Batman: Why DARK KNIGHT RISES is a Flawed Masterpiece
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- The Dark Knight Rises is often called the weakest of the Nolan Batman trilogy, and for good reason. But this movie still stands about most other superhero films. The acting, score, action, and dense themes are reasons to praise this film. In this video, we break down why Dark Knight Rises is a flawed masterpiece, and is a fitting conclusion to the greatest superhero trilogy of all time.
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Written and Edited by Pavel Terehovsky (pavel8866.wixsite.com/pavelt) pavel8866@gmail.com
Hosted by Ryan Arey ( / ryanarey )
0:00 Dark Knight Rises is an Elite Cape Movie
1:13 What's Not Great about Rises
2:48 Theme of the Trilogy: Failure and Fear
5:10 Bruce Needed to Fall
8:19 What the Pit Means
11:30 Reclaiming the Light
13:09 The Perfect Ending
#DarkKnightRises #Batman #FlawedMasterpiece
Let’s talk about The Dark Knight Rises. Was it such a disappointing film, or is it actually a flawed masterpiece? For years, I was conceived that Rises wasn’t that great, but recently I re-watched the entire Dark Knight trilogy, and I went into Rises with an open mind. Instead of searching for the films’ problems, I tried to see Nolan’s vision and enjoy the experience. And what do you know, I actually loved it!
I won’t deny that this film is far from perfect, and we will address some of its issues. Truth is that all movies have weaknesses, but not every movie has strengths.
Maybe I’m older and wiser, or I’m just more positive, but I have a whole new appreciation for Rises, and today I’m going to make the case for this film, and prove to you that Dark Knight Rises is a flawed masterpiece.
Ok, let’s start by getting the rough stuff out of the way first. Yes, Rises doesn’t live up to the greatness of the Dark Knight. It’s a bit messy at times, some plot points are a bit underwhelming, and this film is probably a bit too ambitious for its own good. And unlike most of the other Nolan films, Rises is less sophisticated and brilliant.
I do agree with some of the criticism about Rises, but I also think that some fans got too nit-picky with the movie, almost like people are searching for reasons to hate on the movie.
Yes there are plot holes. Yes, the climactic battle is a bit disappointing. Yes, this is a terribly laughable death. Yes Bane is a meme machine. And yes, charecters makes some really strange and dumb choices.
At the same time, and I’m not making excuses for the film here, but Rises did have a lot of things going against it. The Dark knight is a masterpiece, and it was basically impossible to top it. Then Nolan did Inception, which was his magnum opus. Not to mention that all of his previous movies were amazing. So the hype for Rises was unreal, and the expectations could have never been met at that point. And you know how it is with trilogies - the third entry is usually the weakest. And Rises is one of the strongest third entries in any trilogy.
So with all of this being said, let’s dive into why I love The Dark Knight Rises.
First, the influence. Rises is a very loose adaptation of three stories - Dark Knight Returns, Knightfall, No Man’s Land. But the real inspiration of the film comes from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. It goes beyond James Gordon’s speech at the end of the film, which is taken directly from the novel. The entire movie is constructed around the themes of Tale of Two Cities.
Christopher and Jonathan Nolan explored some powerful themes in brilliant ways, as this story has huge importance in modern times. The complex nature of justice, duality, lies, sacrifice, love and social revolutions. All of this should give you a whole new appreciation for Rises.
But I don’t want to do a movie vs book comparison for this video, because being influenced by a really good book doesn’t necessarily meant the movie is good, instead I want to focus on how Nolan explored the central themes of Batman’s story, and how Rises is a fitting conclusion for the Dark Knight trilogy.
The Dark Knight rises is not a typical superhero movie, in fact, I don’t think you can even qualify it as such. Batman is barely in the movie. It’s more of a psychological thriller and a post-apocalyptic war epic. It’s about what it means to be a hero, and what are the consequences of lies, and what happens to society during a modern day revolution.
The central theme of the film is this quote from Batman Begins [why do we fall]. And this is what I want to focus on for this video, because it’s the main theme of the trilogy. And it’s in the title after all - Dark Knight Rises. - Krátké a kreslené filmy
What do you think of Dark Kight Rises?
