Movie reviews of 2012

My movie reviews of 2012

Intro: Do you think Jumpers would be better if the writers of this movie wrote that one? 

Chronicle: This is a found footage film about three boys who finds a mysterious stone that gives them telekinesis. After getting telekinesis the three boys develop a bond and we see how these powers affect their lives. When one of them takes things too far they have to decide if they are going to use their powers responsibly or not?

This movie is an example of telling a familiar story and making it feel fresh! The movie uses tropes we see in superhero movies without the characters embracing the idea of being superheroes. For example, this movie works as an origin story and a cautionary tale. What makes telekinesis work differently from what we've seen before is that it can take a toll on you, the ability is treated like a muscle. The found footage helps us see things from their point of view as they learn what they can do with this power. I like the pranks they pull with their powers. I'm fond of how these three parallel each other, they each play a role in the paths they take in life. This movie has some good messages about being there for your loved one and being honest with yourself.

Andrew is an outcast who is pushed around by most people and comes from an unstable home because of that he's hostile to almost everyone. My gripe with this character is that he loses sympathy to a degree after he gets his powers because he develops an ego and he didn't have to go as far as he did.  

Matt (Andrews's cousin) is the Average Joe who doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. He's also disingenuous I mean he acts like he's above being popular, but we see him at parties. After he gets his powers, it makes him more of a leader. What bugs me about him is that he could have done more to keep Andrew level-headed I mean does he know about what's going on with his parents? To be fair Andrew is hostile like I said.  

Steve is the popular one with personality. Despite that, he feels lonely as far as he has no one that he can be vulnerable with. I don't like what happened to him in this movie I'll leave it at that.       

The problems I have with this film involve the use of the camera, plot holes and I can’t address other issues I had without spoiling the movie. In closing, this is a movie that should have gotten more attention. 

Rating = Treasure chest

Intro: I wonder if this is what Prince meant when he said party like it's 1999. 

Project X: The plot is centered on three friends throwing a house party for one of their friends on his birthday so they can be popular and get girls. They get more than what they bargain for when the party gets out of hand. So, they have to get things under control before there's nothing left. 

If you wonder what Superbad would be like if it was a found footage film on steroids, you would get this. This movie made such an impact on people that they tried to mimic this party in real life. I thought house parties were losing their novelty because we have other alternatives like Dave and Busters, indoor Kart racing, Hooters and Mario Party. I don't have much to say about the characters because this movie is not about them it's about this party. Speaking of the party it's kind of overrated despite it being over the top, I mean it would have been better if it had more variety to it. For example, how can you have a house party without playing spin the bottle or uno? 

Despite not having much to say about Thomas (the birthday boy.) The movie got me invested in him. I mean you're both excited and scared for him at the same time. There is a subplot of who he going to hook up with Kirby his childhood friend or Alexis the hottest girl in school? 

Costa is the mastermind behind this party and he's annoying. He's that friend who tries to act cool, but he comes off as obnoxious.  

One of the problems I have with this movie is that it's hard to suspend your disbelief. For example, only one neighbor complains about all the noise that they are making. You'll find it hard to swallow that this many people would come to Thomas's party considering he's not popular. Also, how did the cameraman manage to capture everything that happen without no one noticing him? There is one scene that will make you feel uncomfortable. I also have issues with the dialogue and jokes. I wish they didn't involve sex most of the time. 

All in all, this movie is almost every teen’s dream party and every parent’s nightmare. If I was a parent, I use this movie to talk to my kids about High School popularity. It doesn’t matter in the long run, I mean it not going to get you anywhere. You can't put it on a job resume and it not going to make you a legend. It’s not worth throwing away your future or your life for kids that didn’t like you from the beginning and won’t remember you beyond amusement.

Rating = Rental 

Intro: I'm not going to make a District 9 joke that's way too easy. I didn’t want to see this movie at first because the premise turned me off to it. Not because it reminds me of the running man it's because the movie involves kids killing each other. People are not comfortable with seeing that unless their juvenile delinquencies. Really, I'm surprised that this movie was made considering that Battle Royal was banned in so many countries because that movie is similar to this. What made me change my mind about seeing it is the controversy around this movie I'll get into that later. What that said let's get into what I think of this movie.  

The Hunger Games: This film is based on a book of the same name. It's about the Capitol drafting two kids from 12 Districts to participate in the Hunger games. It's an annual event where kids between 12 and 18 fight to the death until there's one winner.    

This movie was a missed opportunity I mean it could have been better if it was rewritten. What makes this movie different from the other movie I mentioned is that this is treated as a reality show or the super bowl for the 12 Districts. In order to have a chance of winning you have to sell yourself to people in order to get sponsors. I don't know about you, but this movie puts reality shows and the WWE into perspective. Also, if you win you get to join the wealthy class. This movie has one touching scene in the film you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. I also like the way it ended I can't elaborate without spoiling anything.   

