The Dark Knight Rises: Review (Spoilers)

As I'm sure you all know by now "The Dark Knight Rises" has officially hit theaters everywhere, and has broken the record for highest grossing 2D movie. In this review there's going to be many references to the previous two films, and how they all tie together as well as how well the movie stands on its own.

Let me start by saying that "The Dark Knight Rises" is just a solid film in general, let alone Batman film. Christopher Nolan's take on the character has been so refreshing over the last three movies (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) that it's hard to believe his time with the franchise is finally over. This fact makes this movie such a bittersweet affair.

Throughout the movie there are many references to the previous films that help put this one in perspective. For example, if you remember from "The Dark Knight" Batman takes the blame for killing Harvey Dent/Two Face and becomes the police forces biggest threat. Also, James Gordon is promoted to commissioner at the end of "The Dark Knight" for capturing the Joker. This movie takes place eight years after those events at the end  of that movie, and Batman doesn't exist anymore. Nobody in Gotham has heard from him or seen in those eight years, and Harvey Dent is still praised as a hero, and for once Gotham is a relatively crime  free city.

"I'm Gotham's reckoning."

Enter Bane (Tom Hardy). We see him at the very start of the movie in a very exciting, and well done set piece involving airplanes but I won't spoil it. The point is Nolan introduces Bane early because he wants you to think about this villain, think about what he's capable of, as well as think about what this whole scene means. It's very much like the bank robbery scene from the beginning of "The Dark Knight". From here we discover what has been going on in these eight years, and meet Catwoman played by Ann Hathaway.

For me Ann Hathaway stole the show. I was very skeptical about her Selina Kyle but it was spot on, and felt a lot like the Catwoman that Brubaker and Darwyne Cooke made popular. Another important character is Miranda, and she plays a bigger role than expected, but I secretly knew who she was all along.

"The Dark Knight Rises" has some beautiful cinematography, especially in the Bane-Batman encounters; however I will admit their final showdown is a little bit of a letdown. Bane is unique in the fact that he seems crazy, but in a different way than the Joker. The Joker seemed out of control, just wanted to create chaos. "Some people just want to see the world burn", Alfred says in The Dark Knight, and that's a perfect explanation of the Joker. Bane on the other hand seems more calculated, he has a plan; understands the bigger picture, and will do anything to achieve his end goal. Combined with the fact that he is highly trained, and has brute strength it just makes him more terrifying.

Now, Batman Begins is the movie that really has roots in THIS movie mainly because the League of Shadows is heavily involved, and we didn't even hear from them once in The Dark Knight. Bane has ties to them, and so does Bruce so it makes their conflicts personal, not to mention the fact that the Leagues goals were to destroy Gotham City. It's safe to say they haven't changed.

The story has some plot holes, but they seem pretty easy to get past mainly because some of the set pieces and emotional moments in the movie are so well done. This is only enhanced by the fact that all of the cast is terrific actors that really pull their weight. The addition of Joseph Gordon Levitt's detective John Blake adds a fresh new face, and key character that has a profound effect on the way everything plays out. Tom Hardy is incredible as Bane, and my only complaint is that his voice is a little weird, but I found the more times I saw the movie the more I enjoyed the sillyness/terror that it portrayed. Then throw in Christian Bale's performance which is really getting looked over because of Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway. Bale and Hathaway have a chemistry that just works so well on screen, and it doesn't matter if they are in or out of the costumes. Every moment they have on screen together is a good one, and you'll want more the second it cuts to a new scene.

All that said, I still find myself enjoying The Dark Knight more then The Dark Knight Rises. There's something about The Dark Knight that evokes this certain feeling in me every single time I watch it. I know what's going to happen, I know the outcome but I still get excited, shocked, or sad no matter how many times I see it. I've seen The Dark Knight Rises three times, and found myself enjoying it more each time, and like I said the movie is a great experience. It definitely feels like a conclusion to a terrific trilogy, and I have to add that for me it is the most satisfying end to a movie trilogy in a very long time. The Dark Knight just has "it". It's almost everything I've wanted a Batman movie to be, and The Dark Knight Rises just doesn't overcome that.

Still go see the movie; enjoy it, and see it multiple times even. It's definitely worth it.

TOP 5: Most Anticipated

Today I'm going to be doing the top five most anticipated forms of entertainment coming this year. So lets get right to it shall we?

