Batman v Superman: Most Divisive Teaser Trailer Ever?

This past week or two has no doubt been one of the busiest times in my memory for blockbuster teaser trailers. In the days of the internet and YouTube in particular, trailers have become almost as eagerly awaited as the films themselves, and the buzz created by the last several days are certain proof of that. Star Wars: The Force Awakens clearly won the week with a (well deserved) nearly unanimous outpouring of love from fans. Terminator: Genisys did not fare so well as many were put off by the considerable spoilers revealed by the trailer, causing some to claim they were no longer even interested in viewing the final product. Ant Man, Fantastic Four, and Jurassic World have also dropped solid trailers all during this brief span of time. Despite whatever you may think of any of these previous trailers, there is simply no doubt that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has garnered the most attention, whether positive or negative. My favorite YouTube channel, Screen Junkies, has even released an Honest Teaser, mocking the controversy sparked by the trailer. Here are my top 5 reasons for why I think this new trailer has become such a hot button issue for film and comic book fans.

#1: Zach Snyder

I mentioned in my post, “Top Ten Hated Movies That Don’t Actually Suck“, that Zach Snyder is a director who’s work usually proves to be very divisive, and it seems amusingly fitting that this trailer should continue this trend. There is no doubt that Zach Snyder is a great visual director who has an uncanny ability to bring comic book heroes to life in a way that feels as if they were torn right out of the pages of the source material. However, Snyder seems to have a great deal of difficulty connecting with critics and fans on a more tangible, emotional level. People often accuse his work of being too “hollow” or  that they “lack substance”. I personally feel that Snyder’s Watchmen and Man of Steel did succeed at an emotional level, but Sucker Punch would be a more clear example of where some of these detractors are coming from. Batman v Superman is clearly already grappling with this same conflict between striking visuals and a relatable emotional tone. Much of the praise levied at the trailer tends to point how cool Batman’s new look is, or how there are a few beautifully translated homages to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns in the trailer. On the other hand, the negativity tends to stem from the feeling that the film feels too “grim” or “dark” and that these heroes simply don’t feel relatable. I personally land somewhere in the middle of this where I love the visual direction of the trailer, but I am a bit concerned about the feeling that Snyder is taking a step further into emotional darkness when it might behoove him to take a step closer to the light for this film. I admired that Man of Steel wasn’t afraid to go a little dark, but in order to successfully launch the Justice League, Snyder is going to have to give fans something to cheer about.

#2: Why So Serious, Superman?

I briefly touched on the dark tone of the trailer in the first point, but now let’s focus attention further in on the character of Superman himself. I think Henry Cavill is an excellent physical embodiment of Kal-El and I personally like what he has done so far, but I was hoping we might actually get to see him enjoy himself in this sequel, now that General Zod’s invasion has been taken care of. Instead, Superman appears to be just as divisive within his new film as his recent films have been with general audiences. Kal is shrouded in darkness during much of this trailer and is depicted floating above the other humans (and Batman himself) in an almost godlike manner. This has caused many to question if Superman will be cast as the villain in this film, or become some sort of corrupted government lackey, like in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, which Snyder has stated was a heavy inspiration for his film. Fans of Superman are extremely weary of this type of portrayal, especially in the sequel to his own origin story. I have to side with the concerns of these fans, I’m afraid. I am very weary of where Snyder is going with Superman in this film, but since I’ve enjoyed his previous works and this trailer is but a small taste of what we’ll end up with, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

#3: Batfleck: Love Him or Hate Him?

The reveal of Ben Affleck as Batman was bound to be the central point of any conflict surrounding a Batman v Superman trailer, but interestingly enough, the reaction to the new Batman has been surprisingly positive for the most part. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of people screaming about how much they hate it, but the overwhelming majority of people who expressed positivity about the trailer specifically site this new Batman as the reason why. Despite the success of The Dark Knight trilogy, there are many fans who never really cared for Christian Bale and are eager to finally see a depiction of Batman on screen that is more faithful to his comic book counterpart. I personally loved Bale and Nolan’s trilogy, but I too am excited to see where this new direction with the character is going. There is some negativity out there, however, mostly surrounding the fact that the Batwing appears to kill a few henchmen in the trailer and some are not overly thrilled with Batman’s new mechanized voice. I’m not convinced the jet shown was the Batwing, and even if it was, there’s no proof that Batman himself was piloting it so there’s no use getting worked up over that one quite yet. As for the voice, I never hated Bale’s growl, and I’m not sure I like the mechanized version, but I need to hear more than two lines out of Ben Affleck before I cement an opinion on the matter.