Katniss Everdeen is a noble character as we see when she volunteers to take her younger sister's place in the hunger games. She doesn't like to rely on her femininity which was shown in one scene. I didn’t buy the interaction between the two main characters, 

Peeta Mellar is a charming character with a sense of humor and knows how to camouflage. Despite that, he doesn't think highly of himself because his district doesn't think he will win. This almost makes me wish this movie was centered on him.  

Haymitch Abernathy is Katniss and Peeta's mentor. He's also a harsh drunk but he manages to show them what to do to get sponsors and how to survive the hunger games.

Rue is kind and caring. She helps Katniss through the hunger games they seem to have a big sister-little sister relationship. This character is the reason why I watched this movie because people were not happy with her for reasons that makes no scene. I hope they are embarrassed and the fact that she's too adorable to be mad at says a lot.   

The problem I have with this movie is the backstory behind the hunger games, the reason why this event exists is to keep the other Districts from rebellion. Do I really have to explain how stupid this is? I also have an issue with some of the directing it seems the director is not comfortable with showing kids killing each other. Some of the CGI doesn't look good. 

With all that said, this movie wasn't as good as it could have been. 

Rating = Average 

Intro: OK either this movie help me realize the three stooges slapstick didn't hold up or the movie didn’t do a good job at making it work. 

The three stooges: This film is centered on three Orphans name Moe, Larry and Curly who spend most of their lives at an Orphanage. That's about to change when the Orphanage is about to close due to not having enough money to keep it open. So, the trio goes out into the world to try to raise money for the Orphanage. 

It’s safe to say that this is one of the worst movies I've seen this year! That's a shame because this movie does work as a love letter. To be fair I was worried about this movie I mean what made the three stooges work is that it's a collection of shorts. How can you make that work in an hour an half movie? Also, this movie was directed by the Farrelly brothers, I didn't find any of their films amusing. 

The reason why the comedy doesn't work in this movie is because it has dramatic scenes in it and they don't mix well with the humor. The story is another thing that hurts the slapstick because it's convoluted which makes it hard for the comedy to be used. I like the idea of the three stooges in modern time but that was wasted it, I mean the film comments on what's relevant instead of using it to make us laugh. Another thing the guess stars doesn't seem to fit in the movie for the most part. 

The thing I like about this movie is what the movie has done with the three stooges. We know why they are the way they are for the most part. The actors who played Curly, Moe and Larry did a good job mimicking I mean portraying them. There is a scene in the movie that could have explored their dynamic, but the movie didn't take advantage of it. Overall, this movie was a misstep. It could have been better if this was three or five shorts that didn't tell a single story and didn't focus on the three stooges carrying the film. 

Rating = Trash

Intro: A line from the movie: Are you sure you want to go back to 1969? It wasn't the best time for your people. 

Me: Thank you for reminding me why we can't get a movie where Black people can time travel. 

Men in Black 3: An old foe of agent K escaped from prison and went back in time to kill him. Doing that cause an alien invasion so, his partner agent J has to go back in time to prevent agent K from being killed and the invasion. 

If this is the best that the writers can come up with after ten years of rewrites, then this shouldn't have been a franchise. Just because this movie is a comedy that doesn't mean writers should be lazy with the story. If they are then the movie should be funny enough to make up for the story's shortcomings, sadly that's not the case here. The jokes are not clever enough for them to work. This movie even has the nerve to joke about how Black people were treated in the 1960s. This rubbed me the wrong way because we are still being mistreated. 

There is one hiccup with how time travel works in this movie. Besides the fact that time travel makes no sense in this movie, it's also pointless because A the main villain had a chance to kill K in the present but didn't take it and b there is a character that can see the past, present and future. What the fudge!?! The big reveal in this movie annoys me because the movie makes a big deal about it and it's not that being of a deal. Plus, it undermines the first film.  

Agent K is cranky in this movie this could be due to the death of Zed. (The former head of MIB.) That can't be it because the movie made a joke about that. The reveal in the movie was suppose to explain why he's like this but that's head-scratching. 

Agent K (from the past) is the same character, but he can be amusing. What bugs me about him is the way he treats agent J, he treats him like he is an incompetent rookie. Also, this movie retconned what we thought we knew about this character. 

Agent J Is the same character as the first movie as far as playing the everyman. It makes no sense for him to be this character considering he has been doing this for years. 

"the animal" Batista I mean Boris "the animal" (the villain) is ruthless and crafty.   

The good things I can say about this movie is I like how MIB looked in the late 1960s and I did get a few laughs despite the movie being ridiculous sometimes. Overall, saying this is better than the last movie isn't saying much. You're better off watching the animated series. 

Rating = Rental         

Intro: Look fans don’t care what kind of story we come up with as long as Judge Dredd keeps his helmet on his head. 

This sums up my reaction

 

Did Hollywood forget about the 1995 movie? There was a lot wrong with that movie besides not keeping the helmet on. 