It sucked and was the worst way to end a perfect trilogy. 3/10 movie
@@Empire_11 if it was flawed how is it part of a perfect trilogy?
@@b1ztake Are you dumb? There were 2 perfect movies and it got ruined by the third one.
Eh...it was ok. Bane's voice was silly. The ending was weird. I think it fell into the problem many movie trilogies have, which is "sticking the landing". I definitely consider it the weakest of the 3 Nolan films.
Made me like it better but bane voice still silly a but could be the new Batman beyond set up like you said liked the vid anyway
While flawed it is still in my top 3 of Nolan Batman films
Same.
Top 3 Bale for sure.
while it has its problems, it’s definitely one of the 3 Nolan films fr
@@camm5981 that’s… what I just said
I see what you did there.
If I’m being totally honest, this is my favorite Nolan movie. I feel like The Dark Knight is technically better, but I just enjoy watching this one more.
HAHAHAHA.... While I know TDK is the better movie..... I enjoy most of its non Batman Scenes..... TDKR is more enjoyable for repeat viewing in my case....
@@alejandromolinac exactly how I feel.
Totally agreed! It's a great "get pumped"\"feel good" movie to me.
I always loved Rises. Felt like it was a nice book end to the trilogy and a new way to leave some story beads tied up while also leaving it open, if Nolan ever wanted to revisit it. My order has remained the same even years later 1. Dark Knight 2. Rises 3. Begins
I think begins is the best
Man I’ve rewatch all three and damn my appreciation of Rises and Begins grew ten fold and Dark Knight kinda faltered… but it’s still the best of the three but not by much the other two are solid films
@@s66s46 dark knight is the best but Begins is underrated for sure.
Best Batman movies ever
@@1ncredible9otato what you'd prefer the shitty stiff neck , underwear and 0 protection suits
The initial Bane vs. Batman fight makes the movie worth having alone in my opinion.
"Not everything. Not yet." My favorite Batman line of the trilogy.
Your videos are something else. The way you present your thoughts is so eloquent and beautiful. And you so perfectly show us your pov and opinion. Really greatful I found this channel
Actually Dark Knight Rises was always my favorite of the Dark Knight trilogy. It concludes the story with a finality that was unheard of in such big superhero franchises. It’s so beautifully shot, the acting is superb and the soundtrack is wonderful. It one of the rare cases where the story comes full circle and really ties everything in a satisfying way. I can’t believe it was ten years ago…
I’ll never forget the build up to this movie, the teaser coming out 1 year prior, the first scene coming out ahead of ghost protocol….it’s so hard to pick between all three. The tone of this movie is so well done.
I have a theory about Rises: I think that Bruce is actually suicidal at the beginning. The survivor’s guilt that started when his parents were killed has become all consuming. The script hints at this a bunch of times, but I think that because it’s still a PG-13 superhero movie, Nolan had to leave it as subtext rather than addressing it directly. The whole movie is his journey to rediscover his desire to live again. When viewed in this context, the movie’s themes about hope and redemption become much more powerful and focused.
That totally makes sense. The first time Batman and Bane fight it feels like he's a piece of wood throwing himself at a fire.
MY OPINION!!! 1) The dark knight 2)Batman begins 3) The Dark knight rises
They are all incredible! The way they all connect is amazing and the scene where Gordon finds out who batman is. That scene gives me chills every time
I always loved the trilogy I never looked at the reviews or the rates I just went with my gut every time and kept my own opinion this Batman trilogy is probably the greatest trilogy in movie history not just superhero movies but all movies
The overall ratings between audience and critics were very strong for every movie in the trilogy. Just because you have a few goofballs who can’t understand a complex Nolan plot doesn’t change how great these movies were
Agreed , greatest trilogy ever. I love Nolan’s films
Rises is still at the back of my mind. I like how they made Bane without Venom steroid and depended more on his tactics and natural strength. That first scene hi-jacking a plane looked awesome. My only gripe was I felt Thalia was just a sidelined character and didn't do more than just Ra's daughter and Bane overshadowed her. Still TDK is so far my all-time favorite superhero movie.
