What I don't understand is the ending. Is Batman really dead? There was a mention of auto-pilot on the Batwing, but when could he have ejected (for that matter, if he could've set it to auto-pilot, why climb in in the first place)? And when Alfred sees Bruce and Selina at the end, is he just fantasizing like he talked about earlier in the movie, or are they really there (Bruce could've known to go there to see Alfred since Alfred told him about the place earlier)? If it is just Alfred imagining it, why is imagining Selina with Bruce? How would he have really known about their relationship to that kind of level since he left so early in the movie?
Nolan just seems to love inserting mysteries into his films (remember in Inception [spoilers=Inception]at the end with the spinning top? We're supposed to think it's reality, but the top seems to keep on spinning...[/spoiler]). I'm still puzzled about Rah's Al Ghul in the first movie. It seems to be commonly accepted that Watanabe's character was merely a decoy and "Ducard" was Rah's all along. After all, there was the part where Bruce says he had been concealing his true identity all along, and Rah's reaction seems to confirm Bruce's statement. On the other hand, isn't it strange that Ducard seems to find it ironic when the beam falls on Bruce, like it did on the supposed Rah's decoy? He then says, "Justice is served. You burned my house and left me for dead. Consider us even." And yet, he didn't leave him for dead at all. He rescued him and left him in a villager's care, who told Bruce he would tell Ducard Bruce saved his life. I also wonder about the vision Bruce has in prison in The Dark Knight Rises. It could just be that he was delirious and imagining it, but is it possible that it had something to do with Rah's supposed supernatural powers which he speaks of in Batman Begins? Still, that doesn't so much seem Nolan's speed, who seems to like to keep things more in the real world. Really, I'm still not convinced either way on the whole issue.
As for my thoughts on the movie overall, as with all of Nolan's stuff, I think it commands more than one viewing to really better understand and appreciate it and all its little subtleties and twists. I plan to see it again soon, but I can already say it's a 5 star film to me, and is up there with the other two films, though I think Batman Begins will always be my favorite. The film is fantastic in almost every way. About my only complaints are: 1) Alfred is gone almost the entire film and he may never have had the chance to really have things patched up with Bruce, depending on the truth of the ending scene. 2) Catwoman has no claws?! What's a cat without claws? Also would've been nice if she had her whip, and if she was actually called Catwoman at least once in the film. Even the credits just list her mearly as "Selina". 3) Venom, a key element of Bane's character, is gone completely. Still the film worked well even without it. Maybe Nolan thought it was too sci-fi for his tastes?
I'd also like to second a prior post voting for Caine to get an Oscar. He's been over-looked on the past two movies, and his superior performances should not go overlooked. He wasn't just excellent; he
redefined the whole character to me. He put every other performance as Alfred to shame, I think, and I still do really like Efrem Zimbalist Jr.'s performances in the DC animated material. Caine will be the most irreplaceable of all the actors come reboot time.
That being said, it's still tough for me to choose between Caine, who had a smaller part in this movie, and Hardy, who was amazing as Bane, for my vote in the Supporting Actor Oscar nod. I also must give major thumbs up to Hathaway's excellent performance as Catwoman.
Nolan has done it again, and I sure am reluctant to see this franchise end. I can't imagine it ever being bested.
Reply to Topic