#4: Where is Everyone Else?

The casting of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luther caused all sorts of controversy before the trailer was even released and the fact that the new Lex Luther is featured in it just as much as Neil deGrasse Tyson left many fans feeling a little disappointed. Sure, there’s always the next trailer to see Lex, but fans were hoping for more than a picture of bald Jesse Eisenberg to fuel the raging controversy over the coming months. Others like Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa’s Khal Drogo, err, Aquaman, were also left in the cold. Laurence Fishburne’s Perry White and Amy Adams’s Lois Lane are also set return, but made no appearance in the trailer. Much of the debate surrounding this film involves how Snyder plans to incorporate all of these new characters with the established ones, and fans were hoping for at least a clue in this regard. I personally didn’t miss these characters in this particular trailer, as there is a calendar year between now and when the film releases, and there will be plenty of time to show glimpses of them in action.

#5: What the Heck is the Plot?

I was a little surprised when i saw this, but many of the complaints levied against the Batman v Superman trailer had to do with the fact that it gave extremely little or no clues as to what the plot of the movie was going to be. To be fair to these people, I’m sure none of them wanted spoilers but they were looking for more of an explanation about what exactly was bringing our two heroes together to apparently throw down in fisticuffs. I, for one, would rather see nothing relevant to the movie whatsoever in a trailer than even glimpse a potential spoiler (I’m looking at you Terminator: Genisys) but I guess I can understand the desire to get enough of a film’s premise in the trailer that you feel sufficiently compelled to go see it. Either way fans should understand that this is the first teaser trailer of what most likely will be many over the long year until the premiere of the film and they will have much more information at their fingertips before they decide whether or not to buy a $20 IMAX 3D movie ticket.

There they are, my top 5 reasons why the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer has proven to be so divisive since its release last week.  What did you think of the trailer? Do you like the new depictions of these two iconic heroes? Will you be seeing Batman v Superman when it comes out next March? Answer any of these questions or others in the comments below and give your opinion on all things Batman v Superman. As always if you enjoyed this post or others please press the like button and subscribe to my page. Thank you for stopping by this deep dark corner of the internet and please come back to talk more film, television and video games in the future!

Top Ten Hated Movies That Don’t Actually Suck

Hello friends, thank you for stumbling across my page or for finding your way back here! I’ve said in my previous posts, especially my first one, “In Defense of The Dark Knight Rises“, that I prefer to look more on the positive side of things, especially in a world so over saturated with negative opinions. With that in mind I thought it would be fun to discuss 10 films that often receive a good deal of “hate” from generally small groups of outspoken people. In my opinion, the ten films below are some of the more worthwhile films that fit into this slim category. I have no doubt that those who come across this page will have differing opinions on these films and I encourage all of you to comment those opinions in a (hopefully) friendly manner.

Let’s start out by explaining how I came about “ranking” these ten films from 10-1. Rather than simply numbering them by how much I personally enjoy them, I thought it would be fun to check Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic to get aggregate scores and then combine all of them to see which film was the most “hated”. This score will combine both the critic scores AND the user scores, so we get an accurate depiction of how “hated” it is by BOTH critics and average movie goers like myself. (Each Score is based on a 100 point system, except for the Metacritic User score, so I will be multiplying that score by 10 in order for it to hold equal weight with the other three scores) I then divided the total aggregate score by 4 and subtracted it from 100, giving it my “Hate Score”. The higher the “Hate Score”, the higher it will appear on this list! To be clear, the #1 film on this list will be the one deemed “most hated” by this system, and the #10 will be the “least hated” based on this system. Obviously this is completely unscientific way of doing this, but I have to admit, I had a little fun doing it! So without further ado, let’s get to business with the Top Ten Hated Movies That Don’t Actually Suck!