Dredd: This movie is about a street judge name judge Dredd who’s patrolling Mega City. One day he’s assigned to a rookie name Anderson to see if she’s cut out to be a judge. She gets her chance to shine when they investigate a crime that’s connected to a drug lord name Ma-Ma, worried that the judges will ruin everything she build she locks down the apartment complex to trap the judges. So, the judges have to fight their way out of the building and capture Ma-Ma.   

This movie was an action-packed version of Training Day! The story may be simple but that’s its strength because we know little about this world, we wish we know more about it. I’m impressed with the visual and 3D effects in this movie considering that this film was made on a low budget. I like the lawgiver (that’s the gun the Judges carry) because that gun has everything from armor piercing, rapid-fire, grenade, toothbrush and backscratcher. Seriously, if batman had a gun, you would get this. I enjoy the dynamic between Judge Dredd and rookie Anderson because it refreshing to have two characters have a professional relationship without them being romantically involved.  

Judge Dredd is a stoic character who values the law more than people. There isn't much to say about him beyond that because this character is an enigma. Despite him dropping bodies left in right there are a hand full of moments where he shows mercy. That's my gripe with this character I don't know why he will kill most people a spare a few. 

Rookie Anderson is the opposite of Dredd we see that by how she's taken back by all the death a destruction Dredd caused. My gripe with her is that she's a mutant with psychic powers. The writers seem to be picky about when she can or can't use them because it would have made things easy for her and Dredd. 

Ma-Ma (the main villain) is a ruthless and resourceful woman. 

Before I get into my issues with the movie, I'm not going to comment on this movie being a rip-off of the raid redemption because I have nothing new to say that's already been said. Also, this isn't the first time that two movies that are similar came out in the same year. Remember Antz and A bug's life? One of the problems I have with the movie is the story it may be the strength of the movie but it's also its weakness. I mean this movie could have been a social commentary on police having the authority to be judge, jury and executioner. Both the judges and the criminals don't care about collateral damage. Heck having a psychic as a judge should make people upset. The movie could have given us more backstory on cursed earth and mutants. It's hard to be invested in the stakes in this movie when the judge's guns makes them OP. There is one plot hole that I notice. 

Overall, this is a fine action film that I would recommend to everyone. 

Rating = Rental          

Intro: A line from the movie: All right Pxxxy willows back to the starting point. 

How did Disney get away with that? Where's the outrage? 
        

Wreck it Ralph: This movie is about a video game villain name Wreck it Ralph who's tired of his role as the bad guy after thirty years, so he decides to go to other games so that he could become a hero. his quest ends up causing more harm than good to the arcade. So, Ralph has to fix things before it's too late. 

I have been waiting for a video game movie like this for years however this fell short in some areas. I like that it's creative with the video game world. This is something that the other video game movies are missing but I digress. Animation in this movie is also creative because they look different in different scenes. The movie made references to other games and some clever lines. This movie deals with acceptance, recognition and not having people put you in a bubble. Everything that was done or said in this movie matters in the overall story. The twist in this movie is good because it affects the story and it's not used for shock value. I love the end credits and how this movie use some of its visuals to tell the story. 

Ralph is the bad guy in a game called fix it felix despite that he has a good heart. He was to be more than a villain, but his peers don't want to give him the chance and he doesn't feel respected by them. This makes you feel bad for him it's like being a co-owner of a business, but your partner reaps the benefit while you're stuck with the responsibility. My issue with him is that he could have gone about getting what he wants in a different way. 

I don't have much to say about felix because he's just an upstanding guy even with the development he got in the movie.  

Vanellope is one of the racers in sugar rush she's a clever and immature girl. The movie uses her to represent people who are disabled. I like her dynamic with Ralph because they both want the same thing. 

Calhoun is the typical overly tough sergeant, but we see that there is another reason why she's like this. What bothers me about her is her dynamic with felix because I don't buy it. Plus, there is one scene in the movie where it wasn't subtle about it. Also, she could have used more screen time.      

King Kandy is the closest thing we get to a villain because he's shady.  

One of my issues with this movie didn't have a lot of cameos of video game mascots or easter eggs as the ads said it would. The climax in this movie is pointless. Just because I don't consider this the Toy Story of video games that doesn't mean the movie doesn't deserve the praise it got. I would recommend this to gamers and non-gamers. 

Rating = Worth Seeing        

My rant about the Justice League movie

My rant about the Justice League movie

 

When I found out that DC and Warner Bros are making a Justice League movie this was my reaction. 

I react this way for a few reasons, first they're planning to release this film in 2015 the same time The Avenger 2 comes out. That's too soon besides Batman and Superman we haven't been introduced to other DC characters, we have been introduced to green lantern, but that movie didn't do well. This is a cash cow/contest thing they're not thinking about the people who don't read comic books, they're going to be confused and won't know who's who?  

