapons even Tony Stark would think twice before using.

Ra's Al Ghul's Death:
Let's get the facts right. Ra's Al Ghul is immortal. In fact, his name's translation is 'Demon's Head'. Every time he dies, he is resurrected, thanks to the Lazarus pit. After Batman Begins, I believed that at some point, he would return, and it seemed probable after we came to know that Liam Neeson would have a cameo in the Dark Knight Rises. However, the cameo turned out to be a hallucination (or a dream, whichever way you put it.) Bottom line is that in this movie series, he is dead, which is not possible going by the comics.

Talia Al Ghul's character:
In the comics, Talia is the daughter of Ra's, who is also a love interest of Batman. She is trained in martial arts, and can handle weapons pretty well. Although, she is a criminal, she has always had a soft corner for Batman. The movie got only the first part (love interest) correct. In the movie, Talia is not shown in any sequence which involves the use of her skills. She wants revenge from Batman and Gotham for her father's murder. In fact, she stabs Batman, however, telling Bane later not to kill him so that he can watch the destruction of Gotham.

League of Shadows:
Nolan renamed the "League of Assassins" the "League of Shadows". Totally takes the charm out of the name.

Talia and Bane's relations:
According to the comics, Bane encounters the League of Assassins, and impresses Ra's Al Ghul so much that he decides to appoint him his heir (in place of Batman, who refused the same more than once.) Talia is asked to marry him, but refuses (after all, Bane is all about physical power, nothing else.) In the movie, however, young Talia, who is born in jail, is taken care of by Bane after her mother's death, who also helps her escape. They seem to share a unique bond. She bids farewell to him and addresses him as her 'friend' (#Friendzoned.)

Bane's Appearance:
Bane is no less than a merciless animal, with minimal thinking ability. He is all about power. He has a container of some chemical (named Venom, I guess) attached to his back, which makes him grow bigger and powerful. Batman usually cuts his sources to neutralize him. In the movie, however, he just has a mask. Batman disconnected part of his source, which seemed to weaken him, but there was no source of the chemical. Weird! Also, there is no mention of Osito, a teddy bear the kid Bane used to carry in his prison.

Batman can also Glide:
In the two hours and forty five odd minutes, not a single scene depicted the gliding. I really wanted to see that...

The Villains: 
Batman Begins portrays Ra's Al Ghul and the Scarecrow as the main antagonists. In The Dark Knight, The Joker and Two Face are the antagonists. Considering that, Talia Al Ghul and Bane (with a cameo by the Scarecrow as the judge of the public courts) are far smaller, puny, lil' villains. Bane is like Rhino in Spiderman, and Talia never intended to hurt Batman. Although the movie had big plans for the villains, their comic versions would never have been capable of accomplishing this. Personally, I would have liked Mr Freeze, or the Penguin- maybe Hugo Strange as well- to have been in their place!

Batman doesn't involve the CIA:
Batman and the Gotham Police are everything. No CIA, no FBI, nothing else should have been there.

Kyle and Wayne can't end up together:
The movie ends with a scene in a restaurant where Alfred spots Bruce Wayne and Seline Kyle together, both retired from their roles. This just doesn't look good (forget the happy ending of the movie). Gotham still needs a hero! And Robin or Nightwing won't be enough...

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