Yet again, I'm on the outside...

Rating: 6/10 (20 July 2012)

I always feel like I am missing something whenever the latest BEST COMIK FILM EVAR comes along. The release of TDKR (and resulting mob mentality) is just the latest example.
I enjoy Batman Begins, largely because it has quite a lot of variety in what's shown on screen. The origin story is presented nicely without dragging on. I also think they did a good job with Scarecrow and his trippy brand of terrorism.
TDK was a bit of a fork in the road for me. Most people I know loved it, while I found it sloppy, pretentious, vaguely neocon, and quite ridiculous where technology was concerned. I appreciated the amount of time given to a strong Joker, though I do feel like Ledger went a bit too hammy with all the lip smacking and other mannerisms. It should be said that I am a permanent fanboy of The Wire, so complicated plots and many characters are nothing special to me (esp when you have hundreds of millions to buy the best talent in the biz). TDK delivered a pseudo version of an intellectual comic book flick, and everyone went wild (combined with Ledger's performance).
By the time TDKR rolled around, I was expecting Nolan's muddy politics, pretentious writing, odd casting, and sterile visual style, yet I still came away disappointed. It's just so dull. I was invested for about 45 minutes, at which point I (like a certain someone's back) broke. Endless gum flapping ensues re: why people need heroes, why heroes need people, why cops need Batman, why Batman needs women, why Alfred needs Batman, etc.. For about an hour, I was praying for death. Then the obligatory urban terrorism finale begins. Great, we get to see ANOTHER NYC-esque city being threatened by bombs while being torn apart? Haven't people tired of this propaganda? All the resources in the world, and ANOTHER ticking timebomb is the best they could do? It made me sad when people applauded at the end, because it cemented the divide in our society. I see movies like TDKR as pure propaganda for our new, post-9/11 world. Why people eat it up is beyond me, and why they insist on calling it "best movie ever", "best comic book film ever", etc. is just baffling.
If you like watching people run around dusty streets and alleyways while trying to decipher a needlessly-complicated, cliché plot, sign right up. I'm sure it will be as awesome as you need it to be.
Ugh.