1: Captain America: The First Avenger: For me this is a no brainer because I'm a huge Cap fan. The fact that it took this long for him to get a summer blockbuster is pretty surprising to me, especially with the sucess Iron Man, and Spider Man had. However with the plan that Marvel has layed out with all the films coinciding, and leading up to a big screen Avengers movie I cant complain. The film also looks like it is going to be at the top of the list for Marvel movies; second only to X-Men: First Class (which was phenomenal).  From the trailers alone I'm sold that this is going to be my movie of the Summer, even over X-Men: First Class just because I am that much of a Captain America fan. It's got the action, the romance, and the setting to make it one of the best superhero movies to date. We will find out soon. The movie hits theaters July, 22nd.

Side Note: My X-Men: First Class review isn't posted because I am waiting for the Blu-Ray release. I've seen the movie multiple times, and can't wait to see it again; the reason I'm deciding to wait is because I want to watch the movie alone, in the comfort of my home, so I can really pore into every detail.

2: Fear Itself By Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen: This huge crossover Marvel comics event has already started, but that doesn't stop it from being on the most anticipated list. We are already four issues in but from reading the story you get the sense that everything can only get bigger, badder, and worse from here. The story involves a lost Asguardian God know as the Serpent, and his Worthy. The Serpent is the God of Fear, and he sends the world into pure chaos by controlling the fear emotion. He also sends hammers; much like Thor's; down from the sky. They land all over the world and only the Worthy can pick them up and wield them. This could be anybody in the Marvel Universe, and it enhances their powers, as well as gives them godlike power. This is all started because the Red Skull's daughter Sin grabs an ancient unmovable hammer and seizes control of it.
Its been a great read so far, and one thing is for sure; you wont want to miss this.

3: Flashpoint by Geoff Johns, and Andy Kubert: This is another very exciting comic that has already started to release but is far from over. It started out very interesting, and has slowly become more and more mysterious. Within Flashpoint the whole DC Universe is completely different from what we know. Everything has changed, the Justice League never existed, and neither have any of the heroes of the universe that we know and love. Instead, the villains exist in their place, and an interesting twist has been added to some longtime favorites such as Batman, Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, and pretty much any other hero that you can think of. This limited series by DC Universe is three issues shorter than Fear Itself  but the tie in comics are much more interesting. There is a new mini tie in series for every key character in the plot of the story. This helps you get a behind the scenes look at what happened to some of the characters, and how this strange, new world ticks. Keep your eye on this one because Geoff Johns never disappoints, plus Andy Kubert's art has been phenomenal so far.

4: DC Comics New 52: A couple months ago DC Comics announced that in September they would start their New 52. This is a very shocking, and interesting idea of starting their books back at number 1. Almost every single book in the DC roster is getting a reboot with a fresh new number 1, and new creative teams behind them. A huge standout for me is Geoff Johns and Jim Lee working on Justice League of America. To read a little bit more about the creative teams behind some of the new series click here: "http://theweeklywatcher.blogspot.com/2011/07/dc-new-52-hardcover-collection.html?spref=bl">The

Green Lantern, Batman, Teen Titans, Green Arrow, Green Lantern Corps are all getting new number 1's as well as an interesting new title called the New Guardians staring Kyle Rayner. Also Jonah Hex fans out there might like to know that he will be stationed in Gotham now, but in his same trademark time period.

5: It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia: I'm a huge fan of this show, and it has only gotten better over the years. If FX is smart they will keep this show running for as long as possible. Season six will be released on Blu-ray in late August or early September, and season seven is scheduled to air in September as well. Word is that this season is going to be one of their funniest, and raunchiest yet, and if you are a fan of the series you know that this is a good thing. There are many shows that are fighting to survive in the comedy market, and by far Sunny is the best.

Another quick note I would like to add is that FX is also working on the Powers series and are currently shooting now. Powers is based off of the comic series of the same name written by Brian Michael Bendis, and ilustrated by Michael Avon Oeming.