#10: Interstellar, Hate Score: 20.75

Interstellar has by far the lowest “Hate Score” on this list, but I think its mention is justifiable based on how loud the dissenting faction is on this one. This film has been extremely divisive with opinions ranging from “It totally sucks” to “Greatest Movie Ever!” In my opinion, while “Greatest Movie Ever” might be a stretch, the opinion that it “sucks” seems a little unfair and shortsighted.  This film is bold and ambitious sci-fi story telling, and I think Hollywood is in dire need of more innovative, risk taking films such as this one. I would count Interstellar as one of the best films of 2014 and I think it is a very worthy addition to director Christopher Nolan’s impressive filmography. I do wonder, however, how well the film will hold up on blu ray, since it was such an experience to be had in IMAX theaters.

#9: The Amazing Spider Man, Hate Score: 28.25

The Amazing Spider Man is a film that was going to have a hard time managing to avoid upsetting at least a certain percentage of its fan base. While Spider Man 3 was close to being unanimously disliked, many film franchises in the past have overcame missteps like it, and it seemed unnecessary to scrap the Tobey Maguire Spider Man and completely reboot everything after such a minuscule amount of time. Even with this handicap to start with, modern audiences would be compelled to distance themselves even further from The Amazing Spider Man thanks to its disappointing, lackluster sequel. However, if you can look past all of these dissenting factors surrounding the film, The Amazing Spider Man is actually a worthy addition to the character’s filmography in and of itself. I don’t even think it would be a stretch to call it the second best Spider Man film behind the universally loved, Spider Man 2. 

#8: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Hate Score: 28.75

Like The Amazing Spider Man above, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith can be a considered a victim of its circumstances. The first two films in the prequel trilogy, The Phantom Menace, and, Attack of the Clones, were subjected to widespread criticism, largely by the core Star Wars fan base. In my opinion, the prequel trilogy went wrong due to its insistence on directing itself exclusively as “for kids” despite the fact that everyone who had loved the first trilogy had grown up. However, being someone that grew up in the late 90s and early 2000s, I can remember loving these less than stellar films, so in a sense, George Lucas achieved what he’d set out to do. Now that I am an adult, it’s hard to look back on TPM or AotC with much more than nostalgia, but RotS still very much holds up as an entertaining, watchable, addition to the Star Wars mythos. What RotS did, that I believe was missing from its predecessors, was that it finally returned to a tone that did not shy away from getting dark, while maintaining a grand sense of adventure. Sure some may say that it’s difficult to care for the characters in RotS thanks to its predecessors, but I say that those people are selling George Lucas’s last good movie short.

#7: The Matrix Reloaded, Hate Score: 31.25

The sequels to The Matrix generally get a similar treatment as the Star Wars prequels do, but in the case of The Matrix Reloaded, I believe this is unfair. Now, The Matrix Revolutions was a significant dip in quality (even though I personally enjoy it for what it is) and I believe that since the two movies were linked with a “to be continued…” ending, The Matrix Reloaded tends to be brought down a few notches in popular opinion thanks to its sequel. While The Matrix is undoubtably the best the series has to offer, Reloaded offers some great action sequences within its titular world and never lost me with its big twist the way it seemed to do with so many. In fact, I always considered the true nature of “The Architect” to be a somewhat brilliant revelation, but that is an argument for a different day. The point is, if you have seen The Matrix, but popular opinion has swayed you against watching the sequels, I think you should go ahead, give them a shot, and decide for yourself.

#6: I Am Legend, Hate Score: 31.5

I was actually quite surprised when I stumbled across several pages devoted to the bashing of I Am Legend, as I was quite taken with the movie after having seen it in theaters. Then, when searching the aggregate scores for this post, I found it interesting that this film received such a mixed opinion from critics and audiences. The film stars Will Smith in his prime, long before the dark days of After Earth, in which he was given a role that literally put the entire production on his shoulders, and he nailed it! This film was exciting, contemplative and emotional. I have seen many arguments that the film would have been served better with its alternate ending, and I’m not sure that those people are wrong, but this is very much still a worthwhile film to rent or buy if you haven’t done so already.

