Tag: Christian Bale

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

As if this one needs an introduction. We’d hoped to see it at the IMAX as I saw the first two episodes there. Unfortunately, you have to book at least a day in advance at the Glasgow one due to their steam-powered booking system (assuming you can even find it on their web site). Also, simply due to popularity, the film is booked out for every evening performance until the middle of this week – and with Littler Miss working her way down the birth canal slower than a barge through treacle, we can’t risk blowing the cash on something we may not be able to get to. So, off to Parkhead we went. Oh, and with no concerns about trying to find a 2D showing as there was no crappy, revenue-driven urge to produce a 3D version of the film. Thank you director Christopher Nolan for putting your foot down about that one.

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

I’ll try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible. The film follows on very closely from the end of The Dark Knight, with prisoners incarcerated as a result of the Harvey Dent Act. Gotham is free of organised crime and, as a result, the mysterious Batman has disappeared. However, this is Gotham. And this is a trilogy. So something has to happen.

Cue villain-of-the-moment Bane, born of darkness and out to destroy Batman – and Gotham City while he’s at it. It’s difficult to go too much further without giving anything much away so I’ll leave it at that and focus on the overall quality of the film. Before you see it, though, this excellent article on ScreenRant is worth a read. It’s pretty much spoiler-free!

There’s no denying the acting pedigree of the cast. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine return as Fox and Alfred respectively. Two of the most respected actors of their generation, and deservedly so. Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, takes on a major part of the story. As well as an ensemble cast, it’s a multi-faceted story which ensures these people aren’t just background to Christian Bale‘s hoarse whispering Batman and Tom Hardy‘s muffle-voiced Bane.

Ah, yes. Bane. Huge, scary but often hard to understand. On the whole, I got most of what he said but there were some lines I just didn’t catch. In fairness, Batman was just as unintelligible one a small handful of instances.

The film runs for a long time – 2hrs 45 mins, in fact. Be prepared for a long sit and don’t expect a thrill a minute or a bucket of laughs between the action sequences. Dark Knight Rises is a dark film – very dark. Unrelenting in places. It could be worse. Some of the death scenes are cut away from rather abruptly which is probably what’s earned it the 12A rating in the UK rather than a 15.

The action and effects are, as expected, fantastic. They’re not as “big” as those in, say, Avengers Assemble, but they’re more gritty. Having said that, I found the fight sequences lacking a little something, perhaps because the two main proponents (Bane and Batman) are so heavily padded. Anne Hathaway‘s Selina Kyle (she’s not referred to as Catwoman at all during the film) are actually slightly better to watch and not just because she fills a leather outfit so well.

Expectations are bound to be high for this film and mainly as the last film was, simply put, absolutely outstanding. However, you’re never going to get that chemistry again. In fairness, all three films in the trilogy have aimed to be different as well and bearing that in mind, Dark Knight Rises is successful. It’s not like the other two, it is an intellectual level apart from other superhero films and it’s very much a wonderful piece of work.

However, it’s also not as good as I was hoping. Some of the dialogue just clunked for me and I think I was expecting more of the action scenes. I do think I’d have enjoyed it more visually if we’d caught it at the IMAX, but that’s only the visuals. The pace would still have been slow and Dark Knight would still be kicking it for overall quality.

It’s good. In fact, it’s very good. But it’s not the utterly amazing classic it’s been built up to be. It’s really only let down by its own hype and the expectations put upon it by the second episode in the series.

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The Fighter

Only time for one film on Friday again. I am so looking forward to a return to university (hopefully) next year when I can start cramming in 7-8 a week again!

The Fighter

“That guy did not just get off the fuckin’ couch. If he did, I’m gonna get a couch like that.”

Plot-in-a-nutshell: The ups and downs of two brothers, both boxers, in smalltown America.

Very short review as I’m short of time.

Fairly run-of-the-mill rags to riches story, though based on true events. One brother (Dicky – Christian Bale) never quite made it in the ring, so he looks to his younger sibling Micky (Mark Wahlberg) to capture that glory for him. With a possessive mother (Melissa Leo) managing him, Micky never quite seems to be getting there.

Events take a turn for the worse for Dicky at around the point where the story is waning. Just as the plot seems to be stuck in the “seen it all before” rut, things do get more interesting. As ever, I’ll avoid spoilers so I won’t say what happens.

The family starts to squabble, Micky looks to other avenues and his career moves in another direction.

The Fighter won’t be remembered for its story, enjoyable though it is. It will be remembered for one of the best casts to come together for a film in some time. Bale and Wahlberg could be brothers in real life, the way they appear on screen. Leo is magnificent as the bitchy mother and their sisters are scary and mad. Amy Adams is a perfect mix of sweet and tough as the love interest, while special credit must go to Micky O’Keefe who plays himself. Not as a minor part, but as a major supporting character.

While this isn’t a great film, it contains so many excellent performances it should be seen to appreciate the acting. Also, ensure you wait a few seconds into the end credits to see a short segment featuring the real-life brothers. From that shot, you can see how well Bates and Wahlberg have captured their subjects.

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Terminator Salvation

Terminator Salvation
Terminator Salvation

At last I got to see Terminator Salvation after the evil North Americans got it a whole half week before the civilised world (jealous, me?). I’d read a fair few negative reviews both from across the Pond and from here in Blighty. So how did I, Joe Public, react?

Plot-in-a-nutshell: Judgement Day has come and gone, as detailed at the end of Terminator 3. We join the story as John Connor (Christian Bale this time) is working his way up through the ranks of the resistance, but not before a little scene-setting…

Unlike the trailer, which gives away one of the only plot twists in the film, I’ll try to keep this review spoiler-free. The expected character list is present and correct, carrying on from the previous film. Connor is now married to Kate (played by the impossibly well-coifed Bryce Dallas Howard – seriously, where would she get lipstick post-apocalypse?) who is a doctor. Makes sense given her veterinary background. She’s also heavily pregnant though this isn’t even mentioned during the movie. Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin, who also plays Chekov in this summer’s new Star Trek film) is elsewhere and still a teenager, not the fully-fledged soldier we encounter in the first Terminator movie.

The major new character is Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a convicted murderer (before Judgement Day) who finds himself dumped into the middle of the action. He’s a nice new addition to the Terminator canon.

No surprises, it’s an effect-fest which makes the most of the improvements in special effects since the old days of Stan Winston (who the film is kindly dedicated to). It all fits together well. McG carries the sense of motion he filled the two Charlie’s Angels films with, only transfers the setting into the Fallout-esque scenery of 2018. The action scenes are fast, frenetic and far superior to the epileptic mess that was Quantum of Solace. It is possible to film a chase scene without the camera changing viewpoint every 0.83 seconds.

Yeah, there are gaping plot-holes even though there is no time travel involved. Sure, it’s somewhat predictable (name me a film that isn’t these days). But who cares? It’s a ride. And an impressive one.

Honestly, I don’t think Cameron would have done a better job. McG isn’t a bad director judging by his action film pedigree and I think Terminator 5 – whatever it ends up being called – is in good hands.

Note that the story follows on fairly well from the last film, but pretty much ignores the Sarah Connor Chronicles TV show. This isn’t surprising, though it does seem to be what’s lead to most of the unfavourable reviews elsewhere. A lot of people sound like they’d have preferred another series of that than a fourth motion picture. I’m greedy – I want both.

At least the cancellation of the former has been offset with a very enjoyable latter. Just don’t try too hard with the plot and you’ll have a great time.

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