Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Our Brief Preview of "The Dark Knight Rises" (for Friday, July 20th)


Andrew: Hello readers! So it's been a little bit since we did a weekly preview, because Sarah and I have been pretty busy with our days jobs, but we figured we absolutely needed to do one this week for a couple of reasons.

For one, Sarah's going to be visiting some family out-of-state this weekend, and she flies out tomorrow, so we couldn't do it any later than today. And secondly, even though there's only one big release coming out this week, it's a DOOZY and I think we all know which one we're talking about.

Of course, we mean the final act in Christopher Nolan's epic Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises.

Sarah, we're both obviously looking forward to this film very much (just like most of the world). But what I want to know right off the bat is what specifically you're looking forward to about it the most?

Sarah: The thing I am most looking forward to most is getting some questions answered! Where has Batman been? What has he been doing? Do the people of Gotham really think he is the bad guy? Who is this new love interest? Is Catwoman gonna kick some ass? And WHAT does Joseph Gordon-Levitt have to do with the storyline!

So many questions and I still have to wait three days to see it in Virginia!

A: Those are some damn good questions, and I share a lot of them with you. Yeah, I want to know what JGL's role is. I know he's a young police officer under the guidance of Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon, but why is he in this film? A similar question can be asked for Marion Cotillard’s Miranda Tate. There’s been a lot of rumors that her character is Talia al Ghul, the daughter of Liam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul from Batman Begins.

And I too would like to know how Anna Hathaway does as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, as well as how Tom Hardy does as Bane. These are two of my favorite current actors and it looks like they're both perfect casting choices for the roles. But how will they fit in this universe Nolan has created? And can they even come close to Heath Ledger's legendary turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight?

S: So many questions! Here’s another one: do you think people are putting too much pressure on this one? Do they have expectations that are too high?

A: I am 100% certain that any and all people who see TDKR and have seen TDK will have extremely high expectations, and possibly ones that are too high for Nolan's latest to fill. Is that necessarily a bad thing? Not in my mind, because TDK is an instant classic (thanks in large part to Ledger), so it's reasonable to think Nolan can make another one just as good.

I mean, I have Nolan's last two films in my personal top ten because they deserve to be there. I know I have high expectations for TDKR, especially since we've seen the prologue when we saw Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol in IMAX, but I also know I'll need to critique TDKR on its own merits. Honestly it'll be tough to do in practice, but it's what I'll be trying to do.

S: I think it is interesting yet touching that Nolan has stated that he won't have Ledger's Joker mentioned in this movie. It makes sense to me because of the nature of Ledger's death. So in that instance, I really don't think that he will have too much of a shadow that will be cast. I really think that Tom Hardy's Bane will be a fantastic addition to the bad guy club.

A: Good point on what Nolan’s said about the Joker not being mentioned at all. I think that’s part of the reason Nolan (who co-wrote the story with his brother Jonathan) set his last film 8 years after the incidents in TDK. Because it’s so long after the fact, and because Bruce Wayne has become a Howard Hughes-esque recluse during that time-frame, there’s no need to mention the Joker. Maybe that’s just something I’m reading into the situation, but it makes sense to me.

S: Could be! I can’t wait to find out, as this will be an exciting weekend for the summer blockbuster season! While Andrew will be seeing this movie opening night, I will have to wait until Saturday! "But how," you may ask, "are you going to write a dual review!?" Well, readers, we won’t be doing one immediately. Andrew will post a solo review first thing Friday, and when I return we’ll do a joint one in full discussion mode.

A: So be on the lookout for those this weekend! As always, thanks for reading! If you need a quick refresher or just something to get you pumped for the movie to come out, check out the trailer again below!

Official Trailer for The Dark Knight Rises

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