#5: Watchmen, Hate Score: 32.75

Director Zach Snyder seems to have an awfully hard time communicating with critics or general audiences, but I think a few of his films are grossly underrated, the most egregious of which is Watchmen. In my opinion, Watchmen is a masterpiece of dark, human storytelling. The common complaint on this one is that it is too faithful to its source material and the so called “unfilmable” masterpiece of Alan Moore was hollowly translated by Zach Snyder. I actually think that Snyder’s devotion to the graphic novel served the film greatly and as a fan of the original work, it was exhilarating to see some panels from the book’s pages get translated directly onto the big screen. Snyder only made one great deviation from the book’s story (which I won’t spoil here) and it was for the better! Sure, Watchmen is a dark, horrific story that at times becomes very difficult to watch, but that does not change the fact that this film was a remarkable achievement.

#4: Cloud Atlas, Hate Score: 33

Cloud Atlas is another film from the Wachowski’s (and others) that I believe has been grossly misunderstood by the critics and general audiences. This film’s greatest problem is that it simply is too ambitious and inaccessible to receive the praise it rightfully deserves. I remember walking out of the theater after my first viewing of this film wondering whether I’d just seen the best film ever made or the worst film ever made. Well after a few more viewings I would say neither, but Cloud Atlas is a great achievement that should have been recognized much more than it was during the time in which it came out.  There is something special about a film that reveals more to you with each subsequent viewing, and Cloud Atlas achieves just that. Even now I am sure I haven’t been able to peel every layer of the onion that is Cloud Atlas and I would encourage anyone who hasn’t to start doing so themselves.

#3: Man of Steel, Hate Score: 34.5

As I said before, Zach Snyder’s work usually proves to be divisive at best and Man of Steel is very much the rule and not the exception. Fans everywhere accused this film of being “too dark” or “gritty” with a “brooding” Superman who commits acts that his comic book counterpart “never would”. However, I believe these statements are simply false. As an adamant reader of Superman lore I think Man of Steel got a lot right and they portrayed the character the way he has been portrayed for many years, since the arrival of the tremendous graphic novel Birthright and even before. Also, in response to accusations that this film is “too dark”, Snyder consistently portrays Henry Cavill’s Kal-El as a beacon of hope for all of mankind (as he should be). I even think Kal’s regrettable decision at the end of the film (which again I won’t spoil) was done tastefully and really gave us an interesting building block for who Superman becomes as a character. Not all comic book fares have to be carefree, Marvel “fun” and I personally love the contrast between the DC and Marvel properties on the big screen. If every comic book hero was portrayed in the same light on the big screen, then the genre will reach a critical mass sooner rather than later and collapse. Marvel and DC’s differing tones can certainly coexist and I for one enjoy watching some comic book films that treat me like I’m an adult.

#2: The Book of Eli, Hate Score: 40.5

I’ve said in previous posts that I enjoy a good post apocalyptic adventure, and it is completely possible that The Book of Eli is a film that speaks to me more than it would an average movie goer. However, I think that the film is “hated” by general audiences and critics much more than it should be. This film features Denzel Washington at his ass kicking best, Mila Kunis in one of her more likable, non Jackie from That 70s Show, roles, and Gary Oldman as a ferocious tantalizing villain. The violence is brutal and the cinematography just screams Fallout on camera. What’s not to love? And that’s when we get into it: The Book of Eli clearly loses people due to its preachy, religious message. I get it, I’m not an overly religious man myself and no one likes being told what to believe. However, perhaps due to being raised in a religious family, I have no issue putting aside my own personal beliefs for an hour and a half and accepting The Book of Eli for what it is: a fun, violent romp through a post apocalyptic world. If you cannot get over The Book of Eli‘s religious message then I guess steer clear of it, but for those of you who can, then go out and enjoy what I think is a damn good movie.