The Avengers work because the standalone films was building up to that film, This movie came out of nowhere with on build-up. the Justice League isn't like X-Men or Fantastic Four where they are already a team just like The Avengers they come together. I'm not saying that Warner Bros and DC should repeat what The Avengers did as far as have the team separate come together, breakup and come together. In fact, that could work against the second Avengers movie I mean one bad movie or any mistake could ruin that process, basically Marvel can't afford to screw up. What makes the Justice League different from The Avengers is when they come together and stay together, they have no agency, they have more characters and there isn't much tension between them.

The second reason is the rumors, there are rumors that the standalone films will not connect to the Justice league film is this a joke? What's the point of introducing these characters if they're not going to be in the Justice league movie, I am starting to think that DC stands for ditch continuity. To make this worse Warner Bros is considering using The Man of Steel to set up the Justice League movie and have Mr. Levitt play Batman, What gives!?! This is what I'm taking about they're rushing this project.

 DC and Warner Bros should try to distance themselves from the previous DC films, I don't think The Man of Steel is original intended to set up the Justice League movie. Lot of people complained that it was to soon to reboot the Spider-man franchise. Warner Bros is planning to release a new Batman movie in 2015 three years after the last one was release, I'm surprised that this film isn't going to set up the Justice League movie. That's another reason why I think this is rushed if you're going to have different men play Batman and Superman we won't know which one is going to be in the justice league movie.

The final reason is that they're trying to make this movie realistic you have got to be kidding me, how can we take a movie that has aliens, an amazon, metahumans and a man that lives underwater seriously and make it realistic? This is the problem I had with the criticism of The Avengers people was comparing this movie to The Dark Knight, people stop comparing apples to oranges not every movie has to be dark and deep. You need to compare this movie to Independents Day and Transformer Dark of the Moon those films have the same plot, does anyone know how to have fun in the movie theaters anymore? Have we forgotten that these are films that are based on comic book characters that live in a universe that is far-fetched?

Just because a comic book movie has a dark and realistic tune doesn't mean they are copying a certain director style.

 In fact, there are other directors that have done this before.

                                    

                                   

                                                                                

 It's funny how history repeats itself, I mean DC broth the Justice League into the comic after The Avengers and now the Justice League movie is coming out after The Avengers movie did. DC and Warner Bros need to take their time with this movie, they need to figure out who is going to be in the League, who is going to get their individual films, and how are they going to come together as a team. Besides trying to gain the success from The Avengers I understand why DC is doing this, they haven't put out a lot of good DC films or introduced us to other DC characters. It would be a nightmare if DC lost their rights to there well know figures like Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman they are screwed if that happens. The bottom line is if this movie does come out in 2015 I am not going to watch it.      

 

My early Thoughts on Man of Steel

My early thoughts on Man of Steel

Before, I give my thoughts on this movie I want to talk about Superman because I can't talk about this movie without talking about the character. Superman may be well known to the public but he isn't loved by the general public. To the public he's overpowered, unrelatable and a flat character. I mean he does the right thing because he's a good person. Due to those things, he's considered hard to write. To the people who think he's too powerful where was this argument when it comes to Goku? Goku is one of if not the strongest characters in DBZ and people still love him. Heck, you can relate to the X-Men despite having powers so why can't Superman get that pass? 

Also, there are Justice League members that can put up a fight against him like The Flash, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. Do you think Superman can beat all three of them? If the answer is no, then what do you mean he's too powerful? Another thing if you don't think he can beat Batman you have no business saying he's overpowered. This is what happens when you don't read comic books, if you did you would have noticed that the current Superman is powered down. I mean he can't push planets with his pinky. People still complain that superman is weak because of that, people make up your minds do you want Superman to be powerful or not? To be fair I can understand why it's hard to get into Superman comics. 

I mean most of the comics I've read are either about his origin,

or alternate versions of this character.

                                                  

There are two ways writers could work around the issue of Superman being too strong. One of them is to have Superman fight cosmic characters like Despero, Mongul and Darkseid. Another way is coming up with stories about him dealing with internal conflict instead of him fighting someone. That can be hard to do if people are not willing to watch a movie like that. That's one of the many things that hurt the 2003 Hulk movie, people were expecting an action film. Another thing he has an interesting rouges galley, I mean he can't deal with them by attacking them directly. When people say Superman is hard to write what they meant by that is it's hard to tell an ongoing story with this character. That's saying a lot considering Smallville lasted ten seasons. I can't comment on that because A I didn't watch the whole series and B I didn't think that show was about Superman because of how it was promoted. 

I mean look at this does this scream Superman to you? I thought this was a horror series.

As far as Superman not being relatable first of all don't you stop and think that we're not suppose to relate to him? This is a character who lost his family, home plant, most of his culture and his earthly father. (Depending on what you read or watch.) How can we relate to someone who lost all of that? He's someone we should strive to be and fantasize about being just like any other fictional character. Do you mean to tell me you don't want Superman's powers? Despite that, there are Superman stories where we can relate to him like Superman: last son of Krypton, all-star Superman and both versions of Superman 2. 

