I was all set to show you (and make fun of) WB's viral promo for DKR, which resulted in a one-inch tall, soundless gif of a new DKR trailer (because that's the way to make a splash during the week the Avengers opens). Unfortunately for my snark, WB released the real trailer, and it's certainly better than the first two in my opinion, although it still doesn't have the "OH SHIT THAT'S BADASS" moments that the Avengers footage seems to have in abundance. A few thoughts:
• Unlike previous footage, Batman actually shows up in the one, albeit only in the last 2/5ths.
• Bane has two lines, and he's definitely more intelligible in the second of them. The first line took me a minute, but he's saying "I am Gotham's reckoning." Hilariously, I still can't understand what Christian Bale is saying immediately preceding that.
• Speaking of Batman's voice, Bale actually sounds like he's doing an impression of the Christian Bale Batman voice. It's a little disconcerting.
• And speaking of voices in general, Bane sounds exactly -- and I mean exactly -- like Goldfinger from the James Bond movie.
• Bruce Wayne is sporting a beard for a bit. If Bruce Wayne quits being Batman for any period of time other than to heal, I'm going to be irritated. Spider-Man wonders if he should quit. Batman doesn't. Ever.
• Last but not least, there is a lot of Joseph Gordon-Levitt in this trailer, a lot more than you'd expect for being a generic cop. I have a theory about who he's playing (of a sort), but I'm going to put it after the jump on the off chance I'm right and it's a spoiler.
My guess: Bruce Wayne either dies or quits at the end of Dark Knight Rises (probably quits), and JGL becomes the new Batman. JGL's cop is not an established Bat-verse character, and yet he's important enough in DKR that 1) Nolan hired JGL to play him and 2) he's in the new trailer more than Batman. Plus, Nolan's all about Batman more as an idea and symbol than a person, so Batman passing the cowl to someone new would wrap up that theme nicely. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I'm more okay with it than the idea of Bruce quitting being Batman because being Batman is hard.
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235 comments
you people think too much..the legend ends...so its not a legend anymore because batman reveals himself.
Take a listen to the first time Batman talks again. I'm guessing that JGL takes up the cape and cowl, for a time anyway, and that that is his attempt at the bat-voice. Which I still don't understand why people have a problem with Bale's version. The comics clearly state that he adopts a raspy wheezing voice as Batman.
I don't know if I like that Batman and Catwoman are all "buddy, buddy" at the end, her being in the Batwing with him and all. I think there should always be separation between characters while in there superhero monikers otherwise this becomes almost Avengers like with them fighting crime together which I do not want to see in this film
I'm a little concerned about a lot of this.
Is Hathaway Catwoman or Batgirl? I honestly cannot tell.
I think JGL is Nightwing. If Bats does retire or die (I sincerely hope he does neither) then this gives the film some closure by assuring the audience that Gotham still has a hero, and it doesn't tie WB's hands for the next series.
And I don't know how this would go over with the comics crowd, but I do kinda feel like Bane is a resurrected R'as. Their speech patterns are just so similar. Also, he and Batman/Bruce seem so familiar with each other. I know the resurrection/Lazarus Pit idea doesn't really jive with how we see the Nolanverse, but I view Nolanverse not as defining what can exist, but rather defining how someone reacts to their reality. So a pit could exist in Nolanverse, but not be quite like we know it in the comics. I mean, people use hot springs to heal. Couldn't a Lazarus Pit be one step beyond that?
Ero,
The Bane == Ra's theory is mine as well. We know someone has been slated to play Ra's 30 years prior; and that Liam Neeson spent 1-1/2 hours on set filming something. That's waaaay too Ra's centered not to be reflected in the trailers somehow.
And since we haven't seen a hair of Marion Cotillard yet, I'm inclined to think she's Ra's dead wife, not his daughter (i.e. not "Miranda Tate" = Talia). Leaving my Catwoman = Talia theory in play.
(And we know Talia will have something to do in the plot because Joey King was cast to play her 30 years earlier.)
I totally love Anne Hathaway, but after watching the opening sequence of Columbiana, Zeo Saldana would have made the most perfect Catwoman.
Nolan gets the benefit of the doubt. Making the greatest superhero flick of all time does that for you. He can burn the Batman lore to the ground if he wants just as long as I get to watch.
Ok, I've watched this a few times now and I have formed an opinion.
This looks like it would be a very good movie ... if it didn't have Batman in it. If it were a movie about a young, idealistic cop taking on a super-terrorist who has taken over the city, I'd be pre-ordering a ticket now. It seems disappointing that such things will get shunted to the side in order to fit Batman into the plot. I don't know why but Batman doesn't seem like he fits into what is theoretically his own movie. (I kind of felt that way about TDK, too.) Of course, this is only a trailer.
i see nolan still consistent with his crappy female lead actor in every batman movie. i like that he's mixing up the crap with JGL. at least he's not a misogynist. (sorry, just always wanted to use that word even though it never seemed like nolan was one.)
The Avengers vs. DKR comparisons need to stop. Tonally, they are both completely different films.
I have every faith that Nolan will deliver - Again.
