The Dark Knight Rises (2012, U.S.)

Ugh. What just happened? I saw this with my brother, who was seeing it for the second time, and his reaction seemed pretty close to mine, even knowing what was going to happen. It was so confusing. I feel like I'm throwing the word "disjointed" around a lot these days, but that's just what it was. The timeline was very unclear. It seemed like events were happening very close together, but suddenly a change in the weather indicated that it had actually been months or more. (I think we decided that the main timeline, not counting flashbacks, was a little over a year.)

The acting was good, the sets were good, the costumes were good, the Bat-toys were awesome (I love that motorcycle thing)... But the plot was just overly ambitious and the writing lacked flair. The villain Bane was supposed to be the coolest villain of all time, but I found him almost ridiculous. His face mask is never adequately explained, his voice was supposed to sound creepy and just ended up getting on my nerves, and various plot twists (which I won't give away) completely ruined the power he had as a villain and all of the impassioned speeches he gave (probably the best writing in the movie). Perhaps a lot of the let down stems from being the third in a series where the first was really fresh and the second was well-crafted and featured one of the most brilliant performances by one of the most brilliant actors of his generation (Heath Ledger). Or maybe it was just that unwieldy. It's hard to enjoy something when you're trying so hard to keep up. It's one thing with a foreign film or intense drama, but a super hero movie... I like smart movies with capes, but this wasn't smart, at least in its entirety.

I am having a hard time putting my feelings into words here, so I'll give it up. Stick to the first two installments.

Rating: 2.0

Batman Begins (2005, U.S.)

I saw this film once at a party at my apartment junior year of college, but there was a lot going on and I didn't really see most of it. That might be because the first 45 minutes or so are kind of a drag. Really, that was my main complaint with this one. If the first 45 minutes were squashed into 10, the whole thing would be better. (Unlike The Dark Knight, which was even longer but never felt that way.)

Otherwise, I have only good things to say about it. Some of my favorite actors, a collaboration of two of my favorite composers, and my favorite bad guy from the "Batman" TV series I watched as a kid—the Scarecrow. I say he was my favorite... He scared me to death, but then isn't that what bad guys are supposed to do? Not to mention, Cillian Murphy is on the top of my all time creepiest actors list. Don't get me wrong, I love him. He is absolutely fantastic. But even the movies I've seen him in where he played a good guy, like Cold Mountain or The Wind that Shakes the Barley, he still gave me the creeps. Probably because the first thing I ever saw him in was either 28 Days Later or Red Eye. Now that was some perfect casting.

Christian Bale is also a very strong actor. I've been watching more and more of his work recently, and I don't think I've seen anything that I haven't liked. If only he wasn't paired with an awful actress like Katie Holmes... Maggie Gyllenhaal was a great replacement there.

The last thing I'll say is about the visuals of the film. They're great. The way that they created Gotham was amazing, exactly as I've always imagined it—dark and dirty, but with some unexpected beauty here and there. Perfect playground for Batman. In fact, I think that's the one thing that was better in this film that in Dark Knight. The mood of the city, a very "Gotham" feeling. Good stuff.

Rating: 4.0

The Dark Knight (2008, U.S.)

I have never been too into the whole comic book genre, but I have seen several of them and have generally enjoyed them. I have seen the 1989 Batman as well as parts of Batman Begins, and I enjoyed them well enough. However, the most beloved Batman to me was the animated series from 1992, which I can remember watching with my brother. That, and Mask of the Phantasm. If you asked me when I was a kid who the best of all the superheroes was, I would have said Batman, hands down. So I'm not sure why I never got really into the live action films... I think that might change now. (Or at least when I have time to watch more.)

Of course, even if I wasn't already into Batman, I would have seen this movie. Because I adored Heath Ledger. First, he was the one who really got me into movies in the beginning, at the rather late age of 18. When I started my DVD collection back then (which now numbers nearly 200), the first five films consisted of four Heath Ledger movies. I now own 8 of his films, and I have seen 5 more, plus the TV series Roar. So nearly everything he's ever done. He was a brilliant, brilliant actor.

And he was brilliant in this. I can't tell you how chilling and spot on his performance was. Of course it's inevitable that it will be compared to Jack Nicholson's, and I have to say that I think Ledger's was better. To be fair, though, they were quite different portrayals—although Nicholson's was typical Nicholson (formulaic) and Ledger's was typical Ledger (original and brilliant). He was just incredible, and I can't really verbalize it any better, so I won't try.

Of course the rest of the cast was stellar as well. I won't bother listing them all—just look at the first 7 people listed in the credits. I will say that the portrayal of Two-Face was particularly well done.

Plot was complex and often hard to follow, although a lot of that could be because the sound was off in the theater, and the score was much louder than the dialogue. It definitely needs a second viewing to iron out all the details in my head, but I loved the complexity. I also need a second viewing to judge the score when it's not blaring in my ears—something tells me I won't be disappointed, because how can a Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard joint venture go wrong?

I'm glad there's really anything else I want to see this summer, because that just means I can go see The Dark Knight again (and maybe again!) when it's on the $5 Club.

This was another tough one to rate, because I don't know if I "really liked" it or "loved" it. But then there is Heath, and I know I loved him.

Rating: 4.5