I don't agree with people thinking Superman is a flat character because he's not naive about how the world is he just doesn't internalize it. He believes everyone has the potential to be good. (Keyword potential.) That's why he's called the man of tomorrow Clark Kent believes in Truth, Justice and the American way. He uses Superman to inspire people to live up to those values. This makes him a tragic character; I say that because he's trying to live up to and set a stander that's impossible and unfair for people to live up to all the time. Just because this character is based on Jesus Christ that doesn't mean he should be just like him. I understand what the public meant by Superman not being interesting to a point, I mean do you think a reality show can last if the cast gets along all the time? Also doing the right thing is not clear-cut. It conflicts with people's boundaries, responsibilities and being smart.  

This character does have flaws like he has a savior complex, which makes it hard for Clark to have a life outside of being Superman. This is why his earth father Po Kent died to show him that he can't save everyone. He can also be short-sighted when it comes to helping people. For example, in Superman peace on earth, he tried to solve world hunger and it backfired. Then he remembers something his father told him. If you give a man a fish he lives for a day, if you teach him how to fish he lives for a lifetime. Do you see what I mean? This is why I rarely give homeless people anything because I'm just putting a band-aid on the issue but I digress. 

Despite being an alien, he has human emotions and he struggles with them, we see that in the comics and cartoons. Plus, he has trouble relating to humans because he doesn't have to deal with most of the baggage humans deal with. Superman's kindness is also a weakness because he can be manipulated. My point is that Superman should be respected as an underdog for being a hopeful and optimistic character. You don't think doing the right thing and not abusing your power is compelling? That's what I like about this character he shows that power doesn't corrupt absolute because it has no morality. What we do with power makes it good or evil. Not every superhero has to be dark and brooding. Just because a character sounds flat on paper doesn't mean that character should come off as such. 

Before I move on to the topic at hand I want to comment on his trucks. I notice people are making fun of this character for wearing them outside of his suit. I found this odd at first but after learning the history of trucks I don't mind them and you shouldn't have an issue with them either. This is another example of ignorance is bliss. Plus, without them Superman's suit looks like a wet suit, the trucks help give it more color. You can pull this look off for both him and Batman as long as the suits don't look easy to be subjected to wear and tear.   

Now as for this movie I don't know what to think of it I mean the trailers didn't give us any info about this movie and I like that less is more, plus trailers aren't suppose to tell us about the movie the purpose of trailers is to get us interested in watching the movie. The actor that's playing Clark/Superman has some big shoes to fill and I'm not going to compare him to the late Mr. Reeve. Judging from what I've seen it looks like this movie might borrow elements from Superman Earth one, I say that because Clark doesn't know what to do with himself. There is a scene in the trailer where his earth father tells him to keep his powers a secret even if it means not helping other people, do I have to explain why this bothers me?   

I'm interested in seeing how he will become Superman despite what his earth father took him. It looks like the creators are telling Superman's origin story again the problem I have with origin stories is that they feel like time fillers, I mean they don't add anything to the story or the overall plot. I wouldn't mind seeing his origin again if it's a part of the overall story like in Batman Begins. That could be the case General Zod is the main antagonist in this film. Speaking of General Zod I was a little disappointed that he's the villain because we already had him as the villain.           
                                                 

                         I was hoping to see someone new like.                           

I wouldn't mind having General Zod as the big bad again if the writers can do more with this character he wasn't just a dictator. The people who worked on the latest Batman films are working on this film and they're giving superman a realistic universe. If you're going to put realism in a movie that has characters with superpowers, then you need a scientific explanation for those powers. You can tell dark and depth Superman stories without making the character that way. For example, you can have Superman compromise his values without losing his credibility. Despite some red flags I'm willing to give this movie a chance and I hope this movie change people's perspective on this character. 

P.S if this movie becomes a franchise, then I don't want Lex Luthor as the main villain and I don't want kryptonite in this franchise. Lex was overused in the earlier films and Superman has other weaknesses besides kryptonite. Really there are other types of kryptonite that can affect Superman both physically and mentally. I wouldn't mind seeing that because you can make a story out of that. Also, I want to see this franchise focus on other relationships Superman has with other characters besides Lois Lane. I wish that the creators would come up with a better disguise for Clerk/Superman than have him wear glasses and changing his hairstyle.

 

My spoiler review of The Dark Knight Rises

My spoiler review of The Dark Knight Rises

Prologue: Just like The Avengers, a lot was riding on this movie because I thought this movie was going to be the first Comic Book movie trilogy where all three movies are good, but that wasn't the case. I refuse to believe that Mr. Nolan had anything to do with this movie because of how bad it turned out. I also blame myself for being disappointed because I chose to watch this movie despite the issues I've noticed in the trailers, advertisements, and people in Hollywood don’t know when to keep their mouths shut. (Thank you, Mr. Letterman and TMZ.) I normally don’t do spoiler reviews, and I was going to wait after the Oscars to see if this film gets any nominations or Oscars. I decided to talk about this now because it would be a waste of time explaining why this film doesn’t deserve any nominations, especially for best editing.