Why doesn't anyone mention that bane is holding and throwing away what looks like Batmans mask...
This theory of Bruce Wayne not being Batman anymore in fact being killed off in the film has been brought up before a few months ago by Cracked.com the same exact way. I don't know how anyone feels about Cracked and their lists. But I have to say this make sense... A lot of sense, I've been saying it for a while now since I read it. When you read it, It makes sense for the way the films are heading (especially now since a substantial trailer is out), and it makes sense for Nolan and how HE operates as a director. I'll leave the link, for anyone who is interested.http://www.cracked.com/blog/ad...XLC
No, Nightwing was not "disgruntled Robin." Nightwing was Dick Grayson's logical progression as a character after he outgrew being Robin. Nightwing is Dick's chance to work as a superhero rather than a sidekick.Still doesn't really work for a character who never was Robin, but it's got a lot more depth than you're implying.
I just cannot get excited about this trailer. I've watched it 3 times now, and it doesn't look bad, just thoroughly 'meh' to me. Maybe it's just the benefit of hindsight, but I went back and re-watched the Dark Knight trailer as a comparison, and hearing Heath Ledger's Joker still gives me massive nerdrections. At the same time, I am fully willing to accept that a mediocre trailer does not imply a mediocre film (or vice-versa).
It feels to me like a Bourne, Bond, or Mission Impossible movie. There's really nothing "Batman" about this trailer. It's just a lot of moody talking, spy gadgets, and explosions... Only it doesn't seem as fun as a Bourne, Bond, or Mission Impossible movie. It seems like it's a bland action flick trying to be cerebral, and failing.
I'd like to be proven wrong. I fear I won't.
Pretty much exactly how I feel. I also agree with the guy below however that basically says "Hey, it's Nolan. He's delivered twice now so I'm confident."
Hm. Let's think. This is obviously based on Knightfall. I wonder if there was a character in Knightfall who took over for Batman while he was recovering?Oh, wait, yes there was, and that character was Azrael.Also, did Rob not see The Dark Knight? Because Batman already considered quitting in that movie. When his continued existence was threatening the very work he was dedicated to doing? You remember?And TDKR is severely handicapped in "OH SHIT THAT'S AWESOME moments" compared to the Avengers because1) It only has one superhero compared to the 6+Nick Fury that Avengers has, and2) Nolan's Batrilogy (and body of work in general) has always been a mix of blockbuster and intellectualizing. A movie which asks it's audience to think will tend to have less stuff blowing up and dudes hitting other dudes and snappy one-liners than a movie which doesn't. Note that Gone With the Wind registers fairly low on the "badass" scale, but really high on the "quality flimmaking" scale, while the opposite is true of Big Trouble In Little China. Or any Reb Brown movie ever. Take your pick.
No, his character's name is "John Blake" and only 8 years have passed. Gordon, Jr. wouldn't be old enough to be a policeman yet.
(Although I wouldn't bet against Nolan casting that same boy as a completely different character again for TDKR--he's been two different characters in each of the prior movies already.)
I like that JGL is doing some sort of psychic shield shit about halfway through (closing his eyes and holding out his hands). What's up with that?!
Sorry, I can't be arsed to read all 156 comments... Does anyone else think the second line "Bane" speaks is actually Ra's Al Ghul??? It sounds more like Liam Neeson than Goldfinger ;)
Yes, several of us are going for that. (Including the two in the thread right before you posted, by coincidence.) I'm strongly in the Bane == crippled Ra's camp.
Am I the only one who though that Bane's second line of dialogue a) sound awfully over-dubbed and b) exactly like Liam Neeson?
He does sound kind of similar. I read a theory that some guy on Youtube posted saying that Ras survived Begins and in the process has become Bane. I guess it could work because if Ras did live he would need some severe medical attention just like Bane apparently has and it would be one hell of a twist, but I think that that might diverge to far from the Batman mythos for me. Then again, Im a fanboy.
I used to wonder why we didn't get a Super Bowl commercial, then I saw this trailer. Meh. The shot with the biggest "wow" factor was the Fumbler (flying Tumbler) evading some heat-seeking missiles. Next to the Helicarrier lifting off or the big team shot at the end of the Avengers SB trailer, TDKR is looking like small potatoes. What a shame.
Man, I don't get it. Nolan gives me the Batman I grew up with... That hard line Batman. In two films he cements a legacy of excellence for the Batman, and he's given these characters the much needed respect they needed after the Schulmacher fiasco. There's depth, there's excellent scripts that are original yet true to the mythos. So even if the trailers aren't amazing, snarky hip explody Avengers style they still a) don't spoil the entire film and b) tell you this is a conclusion. Something you don't get with most comic stories. So yeah, call me crazy but I don't get the hate. You've got all you need to know going into the movie - Batman is having a tough time and Bane & co are exploiting it in a hopeless situation. And didn't anyone pay attention to TDK? It's always darkest before the dawn? The Dark Knight RISES...
