Pit/Gotham Under Siege

[BatmanFurst]

Really hate to add to pile of negativity surrounding this film, it feels like I'm beating a dead horse at this point. Let me start by saying that I like/love Nolan's trilogy. Begins is pretty good, The Dark Knight is my favorite comic book film, and Rises....it really depends on the day. A big problem for me with Rises is the whole section where Bruce is stuck in the pit, and the story keeps jumping back and forth between that and Gotham under Bane's rule. For some reason this part of the film is where I start to lose interest and get a little bored. I think part of that is due to the fact that the story of Gotham under siege isn't going to progress until Bruce gets out of the pit. So we're just waiting for him to get out so the plot can continue. Not to mention that this section brings up the biggest plot hole of the trilogy which is how did Bruce get back to Gotham? For me there's a lot to like about this film, but it's uneven.

[thecolorsblend]

The bit with Bruce in the pit takes a lot of abuse. What's weird is realizing it's only like twenty or so minutes of the film. There was a long first act and a semi-long third act. The second act is probably the shortest of them but it feels the longest. I put that down to the multiple story threads going on which eat up a lot of the second act's run time. All those story threads are necessary to the movie but the way they're combined make the second act feel longer than it actually is.

[The Dark Knight]

I think part of that is due to the fact that the story of Gotham under siege isn't going to progress until Bruce gets out of the pit. So we're just waiting for him to get out so the plot can continue. Not to mention that this section brings up the biggest plot hole of the trilogy which is how did Bruce get back to Gotham? For me there's a lot to like about this film, but it's uneven.

You're quite right. The first half of Rises is quite enjoyable. It's when Bruce is thrown in jail that it gets bogged down. Bruce in prison should've been focused on a whole lot more, in my opinion. They built up the threat in Gotham to such an extent Bruce was sidelined. His screen time was so minimal in comparison to the Gotham City situation that it feels like a waste of Bale in his last film, and that even goes for Hathaway. A scene of Bruce entering a heavily fortified Gotham by walking across the ice, climbing under a military vehicle to bypass checkpoints, and reaching a secret base, would've been cinematic gold. I would've taken that over more Blake, Foley and Miranda Tate. But the film is the film.

[BatmanFurst]

The bit with Bruce in the pit takes a lot of abuse. What's weird is realizing it's only like twenty or so minutes of the film. There was a long first act and a semi-long third act. The second act is probably the shortest of them but it feels the longest. I put that down to the multiple story threads going on which eat up a lot of the second act's run time. All those story threads are necessary to the movie but the way they're combined make the second act feel longer than it actually is.

True, and the way it addresses time is very poor. I didn't even realize 4+ months had passed until I read it in an article online. I think Nolan was trying to convey the progression of time visually, but it's just hard to get that across in 15-20 minutes.

[BatmanFurst]

I think part of that is due to the fact that the story of Gotham under siege isn't going to progress until Bruce gets out of the pit. So we're just waiting for him to get out so the plot can continue. Not to mention that this section brings up the biggest plot hole of the trilogy which is how did Bruce get back to Gotham? For me there's a lot to like about this film, but it's uneven.

You're quite right. The first half of Rises is quite enjoyable. It's when Bruce is thrown in jail that it gets bogged down. Bruce in prison should've been focused on a whole lot more, in my opinion. They built up the threat in Gotham to such an extent Bruce was sidelined. His screen time was so minimal in comparison to the Gotham City situation that it feels like a waste of Bale in his last film, and that even goes for Hathaway. A scene of Bruce entering a heavily fortified Gotham by walking across the ice, climbing under a military vehicle to bypass checkpoints, and reaching a secret base, would've been cinematic gold. I would've taken that over more Blake, Foley and Miranda Tate. But the film is the film.

If it were up to me I'd cut out Foley/Talia completely. That way you're allowed to expand on certain story threads instead of glossing over them.

I also agree about omitting a scene of Bruce getting back into Gotham. What's puzzling to me is that it feels like the film is setting up these Impossible odds of getting into Gotham just so that we can see how Bruce is going to overcome them. I remember Nolan saying that his original cut was 4 hours, I'm assuming Bruce getting back to Gotham was one of the things that got cut because it's a glaring issue.

[The Dark Knight]

I also agree about omitting a scene of Bruce getting back into Gotham. What's puzzling to me is that it feels like the film is setting up these Impossible odds of getting into Gotham just so that we can see how Bruce is going to overcome them. I remember Nolan saying that his original cut was 4 hours, I'm assuming Bruce getting back to Gotham was one of the things that got cut because it's a glaring issue.

I remember seeing the film for the first time, specifically the scene of Batman and Blake fighting off the goons. I thought to myself, 'this film is nearly over, the last act is coming, and the middle was missing all of this Batman/Bruce content.' It felt like something had been stolen from me. I do think if the Foley, Tate stuff was cut down considerably that feeling would be reduced. Even the final fight with Bane (which I do enjoy for the most part) was cross cutting to Gordon, and later to Blake on the bridge quite regularly. After waiting for Batman to finally return, I didn't want to see much more of those people. Blake on the bridge being a prime example. Show him on the bridge - fine, but it didn't need to be padded out so much.

[BatmanFurst]

I also agree about omitting a scene of Bruce getting back into Gotham. What's puzzling to me is that it feels like the film is setting up these Impossible odds of getting into Gotham just so that we can see how Bruce is going to overcome them. I remember Nolan saying that his original cut was 4 hours, I'm assuming Bruce getting back to Gotham was one of the things that got cut because it's a glaring issue.

I remember seeing the film for the first time, specifically the scene of Batman and Blake fighting off the goons. I thought to myself, 'this film is nearly over, the last act is coming, and the middle was missing all of this Batman/Bruce content.' It felt like something had been stolen from me. I do think if the Foley, Tate stuff was cut down considerably that feeling would be reduced. Even the final fight with Bane (which I do enjoy for the most part) was cross cutting to Gordon, and later to Blake on the bridge quite regularly. After waiting for Batman to finally return, I didn't want to see much more of those people. Blake on the bridge being a prime example. Show him on the bridge - fine, but it didn't need to be padded out so much.

The cross cutting is just a Nolanism if you will. It's in The Dark Knight, Prestiege, Interstellar, Inception, etc... However, I do agree that some of the things he's cutting to in Rises sometimes kill the momentum/pacing like Blake trying to evacuate the citizens across the bridge.

[The Dark Knight]

The siege in Rises and Hardy's Bane keep me coming back to the movie, especially as it's extremely relevant to the current day. Everyone locked up in their homes due to fear, but continuing that hermit cycle equals the eventual destruction of the city regardless.

It only ends when people say it ends, but getting to the point of open rebellion is a slow and dangerous process. If someone puts their head up it'll be shot off. And when the rebellion happens it's almost too late, with a lot of the damage already having been inflicted.

I still think the Batman fightback could have been expanded upon. But I can't fault Bane's build-up. Nolan was wise to go with strict control after the chaos on the streets angle in TDK.