#1: Tron: Legacy, Hate Score: 41.5

Tron: Legacy, the most hated film on this list according to my unscientific “Hate Score”, is another victim of the Star Wars effect. The original Tron was clearly loved by a passionate (if rather small) fan base, and it seems that much of that fan base were not pleased with the direction its sequel went. However, if you were like me and you hadn’t grown up with the original Tron, then this is a fast, fun sc-fi flick that doesn’t require a great deal of brain power to enjoy. Sure, I love films like Interstellar, Cloud Atlas, or Watchmen, that really force you to think and contemplate their messages, but sometimes I like to pop a bowl of popcorn, relax on my couch, and turn on a Tron: Legacy too. The film is just fun, it’s a visual treat to look at, and serves as the greatest Daft Punk music video ever made. I get that it might not be everything original Tron fans wanted, but in fairness that film’s once revolutionary special effects are now grossly outdated and newcomers like myself simply don’t revere it the way older fans do. This film had to have done something right, as a sequel is in the works, and I hope that the next one will please new and old fans alike.

                                             Sorry Transformers…You Actually Do Suck…

So there you have it, my Top Ten Hated Movies That Don’t Actually Suck. Which of these film did you agree with? Which films didn’t you agree with? Which films would you have on the list that I didn’t mention? Please answer any and all of these questions in the comments and we can discuss some of our favorite, under appreciated films! Thank you for joining me and please like this post and subscribe to my page if you enjoyed it. Also feel free to comment on any subject you’d like to see me to tackle next. Please come back for my next post and enjoy yourselves out there!

My Second Attempt at Blogging (And Maybe Life in General)

Hello everyone, I call myself Average Adam and I published my first post, “In Defense of the Dark Knight Rises”, in May 2014. Although I rather enjoyed writing it, I did not continue this blog in any way afterwards, which is something I definitely regret. Life gets in the way and all that, I suppose. However, I find myself drawn back to the world of blogging with a new found energy and I hope that any of you who enjoy nerd culture like I do will join me in the wonderful conversation about all of our favorite subjects. If I’ve learned anything in the last nine months, it is that although we may come of an age that requires us to make sacrifices for the good of our families, careers, etc, we should all remain true to ourselves and really pursue the things we love.

I have always loved to write, and for years it has been my passion to one day publish a full length novel (or two or three or four). Although I’ve worked hard on the first of these planned novels for some time, I’ve never had the courage to devote myself fully towards it, due to the terrifying voice in the back of my head warning me of how “unrealistic” such an endeavor might be. I let this voice control me and ever since graduating college I have found myself trying to conform to the notion that we all must accept a “responsible” job that we may not be completely passionate about. After years of hapless searching I have finally found that enough is enough and I need to focus on my passions, regardless of where it brings me in the end. The only thing that I know for sure is that a failure to try would be legions worse than a rejection letter from a publisher.

Now, I’m sure many of you may have run into a similar crossroads in life and come to the same major problem as I have. We think, “How do I pursue my dreams and pay my bills at the same time?” Obviously I can’t quit my day job to just write blogs and work on my novel. Sure, building a fan base and publishing a novel could get me where I want to go, but I have to eat and pay rent like anybody else. It seems a common problem that people have to choose between the “reality” of living a normal life and the pursuit of their dreams (and ultimately, their happiness).

If I could give advice based on experience to any of you who have found themselves in a similar conundrum as myself, it is that you should not compromise when it comes to pursuing something you love. Trust me, I’ve been compromising for each of the nearly twenty seven years I’ve been on this Earth and it simply does not work. If you do not do something that makes you happy, then that subsequent unhappiness will eat at you until it infects nearly everything else that you love. You may think you are making sacrifices for the ones you love, but ultimately unhappy people do not make great spouses, parents or friends. Do yourself a favor and be a little selfish when it comes to pursuing your dreams. Everyone around you will be the better for it, and if they’re not, then maybe those aren’t the people you should be spending your time with.