This is my third favorite Batman movie behind the two obvious ones … I don’t understand the hate. Good story, good characters, good acting, good director, good story,and good twist. Not to mention a conclusion to an amazing trilogy.
Yeah the last scene was silly but it’s a comic book movie
@Emo Gamer R He’s not “moping that his gf died.” He doesn’t feel there is anything out there for him anymore. His fight against crime to avenge the loss of his parents has come to an end, and the person he loved was killed.
It’s called being empty because the things that truly meant something to him are gone. Rachael wasn’t just a girlfriend. She was his best friend since he was eight years old. And Batman wasn’t just a hobby. It was a life purpose. What Bruce felt is called depression and is highly common in people who lose what matters most to them in life.
@Emo Gamer R all that talk and nothing you said was correct
But slow stiff fighting from christian bale's batman.
Ryan, superb overview of "The Dark Knight Rises."
You nailed it.
It is flawed (Talia Al Ghul's death scene notwithstanding, among other scenes), but remains, at it's core, an emotionally powerful, character driven movie.
Yea it’s a good movie, I still watch it whenever it’s on TV, still don’t understand where the motorcycles came from though
Weirdly, there's one criticism that I have that applies pretty equally to both Dark Knight and Rises.
They both shortchanged great villains to fit them in a film runtime.
In Dark Knight they both realize Harvey's transition to Two Face and kill him off in the last quarter of the movie.
Rises never really shows you anything about Bane's origin, instead playing off Talia's story as his for a twist.
I believe Batman dropped it and "moved on", got married, had children, worked in scientific parts of the military and testing. I just think Bruce got it together.
Perfectly put. I've always loved rises because it isn't just a great film but it also completes the story started in Begins in an extremely satisfying way
i feel rises gets over hated i view it as a good ending bruce wanted batman to be a symbol which is what we see in his sacrifice
A year or two ago I showed my brother the trilogy, who showed his girlfriend a week ago. They both see dark knight rises as possibly the best of the trilogy or the 2nd one as being a near tie. This is interesting because when I showed my brother the movies he was a die-hard marvel fan and had no expectations. And his girlfriend had no expectations but thought the first one was bad.
Real talk it's a flawed masterpiece. It has editing problems, but it's ambitious and I love the story.
The third installment in trilogies are usually the weakest…then there’s Return of the King.
I always felt that it was a great mix of existing stories too: Knightfall, Knightquest, Knightsend, No Man's Land, Cult and a couple of others.
The Pit is Nolan's grounded take of Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pit. When Bruce is put in their he's at his lowest point, wishing for death. He later emerges reborn, embracing life and with new determination.
It's also the counterpoint to the Batcave. Where Bruce was born into privilege and then driven down into his dark pit, Talia was born into hers and rose from it to a life of privilege. And Batman seeks to hide himself away in the shadows, while Bane just wants to "be in the sun." It's very symbolic in the film.
@ryanarey love your @screencrush CZcams film analytical video essays on comic/superhero topics. Awesome, reflective, hilarious, candid work - please keep it up. Been watching since late last year. Just wanted to show appreciation and encourage your effort 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
WOW! I am stunned at how deep you went into the film and broke it down in such a breathtaking way that not only all made sense but you was able to back up each point you made.
This maybe the best video you've made and that's saying something.
*Applauds*
This is actually my favorite of the Nolan trilogy. Thanks for giving it some recognition.
Each year I take out some time and watch this trilogy in a single day or may be two.
Out of these 3 movies I only got the opportunity to see the rises in theatre, the rest two I didn't watch in theatre.
I had such wonderful memories of this Rises movie in theatre.
For me it was THE Perfect movie.
Yes, late Heath Ledger performance is unmatchable even till this date.
But I won't rate this movie low.
This was the perfect ending for the Nolan trilogy.