Honestly the guy has my trust. Especially after TDK. So I don't get it. Maybe you guys have been Lucas'd and Raimi'd too many times to be so cynical about what a guy who's only delivered every time. I get not trusting Hollywood - but this guy's never given me what I'd call a bad movie, especially in the Bat realm. No one else can say that so there ya go. Maybe you're just too afraid to be disappointed... But Nolan's last name isn't Miller and I'm pretty sure this isn't DK2.
Man - why do I feel like I'm gonna be making this argument for Avengers 3?
And this usually isn't my M.O. but the guy who said this is like Schulmaker all over again? Go fuck yourself for being an idiot. I saw those movies in the theater and I'll be damned before I don't call out the ass clown that even compares a second of anything about these series together. I hope you get Bat Nipples, ya dingus.
So here's my theory, and I agree with Rob on this, John Blake will be Batman. My thinking is that there is going to be a Lazarus Pit in this film, but it's not going to be a magic healing well. Bruce Wayne ISN'T going to some meta-human doctor to get his spine fixed and bringing in Azrael is going to be silly. What this boils down to is actually breaking Batman.
Bruce Wayne/Batman is destroyed by Bane and tossed into the underground prison. No one knows what happened to Batman. John Blake who is on the task force to catch Batman finally comes to understand what the city needs IS Batman.
He takes up the mantle. (Because I actually think those first two cuts with Batman in this trailer are JGL, cuz he definitely looks smaller than Bale/Batman and the mouth appears different. (You know the whole seen some shops in my time, thing)
Anyhow, Bruce Wayne manages to muster the energy to rise up from the pit and comes back and sees Batman has remained. He thinks he can retire and just be Bruce Wayne, but John Blake gets killed or injured. Probably killed. Bruce realizes Batman ISN'T just a symbol, it's who he is, and Bruce Wayne is still the mask that Rachel said he was. Bruce retakes the mantle and turns Bane into his bitch.
Movie ends with Batman on that tower/antennae array from the Trailer with a monologue of Bruce Wayne/Batman saying its not just Gotham that needs Batman, but Batman that needs Gotham.
My two cents. I could be wrong, probably am.
Wow, This trailer actually did far more to make me wanna see this movie than anything that's come before it. Impressive stuff, though the flying tumbler seems a bit too farfetched for a Nolan Batman movie (almost as farfetched as that stupid Dehydration engine from the first movie or the fingerprint scan from a fractured bullet).
Another tidbit in support of JGL's character being Nightwing: in Chuck Dixon's run on the title didn't Dick join the Bludhaven Police Department? Given the circumstances it seems like a good fit for the Nolan verse's Robin.
Eh, I know it's a nerd tendency to take a nasty sourpuss attitude at something that doesn't fit our exact expectations, but I'm gonna remain reasonably optimistic for this movie. That was a pretty awesome trailer.
JGL becoming the new Batman would be interesting. I guess if Nolan wanted to really bookend his movies, that would be a way to go. Try and fuck that up Joel Schumacher!
"Spider-Man wonders if he should quit. Batman doesn't. Ever."First, Wayne was ready to quit and settle down with Rachael when he thought Dent was going to save the city.Second, you follow that line with a theory about Batman quitting. You clearly thought that out before you posted it.
Has anyone thought maybe JGL's character is being used to set up a part 4? As in him being Lock-Up? He can take up the mantle of the masked vigilanty but where as batman just beats people up to the point of brain damage but not killing them, where as JGL does kill them, prompting the bat to come out of retirement and try to stop him?
I was much more excited by the second trailer, even with Bane's garbled speech. For some reason, this trailer just isn't grabbing me.
I get this impression that the worst part of the film might be Catwoman. Fanboys are too in love with Hathaway's bum to see the writing on the wall. Butt...uh...but we'll see. There might be nothing wrong with this movie other than it being the last Nolan Bat film.
Bruce dies and Alfred refuses to bury him. JGL. assumes his identity. Iit's like Gattaca and no one bothers to. ask why Bruce Wayne suddenly looks different.
Ever since they announced JGL and his character I've assumed that they were doing something along the lines of Knightfall, where Batman is beaten, taps a successor, and then comes back to reclaim the title after training and/or the replacement doesn't work out. Now, the coming back part may not happen since this is the last part of a trilogy (though scenes from previous teasers with Bruce training seem like evidence to me), but having JGL's cop character become Batman, even if it's only for part of the movie, seems like the only reason why you'd cast somebody like JGL in the first place.
Actually, my current thinking is the JGL will be a sort of hybrid of Jean-Paul Valley and Terry McGinnis.
This trailer was the best Batman one so far, but right now I'm way more excited about Avengers. I watched the Dark Knight again the other day (for the 5th or 6th time), and it's becoming more apparent just how much Heath Ledger's performance props up that movie. There are some other excellent performance as well (Bale, Caine, Freeman, Oldman), but some of the other supporting characters are pretty damn hammy (Gyllenhall and Roberts in particular). Eckhart is somewhere in the middle IMO. The structure and delivery of the story (directing, editing, script, etc) were fairly uneven as well.
Still an excellent movie though. It just has its weaknesses, as I'm sure this one will.