Before I rip this movie into pieces, I want to address the elephant in the room, and that is the Joker. Mr. Nolan said in one of his interviews that the Joker will not be talked about in this film, that bothers me because the Joker is the reason why this movie is at the point that it's in. I understand Mr. Ledger's death messed up his plans for this movie; however, that's no excuse for how this movie turned out. What stopped him from recasting the Joker? I know some people wouldn't like that; however, they should be understanding about it. Mr. Nolan should have written the Joker out of the movie instead of ignoring him like he never existed if this was going to be a problem. This movie ruined the characters, and I am going to go through them one by one. Before I get started, I'm going to call Bane Ubu because that's who he is. 

No. 1: Ubu I was pumped when I found out that Bane was going to be the villain, and Mr. Nolan said the reason why he picked him is that he wants an adversary that will challenge Batman both physically and mentally. Mr. Nolan described him as a monster movie bad guy with a terrific brain. Sadly, he didn’t fit that description in this movie. This bugs me because I'm tired of seeing this character get wasted. At the beginning of this movie, I thought Ubu’s mask meant something because he said no one cared who I was until I put on the mask. Later on in the film, we find out that his mask has no meaning; all it does is keep him alive. 

The movie starts off with Ubu abducting a scientist from a CIA plane. He accomplishes this by having his henchmen fly a bigger plane over them and performing a blood transfusion to fake the scientist's death. Do I really have to explain why this heist shouldn't have worked? Also, him and the main villain claim to be members of the League of Shadows, what? The League of Shadows is a group of ninjas; they don’t make public apprentices, announce their plans, and Ubu’s men don’t dress or operate like the League of Shadows. If they are the League of Shadows, they wouldn’t try to destroy Gotham City, because Ra's al Ghul wants to destroy Gotham because he believes that the city is beyond saving. Gotham was fixed between the first two films. Also, Bane was excommunicated from the League of Shadows because Ra's views him as a monster, why I don't know. So, Ubu shouldn't be trying to destroy Gotham for that reason alone. 

I'm having a hard time buying that Ubu can beat Batman for two reasons. First of all, despite Bruce’s condition, he was trained by the League of Shadows, and Ubu isn’t. In the Knightfall story, Bane did break Batman’s back, but before he did that, he put Batman through a gauntlet. During that gauntlet, Bane figures out that Bruce Wayne is Batman. After being physically and mentally drained, Bane breaks his back. In this movie, Ubu was able to beat Batman because he's bigger, and I don’t know how he figured out that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Second, Ubu's mask gives him painkillers in gas form, so he can’t control his breathing. That's like eating until you're full, going jogging, or smoking a pack of cigarettes, and then getting into a fight. This isn’t the comic book Bane, where he has venom and he becomes Juggernaut strong, plus the creators cheated with breaking Batman’s back. We don’t know if Ubu broke his back or injured it. This feels like fan service. 

After that, Ubu took him somewhere and put him in a wishing well and left him with no one watching him. He's doing this to show Bruce what despair looks like. First of all, how can this pit represent despair if there is a way to escape it? Second, the League of Shadows is not about despair; they are about restoring balance through bloodshed. Finally, we don't know how this prison works. Question how is Bruce Wayne/Batman not dead after the spinal injury, falling from the well, and getting hit in the head? Ubu tells Bruce his plan, and it makes no sense. Ubu's plan is to prove that Bruce's efforts to save Gotham have been in vain by giving the people of Gotham hope and stealing it from them. The flaw with his scheme is that Bane is making the people of Gotham think that they can survive something that he is threatening them with. 

Ubu: I'm going to stab you in the kidneys, don't worry, you will survive. 

Me: You're the one threatening me, which means you can decide if I will survive or not. 

Ubu: No! No! It's fine, you can survive this.  

Me: I'm just saying I would have a better chance at surviving if you didn't point to knife at my kidneys.

Ubu: You will survive! 

Me: OK. 

When Bane goes back to Gotham, he turns a device into a nuclear bomb with the help of a scientist he abducted at the beginning of the movie. Then Ubu makes his appearance, destroying bridges, tunnels, and other parts of Gotham. Then he becomes Hitler. I’m not joking, he gives speeches like a dictator. He shows the bomb to the people of Gotham, kills the scientist because he can disarm it, gives a speech about him claiming to be a libertarian, and releases the inmates of Gotham. OK, what's Ubu trying to do does he want to destroy Gotham or give Gotham back to the people? 