I recently watched The Batman also, and also that movie amazed me and the way the director gave a different perspective, I guess these two director deserves all the praise 🙏👍
Hey Ryan, I love these videos. You're really engaging and the effort shows itself.
I will say the love you and your team put into every video is evident. I look forward to a new video every few days. This vid helped show that The Dark Knight Rises wasn't too bad afterall.
Brilliant video, as always!
Awesome video! ! !
Great vid. Really enjoyed it. 👍
It's tough to live up to the Dark Knight because it was just so good. Also you went from a movie where Batman was on screen for a large majority of the movie, to a movie where Batman disappeared for a large portion in the middle.
I’m so glad you made this video because no one else could see it this way until now. This is one of my all time favorite movies and it always will be.
Excellently done. Thx Ryan.
Very awesome thematic analysis!
Beautiful analysis. Well done.
Ryan, you nailed the analysis. Excellent breakdown. Thank you
Great video, Ryan. I too enjoyed this movie and thought it was underrated. When you look at the deeper meanings and how it ties to the themes of the first two films then you have greater appreciation.
14:06 never fails to make me tear up 🥲
5:03 it was certain events from November 2018-February 2019 that (further) shook me out of my apathy, to work harder to right the wrongs being done at a certain game company I love so much.
Your essays like this really put you over the top Really enjoyed it. I have always liked Rises- just could not figure out why outside of Ms Hathaway - 🐯
these vids are fantastic
Just a quick question from a long time fan, why haven't you covered Moon Knight yet? I love your breakdowns and respect the time it takes to make these videos, so am really eager to watch them.
Love your video reviews of non-current movies, I loved Marvel comics & revell in the MCU but b4 MCU was Dark Knight and thanks to you I'm making time to watch the Dark Knight trilogy again this weekend. DC haven't come close to this in the cinema since. The new Batman film, not sure but I think it will grow and mature over time with rewatching and it's sequels.
This video was posted at the perfect time because I actually just rewatched the Trilogy myself 🙌🏻
I remember seeing all the fake snow on the ground in Pittsburgh when they filmed that last battle here. It blew my mind seeing the bat bike in person on a random Friday afternoon.
Great minds think alike haha. Awesome video 👍🏻
They stole ur video bro
@@Jfbmu Nah haha it’s definitely just a coincidence. I HIGHLY doubt they wrote, shot, and edited an entire analysis of TDKR in 24 hrs. It’s cool though. Both videos have great insight to offer! Happy to see TDKR get the love it deserves 😊
Props to film speak who literally gave these guys this video idea
DRS was my favorite of the three. I think it's the most philosophical one. First time I saw it, I felt anxious for a day or two, reminiscing how chaos was painted in this movie and I think it was greatfully depicted. I always saw it the way you explained, the true real ending. The climbing scene is one of the best if not the best of the trilogy. All three movies together gives the best trilogy of all time.
I love it when you do these deep dives
I absolutely loved Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow being the outlaw Judge lmfao. You can never have Tom Hardy without Cillian Murphy far behind after all 😂😂
I've always figured that scene was written with Ledger's Joker in mind originally.
It made up for Cillian's depressing scene in Dark Knight, which was great.
I’d love to see Nolan do a new trilogy with John becoming Robin/Nightwing or Batman Beyond. That would be sweet.
Thanks Ryan!
In Gordon's defense, he said to send every AVAILABLE officer. This means that there were still police officers in Gotham while the others were trapped underground. The movie and fans make it seem as if it was every single cop. It was never stated that the majority of the officers were sent, we just assumed that.
Thanks for posting this Ryan, I initially thought the same when rises came out, now I watch this trilogy along with LOTR every year. It is a masterpiece, the action set pieces, avoidance of CGI. Nolan's love of bond (bane plane scene ). It also reminds that Chris Nolan were involved in Snyder's MOS. Alas WB have gone a different direction, ...what could have been...
Same 🥰
For me The only thing this missing in this movie was the influence of joker... They didn't even mention him or what happened to his character from the movie plot perspective
It was because Nolan wanted to respect Heath Ledger’s loss.
I love for you guys to make Spider-Man 3 and TASM2 videos like this.