A graphic novel cover is shown below:

Well that does it for this issue of TOP 5. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and make sure you subscribe to the blog and my youtube channel XTheWatchmanX for video reactions to all sorts of things, as well as other videos. It's also easy to subscribe to the blog just click the subscribe in the top right corner, and click join the site in the bottom right hand corner to be more active in the posting process 

Green Lantern: Brightest Day, or Blackest Night? [Review]

I'm a little behind on this review I know, but better late than never. I would like to start off by saying that I'm a big Green Lantern fan and I had high hopes for this film. Sadly, the movie fell a little short for me.

The plot is as follows: The Entity of Fear gets loose, and begins to plan, and exact its revenge on the Green Lantern Corps. From there we meet Hal Jordan, and his past with his father, and the rest of his family. We then learn about his badboy esque attitude and how he doesn't do well with authority. He is then thrust into this unknown world when an alien spaceship crash lands in the same location Hal chooses to blow off some steem. The ship contains Abin Sur (who we learn about prior to this, as well as his relationship with Sinestro) who Hal feels obligated to help even though he doesn't even know him. From here Hal gets the ring, and the government takes control of Abin Sur's body. This is when we meet Hector Hammond, and the role he plays for the future of the film. Carol Ferris is also introduced along the way, and I'll get to her later. Trust me. In the end Hal is the only defense for Earth against Paralax who plans on using the Earth to send a message to the galaxy, and the Guardians.

First of all, the acting for the most part is sub-par. Ryan Reynolds did a good job as Hal Jordan, he was actually one of my favorite parts of the film outside of the special effects. I felt like he did a good job capturing the character; even though there was some unecessary humor thrown into the movie. Blake Lively plays Carol Ferris, and I didn't enjoy her in that role at all. She is very flat, and unconvincing. Carol is a very strong, empowered woman in the comic books. This is the woman that is supposed to become Star Saphire, and even though she loves, and cares for Hal she doesn't put up with his crap. I feel that if they try to incorporate Carol Ferris into future films within this franchise they will have to re-cast. Peter Sarsgaard plays Hector Hammond, and he was very creepy at times, whereas other times I felt like he was trying to hard. Plus I didn't really enjoy the addition of Hector Hammond as a secondary enemy within the film either. Mark Strong does deliver an incredible Sinestro, but we hardly ever see him which was disappointing.


                                                  Mark Strong as Sinestro

Some of the humor feels great, and I actually laughed, but other times I found myself thinking why is this happening? I wanted to see more of the Green Lantern Corps as well. We see Oa, the home planet of the Green Lantern Corps; but we only see it on a large scale a couple times. Other times we spend time with The Guardians, as they talk, and plan how they are gonna defend Oa amongst themselves and with Sinestro. Which like I said earlier we hardly ever see Sinestro, and when we do he is just talking to somebody. Fanboys know that he was once the greatest Green Lantern of them all, and they even say this in the movie but they do nothing to show it. He spars with Hal one time when Hal first arrives on Oa, and I really enjoyed this scene just wished it was longer. It was good to see Kilowog, Tomar Re, and some of the other Corpsmen come to life on the big screen, but that's about all that you get. They all only have a couple scenes, and you can tell half way through that this is going to be the Hal Jordan show. I didn't mind that so much because that is what I came in expecting. From the trailers they showed, I thought they were going to focus on Oa and the other Lanters a little more than they did.

Green Lantern WonderCon footage

The Special Effects were very eye-popping, and I thoroughly enjoyed those. Seeing the suits, and constructs was a lifelong fanboy dream I have had. I wish there would have been more fighting/action scenes involving the constructs because they were one of the highlights of this film. They could have cut out some unnecessary scenes to make room for longer action sequences, or more scenes on Oa. There are some unneeded comedy bits, as well as a scene involving Hal's brothers that doesn't feels like it belongs in the movie. There are other scenes that feel the same way; out of place, and unwanted. Which is bad, because they make this movie feel too long. The films running time is around a hour and 45 minutes, so you shouldn't be feeling like you have been sitting there for too long. The story takes a while to finally get into the juicy development cycle, and when it does the closing fight sequence seems like it is too short.

The Green Lantern comics have such a rich universe, and multiple stories, and characters that people really care for, and it doesn't feel like the same care was put into this movie. With all of the great stories that Geoff Johns has produced involving Green Lantern I expected something on par, but maybe my hopes were to high? The story starts to feel like it is being dumbed down for the casual audience to understand, and that would be a mistake by the writers if true.

                                                       Beware My Power...