If he wants to destroy Gotham then why not just set off the bomb instead of waiting for 5 months for it to go off? How is he giving Gotham back to the people by releasing inmates and trapping the police in the sewers? If this is psychological warfare it doesn't work if you don't give people a reason to trust you. I'm not going to bother asking why isn’t Ubu an elderly man, I mean we see him in a flashback later on in the film and he's the same age in that scene as he is now. I wish the writers would leave the part out that he was part of the League of shadows because it doesn’t make him an individual villain and he has no reason to do this as we will learn later on. 

P.S. I didn't like the way he was killed off.   

No 2: Bruce Wayne/Batman 8 years have passed since The Dark Knight, and no one has seen Bruce or Batman, huh? What gives no one in Gotham thinks it's a coincidence that both Bruce and Batman have not been seen, not even Commissioner Gordon? (To be fair, he doesn't care who he is.) Come on, it's obvious that Bruce Wayne is Batman; this undermines the realism this movie claims to have. This is no different if Bruce put a sign in front of his mansion that says Hey morons, I’m Batman! The only person who figured it out is John Blake. He didn’t figure it out because both Bruce and Batman haven’t been seen; he figured it out by hiding your emotion is like wearing a mask metaphor. 

OK, first of all, if he's that good at spotting people hiding their true emotions, then why isn’t he a therapist? Second, what made him think out of everyone in Gotham that Bruce is Batman because of that metaphor? The reason why Bruce Wayne hasn’t been seen is that he's still grieving over Rachel’s death, OK, I'm not trying to be insensitive. I know it's not easy to deal with the death of a loved one; however, this is a disgrace to this character. The last film was about him learning how to deal with the hardship of being Batman. He saved Rachel more than once, and he was chased by the police, but those things didn't stop him from being Batman. Now that he has lost Rachel and Batman is a fugitive, he doesn’t care about Gotham anymore. If that's the case, then why did he become Batman in the first place? Here are a few scenarios.

Bruce: It was my plan to fix Gotham City.

Me: Then why did you stop being Batman for the past eight years? 

Bruce: Shut up!

Bruce: I don't want to be Batman because I don't want to put my loved ones in danger.

Me: Then why did you spend 7 years training to become Batman in the first place?

Bruce: Shut up!

This makes him look selfish because isolating himself like this causes him to lose his company and put Gotham in danger. This also shows that Rachel was wrong about Bruce as far as there won't be a time when he will no longer need Batman. Later on in the film, we find out that Bruce’s body is badly injured he has no cartilage in one of his knees. Mr. Nolan thinks we have only two brain cells rubbing together. How did this happen to him, I mean, he spent 8 years doing nothing, plus he was Batman for only a year or two, so how did he get badly injured? After John Blake talks to Bruce, Bruce runs into Selina Kyle and finds out about Bane; he becomes Batman again. So that's what it takes to get Bruce to become Batman again is stealing from him, our hero, ladies and gentlemen.  

After Bruce was left in the wishing well, one of the inmates was able to fix his back by hanging him on a rope and hitting his back really. This isn’t a Kung Fu movie; this also undermines the realism in this movie. I'm surprised that Bruce is taking advice from these inmates because what they have to say is not that helpful. When Bruce is having a hard time trying to escape the well, the inmates tell him that you were born in a life of privilege and you're not afraid of dying. Huh!?! What does that have to do with it? Plus, he said he is afraid of dying in the pit while his city burns, so what are they talking about? The real reason why he's having a hard time escaping is that whenever someone tries to escape the well, the inmates start chanting like they're at a soccer game. No wonder no one was able to escape this well; it would be hard for anyone to climb with all that noise. 

Speaking of chants, what they were chanting meant rises (WOW! That's really subtle of you, Mr. Nolan.) I thought this was going to be used by Ubu’s men, but no, it's used by inmates who tried to take advantage of a kid, wow. Well, we learn that this kid is the only one who was able to escape the well. I’m no expert on children, but I haven’t met a lot of kids who don’t have Acrophobia or are strong enough to climb. We also learn about what we thought was Ubu’s backstory, while Bruce is in the well, we get flashbacks of these inmates going after this kid, who we thought was Ubu, to do GOD knows what. I'm surprised that Bruce didn't make a grappling hook and get out of the well that way. Really, I can't believe the inmates didn't try to work together to get out of this prison, considering no one is watching them.  

After escaping the wishing well, Bruce returns to Gotham and stops Ubu and the bomb as Batman with the help of Selina Kyla. Wait, how did Bruce manage to get back into Gotham City before the bomb exploded when most of the entrance to Gotham is blocked and he's broke? OK, guys, I want to ask you something; would you trust a woman who steals your mom’s necklace, your car, plays a role in you losing your wealth, and sold you out to a group of mercenaries? If the answer is no, then why is Bruce so stupid in this movie!?! He has no reason to trust her; she even points this out. She sounds like my ex. Also, Bruce Wayne/Batman fakes his death by flying the bomb away from the city on the Bat and passes the Batman mantle to John Blake. 