Now, you may have noticed that I came nowhere near answering the logistical problems of paying rent or, you know, eating. I certainly don’t have it completely figured out, but I would advise structuring your day to first include everything you need to do to get your ambitions off of the ground. Find out how much time you need, then work your job around it. You may have to take a less than desirable part time job to make ends meet, but it will allow you the time to work on the things that truly matter to you. If you can find a job that affords you the ability to pursue your goal, then all the better! I for one, got myself a job as a substitute teacher, which although it is low paying, allows for me plenty of time to write during my average work day.

So there you have it, another “follow your dreams” speech, very original right? Be sure to relate to me your own experiences and whether or not you agree with my take on all this. Thank you all for taking this journey with me as I attempt to achieve my goal of being a published author. I look forward to discussing the joys of nerd culture with you all over the subsequent weeks (and hopefully months and years). As I stated in my first post all those months ago, I wish this to be a positive place in the overwhelming sea of internet negativity, where we can all discuss the things we love with passion. Please check out my first post, from those many months ago, and tell me what you think! If there’s a movie/ video game out there that you’d like to see me defend, then let me know in the comments. Please like, or follow me both here and/or on twitter as well (@AverageAdam88) if you enjoyed this, my previous post, or any subsequent posts. For my next post I will be discussing my favorite video games from the previous generation. Thanks and be sure to check in next time! (Which I totally promise will not take another nine months)

In Defense of The Dark Knight Rises

Hello everyone, this being my first post I’d like to introduce myself. As the name “Average Adam” implies, I think of myself as average at pretty much everything. I’m an average athlete, I’ve had an average education, with an average GPA and so on. While I am extremely fond of comic books and video games, you’ll find I’m not a walking encyclopedia of any particular character and I won’t be a nationally ranked Halo player any time soon. However, I am very passionate about the “nerd” lifestyle and I enjoy dabbling in creative writing, so here I am giving you my average opinions on all things nerd/ geek. I hope you enjoy it!

On to the reason we’re here: as we all know, the internet can be a very negative and unforgiving place. Every where you look someone is willing to tell you just how much he/she hates someone or something. For this reason I thought it would be fun to begin a running series in which I try to take a look at the positive qualities of a game/book/movie that has been overly criticized or otherwise under-appreciated. With all the talk surrounding the newly named Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Batman’s 75th anniversary, it seems like an opportune time to take a look at Batman’s latest polarizing film outing The Dark Knight Rises. 

Now some might argue that The Dark Knight Rises doesn’t need defending. 88% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes have given it a “fresh” rating, with a 90% audience approval rating. Compare that with a Metacritic score of 78 with an 8.4 user rating and it seems like the suggestion that TDKR is a “criticized” film seems way off base. However, many Batman fans have expressed serious issues with the film and IGN’s recent ranking of Batman’s theatrical releases puts TDKR as 6th out of the 9 films. If you exclude the horrendous Schumacher films from the list, then disregard Adam West’s Batman: The Movie as being in a different film genre entirely, TDKR is labeled as the worst of Batman’s “serious” outings.

If you want a rather hilarious summary of the common complaints about TDKR look no further than Screen Junkies’ Honest Trailer for the film. (Side note, Honest Trailers just might be my favorite thing on the internet) In defense of the film, I’ll give a brief look at a couple of these complaints, then discuss a few of the film’s redeeming qualities.

Complaint: It’s too unrealistic

At first glance, it might seem pretty silly that people are actually complaining that a superhero movie was “too unrealistic” for them. However, with Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe, realism was clearly intended and largely achieved with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Due to this, fans tend to give TDKR less leeway than Tim Burton’s Batman series or any of the Marvel movies. It is interesting that the same audience can accept a mutant Penguin running for mayor and a Catwoman who actually has nine lives, but then scoff at Bruce’s quick back recovery based on how close to reality the movie world is supposed to be. It certainly isn’t wrong to consider aspects of TDKR too “unrealistic”, but I am willing to suspend my disbelief somewhat when I am watching a superhero movie.