I know that it might seem like I didn't enjoy the movie at all, but I did. I just feel like it should have been organized better. Once again, Ryan Reynolds, and Mark Strong were great. As well as all of the scenes on Oa, and the special effects (especially the constructs). The plot could have been better, but I'm sure a lot of people will just say its what they expected from a comic book movie; but with the quality that is being put into other comic book movies these days I expected more. I have seen the movie twice, and I didn't really find myself enjoying it more the second time around, but I didn't dislike it as much as I did the first time I saw it. To be clear, this is a movie that I will most likely purchase on Blu-ray so that I can watch it more, and pick out bits and pieces of things that I missed. Honestly, the special effects make it worth owning for me, but thats just my opinion. My verdict for you all is to wait for it to come out on Blu-ray and watch it then if you're still curious. If you're a hardcore comic fan like me, and have been excited for this movie since it was announced then you have probably already seen it. If you're still on the fence; wait until the Blu-ray comes out, who knows it may have special features or an extended cut that make it a must buy.

One more thing that I forgot is that there is a scene that appears right in the middle of the credits with Sinestro that is quite exciting, and sets up some excellent possibilities for a sequel.

DC: The New 52 Hardcover Collection Announced

DC Comics announced today that they plan to release a hardcover graphic novel on December 7th that will collect all 52 #1's from the companies previously announced series re-boots. Rumor is that it will be 1216 pages long, but no details have been announced if it will include any bonus material from any of the series creators.

The books is going to feature the work of Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Scott Snyder, Grant Morrison, Rags Morales, Doug Mahnke, Yanick Paquette, and many others.

The question now is whether you will decide to buy each individual comic when it comes out, or wait for the big hardcover collection when it becomes available? Or possibly both?

The Dark Knight Rises First Official Images

I decided to post the first OFFICIAL images from The Dark Knight Rises while I wait for a high quality version of the trailer. I know all of you have probably already seen them but just humor me..or something.


Tom Hardy is looking like a beast as Bane so far


This is the first poster that has come out to advertise the movie


And just to be clear, any other image that you see is fake, or a really good fan re-creation. These are the only two pictures we have recieved outside of the trailer that just landed

The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Trailer [UPDATE] 7/18/11

So, I'm a little late to the posting parade that happened a couple days ago when this trailer first leaked, but I waited to see how many of the videos were going to get pulled down before I decided to do any posting. Turns out that all the good quality vids are gone so I'm posting a kind of decent one but I guess I'll let you guys be the judge of that. I also thought I would post a couple just so you could see different qualities, and I will for sure post the official Warner Bros realeased version when it becomes available which I imagine will be no later then Monday.

[UPDATE]: The official version of the trailer is here, and you can finally see and hear everything as if you were watching it in the theater. Look for it below where the other two videos used to be.

A couple key points to look for: Gordon in the hospital bed (pay close attention to the conversation)
-They flash a close up of Bane really fast, and you can see his mask and bald head.
-I'm gonna leave the last little bit a secret and all I'm gonna say is pay attention to the end

This teaser is probably going to be showing before a lot of movies releasing in the theaters in the future, and though there isn't a lot of new footage I'm incredibly excited. I saw it in the theater, and it looked much better, especially with the booming audio. Either way let me know what you think. The scene at the end with Batman backing away from Bane is pretty intense, and I think they will probably have the best PHYSICAL, not PSCHOLOGICAL, but PHYSICAL fight out of all three of Nolan's Batman movies. 

TOP 5: Most Disappointing

Hello all, this is the start of a new segment that I'm going to be doing about the Top 5 things in various categories I chose. Sometimes it could be very vague (like now) or very specific depending on what mood I'm in, or I feel like judging in a top 5 format. Plus if you ever decide to read I'm willing to take any suggestions about what you guys and gals want to see as well. Without further adue lets get started.

TOP 5: Most Disappointing: We are halfway through 2011 so I felt it appropriate that I begin to list my most disappointing, most surprising, and overall best entertainment so far this year. Now, entertainment can include anything from books, comic books, movies, music, and video games.