Absolutely outstanding! Now I'm going to have to go Read a tale of two cities again! I'm also going to watch all of Christopher Nolan's Batman series! I hated humanities in college with all of it seems and such... How in the world did you come up with an explanation this good?
Great breakdown
Great video!!! Some of the plot holes that have always bothered me are: Did the fraud against Bruce's fortune ever get fixed? Did Bruce actually leave anything John can use to be a new hero other than an empty cave (the bat suits, batmobiles, and aircraft were destroyed).
Perfect timing. Just finished Dark Knight with my son this morning and this is next on our list.
Batman Begins: Excellent
The Dark Knight: Masterpiece
The Dark Knight Rises: Very Good
After Heath’s death, I thought next film was gonna be a tough one to pull off. However, it was good. Tom really did well as Bane. His demise stunk. Nevertheless, it was a nice end to a solid three part series.
I think it’s a great movie, despite a few flaws, it was an exciting conclusion to the spectacular trilogy.
I agree with your sentiments, and I especially agree with the notion that people were kind of looking for flaws. Every creative work has aspects that could be better, but the criticisms about alleged "plot holes" were pretty silly, and in no way impacted the way the themes were conveyed or the general artistry with which the film was shot and scored.
Great video! I always liked TDKR & thought it was a fitting end to Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. It was never going to be perfect when following the greatness of The Dark Knight but it deserves much love.
I had no idea Gordon was reading the end of Two Cities until you said it and then was like no way I know that passage
absolutely agree. When I first saw it in 2012 I was really disappointed but now I love it.
Ryan I just did the same as you. I re-watched all 3. Begins & Knight of course still slapped, but I'm not going to lie, it was the most I ever enjoyed Rises. Def not perfect, but I enjoyed it so much more. Just no way to top TDK. Great video as always.
That movie jumped through the plot so quickly and in such a convoluted manner, I thought I was having an acid flashback.
Very good explanation. I'm glad that someone sane can finally understands the messages of Nolan brothers, their main objectives that are worn by the characters.
The dark knight rises is a good movie. I just think it’s a movie filled with great ideas they just weren’t executed at their best.
I've probably had a little bias toward this film since I was fortunate enough to be involved in the football sequence as an extra, but I really do think it was a fitting end to the trilogy. Nothing was going to be as good as TDK, but I do love the story Nolan ends the series on. Actors shined in this, visuals were fantastic, score was brilliant... I do love this movie.
The Dark Knight Rises fucking slaps so hard, I've never believed any of the flaws even came close to overshadowing the countless positives. This is heresy but it's a much more enjoying watch than the previous even if it's not as air tight or technically impressive.
I just got done watching DKR and the trio with new eyes and fully appreciate what Nolan was attempting to do and say with his Batman.this is a fully in point video!
Gawd dammit, Ryan!!!! Ya did it again!!!
Even though I was quite fond of Dark Knight Rises, this helps a lot more. So many friends panned this movie and had problems with Bane, and I kept trying to tell them this is true to the source material and inevitable. "You can't just kick ass all the time. At some point, the hero will experience some show of failure."
They also took issue with Bane "Sounding like Bill Cosby." Wrong they were! Tom Hardy used a voice like Richard Burton's. The origin story of Bane was altered for the sake of the Trilogy's style. "Live with it." I told them. "It's just a movie."
The truth of Dark Knight Rises is it follows an old saying, "The last mile is the hardest mile."
Excellent work here that you've done sir. Can't wait for the next!
Rises was masterpiece for the most part. I think to me the problems were bane's ending and raas's daughter. Other than that I enjoyed the movie overall and the ending of the film is just phenomenal
Great breakdown of TDKR, and I shared your thoughts and feelings about the movie. In short, it’s a welcome conclusion of a journey. Most Batman interpretations (movies, comics, animated) infer “a longlasting war on crime” and “the Bat as the persona.” So, in hindsight, this movie ended happily, making way for Bruce Wayne to live his life.
I'm glad you approached it with an open mind this time. I really loved this movie, I went to see it 8 times in theaters
I love the not everything line.
