i was at a 3am screening earlier this morning (Thursday 19th over here). 17hrs later and it's still WITH me. like most ppl i'm glad this 3rd flick almost flawlessly rights a few of the wrongs that were present in the previous 2 flicks: less hammy dialogue b/w non-essential characters or random cops, fight scenes you can actually see and FEEL clearly blow for blow (every HIT by Bane was bone crunching), callbacks to Bruce's underlying neverending pain and managing to remind us the simple tragedy of it all, the ability to illicit tears on more than one occasion & inject some heart back within the wanton carnage, the inclusion of all the main players that have appeared throughout all 3 flicks (Scarecrow being the main constant).

SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT (it sez spoilers on the topic now anyways but still just in case)...



















I FUCKING CALLED THE INCLUSION OF TALIA. back in Jan 2011 when everyone was speculating who the then-unknown 2nd female lead character would be: http://confessionsofacurlymind.com/2011/01/20/anne-hathaway-as-catwomanselina-kyle-tom-hardy-as-bane-1-unknown-female-lead-in-nolans-3rd-batflick-the-dark-knight-rises. and the only reason i leaned toward Talia so heavily is cos it made perfect sense. i actually had NO idea they would even think about going with that idea until the reveal came late in the flick, but even before that, when she was still solidly Miranda Tate, just from the way she spoke and her inflection/accent, reminded me a LOT of B:TAS Talia's voice. she was mostly portrayed with that kind of voice in the 'toondom n that just rang alarm bells in my head. it wasn't any of her actions that gave away her presence to me, it was her voice and the way Cotillard played it. however a key scene to sussing her out would be the conversation she has with Bruce at the benefit (near the beginning of the film i believe when Bruce has just come back from seclusion). my only regret would be that she had to perish. in the toon series she was always a rather complex character, u never knew if she would kiss or kill Bruce at any given moment. same kinda dynamic as Selina but a LOT more unpredictable. i honestly think she should've at least made a getaway.

what to say bout Hathaway, she's gonna shut up a lot of doubters with her performance. the film never overindulged in a Catwoman fetish which was nice, she got just the right amount of screentime, and in an EPIC move, saves Batman's life from his most vicious foe to date. yes it woulda been naice to see Bats defeat Bane for good, but as someone pointed out, he was never going to end his life (even if he did give him "permission to die"). i was THOROUGHLY satisfied with the two main Bats vs Bane fist fights we got. they were BRUTAL. it was actually quite disturbing seeing such a sturdy resourceful figure being reduced to someone else's bitch like that. even Bane's mercs were horrified at how viciously he beat him down.

not sure how much this "no gun" thing was properly adhered to, considering that Bats/Bruce fires missiles and explosive projectiles all the damn time. there have had to be SOME casualties from all those explosions he directly caused. n if he's shooting from guns mounted on his flying Bat (if u thought the Tumbler would never be outdone, holy crap), doesn't that still count? but i guess the main point is that even when he shoots, he will never shoot to kill.

as per my blog poast from last year, Talia was an essential inclusion in order to bring everything full circle and focus in on one major plot point from Batman Begins: the "sacking" of Gotham City. the cameo by Liam Neeson as Ra's (i wish they coulda got the proper pronunciation cos sayin "Raaz" just never worked for me, it was always "Raysh", but whatever) was great, impactful and further solidified the ties b/w all 3 films. it served to unify everything and show just how bad it CAN get when no one is responsible for their actions and when a society galvanises itself based on a massive lie. however those just end up being personal demons, Bane & his mercs and The League Of Shadows always had a higher moral ground to stand on if u really think about it. Gotham was a cesspool, even during the so-called 'peace time'. "Gotham should be allowed to die" was the mantra in the 1st film, and it was justified by showing that the city was corruptable on every concievable level.

BANE. a lot of people are gonna be sticking to their TDK guns and will not allow themselves to even think the THOUGHT that Tom Hardy nailed this role, and presented a villain that (in some ppls eyes, possibly mine lol) topped Heath's Joker. i mean, Joker's omnipresence was one thing, but Bane was pure BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA. the dude blew Gotham half to hell and was ready to absolutely annihilate it shortly after. even with Joker's anarchist leanings, even HE wouldn't like to see the entire city nuked. Gotham is his playground, Batman's his 'other', his 'opposite'. complete and utter destruction was never on the cards for him (pun intended). but Bane is..just...one of the toughest sunuvabitches ever (with awesome taste in coats). i was never up on his comic origins so i always followed the toon versions, and Venom was always present. i thought that went hand-in-hand with his character, but the Bane i got in TDKR was so much MORE. i mean even in the toon he was a cool calculating kinda dude, but the film gave me a reason to actually care about him and how tough HIS life was, even if it was momentary (his tears & the look in his eyes when Talia is revealed and knifes Bruce, & we briefly see his backstory (and the one and only time Tom Hardy's face is actually seen). actually thats worth some props right there, fact that Hardy was able to convey everything Bane was about and not need more than his fists and his eyeballs to do so. SO, fanboys will cry and be upset at folks even SUGGESTING this but...Bane could might be the greatest villain portrayed in the Nolan Batverse. that's on his character alone. i spose the REAL debate is guna come down to Heath vs Hardy. THATS too fucking tough to call.

Michael Caine. everyone's saying Oscor noms but i might not go that far with it. he was an integral piece and brought some much needed emotional weight to things, but he was dangerously close to repeating that somewhat iffy "bandit in Burma" story from TDK, which always felt a little...i dunno, shoved in there. didn't feel essential, and a was a bit awkward. of course in TDK it was there to make a very quick clear comparison to what the Joker was all about at his core. but luckily here the scenario of the cafe and his whimsy worked for me. and it drove home the point that Alfred is as close to a father that Bruce has and will EVER have, and he emotes like one. perhaps it's that love that won Bruce over in the end, rigging the autopilot and escaping his life. BOTH of them.

i know once the reviews die down the knives will come out, as they always do, and the film will be more thoroughly scrutinised and picked apart. however as the 3rd in a trilogy, it ranks as one of the better conclusions to a film series in recent memory. and one of THE greatest Batflicks ever put to screen. the sheer scale of everything was jaw-dropping to say the least (spesh on the 3rd largest screen in the world, which is what the Melbourne IMAX boasts). again i say, this film DESERVES to be seen and heard in the IMAX format. all too often for as long as i can remember, the regular theatre experience has been lacking something. and that's VOLUME. regular theatres stopped jacking the sound up sometime in the late 90s. i used to remember going to movies and being just INUNDATED with sound. the speakers are there so might as well USE them. but these days, not so much. i feel like it's always at half the volume it should be. with IMAX tho, no such qualms. i was audiovisially ASSAULTED and it felt fucking awesome lol.

and just to get this shit outta the way cos it's guna be inevitable (even if it is pointless), but right now TDKR >>> Avengers. and if y'all know how much of a Joss nutjob i am, then u know to take me seriously.

going back again on Sunday n seeing it at a regular spot as part of my friends bday celebrations (TDKR then beers). and i honestly can't wait.

V.