1: Green Lantern: This movie was disappointing to me because I'm a huge Green Lantern fan, and I had such high hopes for the movie, especially after seeing all the exciting pictures and trailers that were released beforehand. I will say that the special effects, and makeup work looked very good, and Ryan Reynolds did well as Hal Jordan, but Blake Lively is flat, and not a good Carol Ferris. Plus the movie tried to force some unecessary humor into some of the scenes and I was really looking forward to a darker, intense, drama more along the lines of Nolan's Batman films. Now just to be clear, this isn't my official review, I'm going to try to see it one more time before I post my official review of the movie as a whole. One viewing however, is more than enough for it to qualify for my most disappointing list.

2: Duke Nukem Forever: There's not much to say about this 12 year in the making disappointment. Plain and simple the game sucks so much that I couldn't even bring myself to purchase it and try to play through the whole thing even once. I canceled my pre order after playing the demo, and before you smite me down and tell me that a demo isn't a finished project I have played the real game, and the demo is pretty much the exact same as the finished project. I probably won't have a formal review for this game, but I am writing a formal Unrecommend post talking about all the things that made me so upset I canceled my pre order, and have almost lost faith in Duke...

3: The Hangover Part II: Don't see this movie. It isn't good. No matter what your friends tell you it isn't good. It is a direct re-hash of the first movie just in a different setting. Everything pretty much happens the same, and in the same order. Outside of a couple genuinely funny parts. There is nothing worth spending money to see in this sequel. I will also will be writing a review for this movie when I get a chance as well. I'm very behind and I know. Life has been pretty busy lately, and the blog has suffered because of it, but I'm working hard in the free time to catch up.

4: IDW Comics Infestation: Zombies, and Vampires are both very popular right now, and this story features both. Automatically makes it awesome right?! Wrong. Personally I was really looking forward to this story, especially since it crossed over into IDW's other comics such as Ghostbusters, GI Joe, Star Trek, and Transformers. The main story ended up being very lacking, and the actual standouts of this series were the Transformers, Ghostbusters, and Star Trek tie ins. All in all, if you missed this comic series this year, you didn't miss much. If you want to read more about what I thought of it personally just check the Infestation Blog Post on the main page.

5: Camelot: Starz's new original series Camelot started a couple months ago and I was eager to watch the first couple episodes. I slowly began to conclude as the season pressed on that the actor cast to play King Arthur is a whiny bitch and the show turned out to be something that I didn't expect. Action is sprinkled throughout, and it has ocassionaly been good but for the most part I felt that the series has just been lacking overall. I don't feel any emotion for any of the characters except for the young Arthur that makes me want to physically hurt him evey time he steps on screen. When I don't care if the main character lives or dies in a fantasy epic, well then we've got a problem. Also, the show started around the same time that HBO launched it's new original series Game of Thrones; which is based off on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice novels. I have enjoyed this series much more than Camelot and will be writing more about it soon.

Brightest Day #23

Ok so can we talk Brightest Day for a second? I mean wow! This last issue was tremendous, and loaded to the brim with reveals. This is what it has all been leading up to, this is why we have been reading so faithfully for the last year. If you haven't been reading Brightest Day I suggest that you pick it up. Its truly a great story, and is supposed to lead into Flashpoint (as far as I know).
Ok so I'm gonna keep the remainder of the post spoiler free as well. I hate spoilers and I don't wanna ruin anything for anyone who reads this but hasn't picked up the issue yet. However, people commenting on what's going on and sharing their opinions might not be spoiler free so just be warry.
On to my review....
If you haven't guessed yet I loved this issue. Geoff Johns' storytelling really shines through and kudos to the various artists of the book for making destruction look bright and beautiful. There's only 1 or 2 issues remaining and I get the feeling that the reveals are far from over. Some very, and I mean VERY unexpected characters make an appearance as well and I literally hate the fact that I have to wait another 2 weeks for this book (thank god its not a month!)
The only gripe I think some people might have is that there might be too much going on. There has been 23 issues now, and this one stands out as one of the biggest ones to date. This issue also helps you understand why everything has been happening, and that White Lantern keeps promising its for a greater good.
In all, I think I'm going to make this book my pick of the week. This week was a relatively small week for me however as I can't afford to buy every book that comes out. Fear Itself by Fraction, and Immonen is a very close second because that book showed a lot of promise and is a great way to start a miniseries.
ALSO, please, PLEASE add Avengers the Childrens Crusade to your pull list. Its a great book and doesn't deserve to go unnoticed