What to do? What to do? I’m torn as to what my attitude should be toward The Dark Knight Rises, the new Batman movie. I haven’t seen it, mind you. But as an internationally respected blogger, I think I’m obligated to have an opinion. The question is, what opinion should I parrot? Two of my favorite bloggers have taken totally contradictory views.
First of all, Andrew Klavan praised it to the skies in a column for the Wall Street Journal, which he links here.
The movie is a bold apologia for free-market capitalism; a graphic depiction of the tyranny and violence inherent in every radical leftist movement from the French Revolution to Occupy Wall Street; and a tribute to those who find redemption in the harsh circumstances of their lives rather than allow those circumstances to mire them in resentment.
Sounds great.
In the other corner, in the white trunks, Anthony Sacramone at Strange Herring hated it.
My friend Joe Carter says this is pre-Christian mythologizing of a postmodern reality. I just thought it was half-price Thursday. Which is probably why I don’t review movies much anymore.
Ah: Payoff time. Men in blue vs. miserable, envy-riddled masses. Send them back to their lower-working-class existences paying 8 percent on student loans where they belong! Pow! Zap! Zingo!
Why is it that filmmakers love to blow up New York City? It must be the skyline, or maybe Mayor Bloomberg has decided to ban something again, like Mentos or something.
To whom shall I pander? Sacramone actually reviewed one of my books once. But Klavan called me a “colleague.” To whom do I owe the greatest measure of sycophancy?
I should see the film myself, you say? Ah, there’s the rub.
Problem is, I can’t see this one because I missed the last one. I missed the last one because I heard a rumor of how it ended, and I lost my nerve. You wouldn’t guess it, but I’m essentially soft-hearted, and I just didn’t want to sit through a long movie that ended that way. Now if I want to see the third movie, I’ve got to do the second.
What I need is a friend to hold my hand while I watch Number Two. And all my friends are guys, so that would just be creepy.
I know what I’ll do!
I’ll dither.
Seriously, go see The Dark Knight, Lars. It’s overlong and too violent for its PG-13 rating, but it isn’t really that dark. And Nolan seems to have sympathy for the type of themes readers of this blog appreciate.
Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan. Klavan.
“Why is it that filmmakers love to blow up New York City? It must be the skyline, or maybe Mayor Bloomberg has decided to ban something again, like Mentos or something.”
Good question.
I guess its the same reason Japanese filmmakers love having Godzilla pummel Tokyo.
Also, the first two movies blew up Chicago’s skyline. Nolan decided to go with New York here.
On DARK KNIGHT
For me, the ending 2008’s DARK KNIGHT was brilliant and perfect. By no means a happy ending, it was quite dark but Batman comes across as more awesome and heroic than ever before. The ending summarizes just why he is a hero.
Trust me, just watch it. The ending had me cheering.
I haven’t been reading reviews for the third one, because I don’t want anything spoiled, but I have seen a reviewer I respect criticizing it, so I guess I will go in disappointed. But I doubt I will make time to see it in the theater.
See it. See it. See it.
In theater. In theaters. In theaters.
I will say, I am biased. I am a huge Batman fan.
I read WorldMag’s review tonight, and I want to see it and read the select negative reviews I’ve heard of. World praised it.
I don’t think you need to see THE DARK KNIGHT to see RISES, especially if you know about the end. BATMAN BEGINS sets up many of the plot points in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, excepting one key spoiler from THE DARK KNIGHT.
That said, I think all three are brilliant movies.