Always loved rises. Recently revisited it as well and fell even more in love. I liked your take on things as well
The symbol that robin is using looks like his nightwing symbol...and him attached to the orphans made me imagine him being the leader of the teen titans down the road
The plot holes are glaring and obvious. I think this detracted from some of the movies appeal. I will say this I got those themes very clearly the first time I watched the movie. I'm glad it is being re-examined and appreciated for what it is.
Great points but Rises isn't my cup of tea. Loosely based on the dark knight returns graphic novel Nolan did a poor job telling this type of story.
Bane had no interest in destroying Gotham, he just wanted to break the bat. They should've just finished the Two Face arc instead of lazyly killing off Harvey. The animated series did a story where Harvey broke himself out of Arkham and even know it.
A lot of prices just didn't fit for me. Bruce would've never lost his money like that. Alfred ment to much Bruce he wouldn't throw him out like that.
you’ve done it again my friend, beautiful breakdown and explanation of what it actually was supposed to be. thanks ryan
My only issue was how they treated Bane at the end. Arguably one of the more clever, ruthless, effective villains of the Nolan Batman films, reduced to nothing but a glorified, silent errand boy for Talia who got bodied by a bike.
I love this into music than the previous
I’m nobody but I’ve never heard someone not online dislike this movie. It was a great ending
The problem with dark Knight rises is entirely is villain, Bane Beans plan is idiotic, beans motivations are weak, they are even week or once the twist is revealed. And because of sad twist, his conclusion is lack luster and forgettable. This movie resembles the same type of redemption stories we see in sports movies, think Rocky three. Redemption movies are all about overcoming weakness and conquering obstacles, in order for a good redemption story to work, the obstacle needs to be just as interesting and complex and daunting as the protagonist was in their height. 🍼Ben isRedemption movies are all about overcoming weakness and conquering obstacles, in order for a good redemption story to work, the obstacle needs to be just as interesting and complex and daunting as the protagonist was in their height. Bane is not that at all. Performance wise he’s fantastic, his voice is iconic and his visual design intriguing. it’s in the execution of the story, and its villain, that fails rises
What happened to reviewing Picard?
Just realized why my all time favorite movies, Shawshank Redemption, count of monte cristo, and the Dark Knight series, all share the same theme. Redemption
I thought this movie definitely had plot holes. But I still thought it was a great movie. It was a great closer for Bruce’s story. And Tom Hardy’s take on Bane, while not comic accurate at all was intense and amazing! While I thought the Robin subplot didn’t really NEED to be there, but I would love a reboot with Robin Blake at the new Batman. Maybe we get Batgirl in here as Kassie Kane, maybe we get a new take on Poison Ivy as kinda his Catwoman character. The seeds are there. And I’d love it!
Riddler-sized Batman, bulked up to Batman-size by armor. Batman-sized Bane, bulked up to Bane-size by an arctic-sized coat, though he's not in the arctic.
I rewatched this movie last week and tho I fell asleep about 2/3rds of the way thru I did appreciate way more. I’d recommend for ppl to not tackle it in one go for it truly shines as a tale of two sittings. 👈😉
Thank you! Always loved Rises and thought it got unjust hate for mostly no reason
Bane is just salty because he lost the fight against Brendan.
totally agreed!
Love your videos. Was hoping you could change my mind. Genuinely sad that it wasn't so. What they tried to do, and managed poorly, doesn't make it a masterpiece, even a flawed one. Too much suspension of disbelief required for this installment.
What would a city actually look like if you got rid of police and people were at the mercy of roving felons and kangaroo courts? The way this movie tries to answer is one of the most short sighted I've ever seen. It's convenient to the plot to show people reverting to the near flesh eating savages, "This is your city now!"
Reminded of the entire Purge franchise - we're expected to believe that no criminal charges means no consequences. But their are strangely never any consequences for purgers once the purge is over.
The symbolism they were going for with having to climb out of a literal pit without the safety of the rope after being broken was too on the nose. That it is there doesn't make it clever.