(d32123 is a Marxist.)
Although the climax of the film reveals a much better side to Bane (he protected the young Talia al-Ghul from other inmates in the prison and as a result, was left disfigured and in constant pain), the film would be more interesting if it turns out Bane really did believe in his revolutionary rhetoric and was only using the threat of the fusion bomb to prevent the military from invading Gotham and crushing his little commune. Meanwhile, it's Talia al-Ghul who wants to destroy Gotham regardless, to finish the work her father Ras al-Ghul began in Batman Begins. Bane isn't interested in this, being both a sincere revolutionary and having been cast out of the League of Shadows by Ras as a constant reminder of his failure to protect his wife, Talia's mother.
To leave some grayness for Talia (rather than making her an ingrate willing to kill the man who protected her in prison), perhaps she plans to save Bane, the League of Shadows loyalists, and the genuinely-revolutionary Gotham residents (presumably as a favor to Bane) rather than simply killing everybody and herself. The only idea I've got to make this happen is perhaps letting it "slip" that the bomb no longer works, prompting the military forces outside Gotham to invade. She then persuades Bane and friends that all is lost and they need to get out of there. Then once they're a safe distance away, blow up Gotham, wiping out the soldiers and most of the city's residents.
At least that's the plan. I imagine Batman would have something to say about that. :D
Also, having the military invade Gotham would be better than having a bunch of police who've been trapped underground for five months Zerg-rushing Bane's goons without any tactical sense whatsoever. If Talia, Bane, and their loyalists are fleeing via some secret tunnel, that might also explain how Batman was able to sneak back into Gotham unnoticed.
Another change, if a minor one, is to change the Bane mask from the one used in the movie to the one used in the comics. While it may seem like a minor cosmetic change, it allows one drastic improvement in the movie: Tom Hardy can speak naturally, as opposed to the Darth Vader by ways of Sean Connery we got.
ReplyDeleteI didn't review "The Dark Knight Rises" because I got there kind of late and was sitting in the front of an IMAX theater and didn't think I could give an objective review, but yes, the Bane mask was a problem.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering why you didn't post a review. What did you think though?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'd say you didn't miss much. I was entirely unimpressed.
It was a good movie (mostly), but given how I was having to repeatedly look from side to side to actually see what was happening and ended up with a headache, I didn't enjoy the experience as much as I might have if I'd gotten there five minutes earlier and gotten a better seat.
ReplyDeleteI say "mostly" because I think Bane's "trap the police" gambit was overly successful and making a fusion reactor into a bomb strikes me as, well, scientifically wrong. Plus I couldn't understand Bane at times.
I did like Catwoman though, and not just because Anne Hathaway is attractive.