 

“Do you’re worst, I’ll totally be okay in a couple months”

Complaint: Too many plot holes/ confusing time jumps

This complaint really gets to the heart of the dissension voiced about TDKR. The fact of the matter is that TDKR is not a perfect masterpiece in story telling. For a first time viewer of the film, it can be extremely difficult to follow every aspect of the story. Important pieces of information regarding the plot are given to the viewer with a single piece of dialogue, as are the notifications of a time jump. Many would argue that a film should be more obvious concerning these things and if a viewer if left confused, it is the fault of the filmmaker. While this is definitely a valid criticism, I can say that with each subsequent viewing of TDKR I usually pick up on new information that I didn’t get the first time around. This helps fill in some of the supposed plot holes and while many might find it irritating to have to watch a film more than once to understand every plot thread in the movie, I rather enjoy discovering new things upon multiple viewings.

 

“Do you know what’s going on? Okay, good, me neither.”

Redeeming Quality: Bane

If you have to give Nolan credit for one thing about this film it should be this: he nailed Bane. Sure Bane’s back story is a toyed with and Venom is nowhere to be found, but TDKR really captures the essence of what Bane’s character should be. He’s a cold, ruthless general, with a sharp military mind for strategy. He is also perfectly physically imposing, and proves his fighting chops when he kicks the Dark Knight’s freaking ass (albeit a weakened Batman, true to the Knightfall story line). Tom Hardy’s Bane also leaves us with plenty of bad ass quotable lines up to par with Heath Ledger’s Joker. While I’ve heard complaints about the way Bane is eventually dispatched in the film, you have to admit he was pretty damn awesome in this movie.

“Do you feel in charge?”

Redeeming Quality: It’s Bruce’s movie

This might seem like a given, but it’s very rare that we go deeper into the psyche of Bruce Wayne than the simple fact that he’s a vengeful rich man who lost his parents as a child. Bruce/Batman has a tendency to be overshadowed by his larger than life rogues gallery and his character doesn’t really get the spotlight as much as you might think. Look no further than The Dark Knight for proof of this. Joker steals the film from beginning to end and much of the time Bruce is left playing second fiddle. In TDKR we really get to see how lost Bruce became without Batman and that carrying his pain for as long as he had eventually left him a hollow man without the fear of death or the will to live. In this film we get to see Bruce emerge from the ashes of his broken psyche and really “rise” as a new man. In my opinion this is the most interesting arc Bruce has had on live action film to date, and it is a huge reason I find TDKR such an enjoyable experience.

 

More than just a man

Redeeming Quality: It’s a conclusion for both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight

The great thing about TDKR as a conclusion to a trilogy is that it continues important plot threads from both of its predecessors. While the aftermath of Harvey Dent’s death plays heavily into the plot of TDKR  its the fact that the film doesn’t forget Batman Begins that is truly impressive. In fact Batman Begins’ story is completely integral to the one being told in the conclusion. This makes The Dark Knight Trilogy really feel like a cohesive whole, with a beginning, middle and end. As a huge fan of the first two films, I really couldn’t have expected anything more in so far as plot, than what was given by TDKR.

So there you have it, although this isn’t a bit by bit breakdown of every complaint surrounding The Dark Knight Rises, it gives you an idea of why I think the film is a worthy addition to the Nolan trilogy and Batman films in general. While I don’t suggest we should turn our brains off and ignore unrealistic events or plot holes in a film, I think we shouldn’t lose an appreciation for the things a film like TDKR gets right. We got an interesting character study of the one of the greatest superhero’s ever created, we got an awesome villain that pulls all the right aspects from his comic roots, and we got a fitting ending set up by the previous two films.

Think I’m right about the TDKR? Think I’m wrong, but you enjoyed reading? Think I should shut my stupid face and crawl back into the hole I came from? Make sure to join the discussion in the comments and let me know your opinions no matter how emotionally scarring it might be for me! Also, I’d like to continue writing a series of “In Defense of…” posts so be sure to let me know which films you think are deserving. I gave myself a bit of a layup to start since I am a fan of TDKR, but I enjoy playing devil’s advocate so eventually I hope to take on the challenge of finding redeeming qualities of films that I have criticized in the past. I also plan to post on a variety of topics so let me know what things you guys would like discussed. You can also read my blog on http://www.ign.com/averageadam or you can hit me up on twitter @AverageAdam88. Thanks and be sure to check in on the next post!

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