What gives!?! This movie addresses how bad it is to lie, even if your intentions are good, and to have this movie end on a lie undermines that message. Why would Bruce choose John Blake to be the new Batman, or whoever, I mean, Bruce didn’t think this through. John Blake doesn’t have the same training Bruce had to take up the mantle, plus we don't know much about him. This movie would have ended differently if Bruce had done a background check on the main villain, who was pretending to be someone else. Plus, how did he survive the explosion? I mean, that was a nuclear bomb; he needs more than 5 seconds to get away from that kind of explosion. I know this movie is trying to give Bruce an arc of being a broken hero trying to rise above his pain to become the hero again. It's just that Bruce needs a better motivation for not being Batman; Ubu and Bruce don't have history. Also, you can tell this story without Bruce isolating himself from the world for eight years. Plus, Bruce hasn't been Batman long enough to tell that story. 

P.S. Do I really have to comment on how ridiculous it is that Batman would fight with the police in the daytime? Also, I was surprised that Bruce didn't deny that he was Batman to John Blake.  

No. 3: Alfred Despite having one tender scene, I didn't like what this movie did with this character. I don't buy that he would leave Bruce’s side the way he did; he left in the first act before anything happened. If Bruce being Batman bothers him, then why did he support him in the last two films, and why didn’t he leave when Bruce from day one? He told Bruce that he would never give up on him. What happened to that? I know this was also done in Knightfall; however, it made more sense in that story despite having an issue with it.

Alfred also plays a role in Bruce's broken state of mind. I mean, what has he done in the past eight years to get him out of this funk? Telling Bruce about the letter that Rachel chose Dent over him didn't help either because A he waited too long to tell him that, and B he burned that letter. Another thing, where did he go when Ubu was terrorizing the city? When he was at Bruce's grave, grieving, I was trying not to laugh. I'm sorry, but you can't have it both ways; you can't turn your back on him when he's vulnerable and expect me to feel your pain. OK, if I were Alfred, I would be mad at Bruce for letting me believe that he was dead because they didn’t resolve the issues that made Alfred leave. 

P.S. How did he get information on Bane? I mean, no one else knows who he is before he reveals himself. 

No. 4: Deputy Commissioner Foley Question why is he in this movie? I mean, he's just in the movie to extend the movie's run time and slow down the GPD from stopping Ubu. When Ubu tried to escape the stock exchange, and Batman showed up, Foley told every cop to go after Batman. What the fudge? This is what I'm talking about. It seems like the GPD forgot about the Joker because they're making the same mistake they did with the Joker, as far as not taking Ubu seriously. Why not spend half of the police after Batman and the other half after Ubu and his men? 

The reason why he wants the GPD to go after Batman is so that he can take credit for the capture of Harvey Dent’s murderer. I don’t understand why he keeps calling John Blake a hot head when he's giving suggestions that will move the plot faster. Is he trying to be funny? Early in the film, the GPD knew that Ubu and his men were in the sewer, besides John Blake Foley and the GPD didn’t try to get them. This guy wants to be a better Commissioner than Commissioner Gordon, but he does things that Gordon wouldn't do.

No. 5: Commissioner Gordon We see how keeping Harvey Dent looking good to the public affects Gordon. He lost his family over this lie, the lie is eating him up inside, and he's about to lose his job. I find it odd that he doesn't talk about his family. Does he miss them? What's the point of doing that if it has no payoff? After Gordon has been shot by one of Ubu’s men, he's sent to the hospital. 

In the second act of the film, he tells every cop to go into the sewers and smoke Ubu and his men out. Huh!?! Why send every cop available into the sewer? Why not send a SWAT team? What makes Ubu think that the GPD is that stupid that they would go in the sewer, like I say, it just takes a SWAT team to get them out. I’m guessing it's the drugs making him talk like that. I wish Commissioner Gordon would tell Batman to come back after Ubu holds the city Hostage. Also, how did he know the masked man's name is Ubu when no one addressed him as Ubu?    

No. 6: John Daggett This is another character that needs to be written out of the film. John Daggett is a member of Wayne Enterprise, and he's mad because the company is losing money and no one has seen Bruce Wayne in 8 years. Since he has his own Construction Company and Wayne Enterprise is losing money, he decides to work somewhere else. Wait! I'm sorry that what someone with logic would have done. Instead of doing that, he has a plan to take over Wayne's enterprise with the help of Ubu and Selina Kyle. 

OK, three things about his plan that bother me. First of all, John Daggett needs Bruce’s figure prints for this to happen, and Ubu uses his figure prints at the stock exchange to download something to make Bruce poor. One big problem with that is Bruce wasn’t at the stock exchange, and no one noticed that Bruce wasn’t at the stock exchange. Second, why wasn’t John Daggett investigated? I mean, Alfred said that he has a history of hiring Ubu. Finale Daggett is mad at the wrong person; he should be mad at Miranda Tate, she's a Wayne board member, and her clean energy project is costing the company a lot of money to the point where it's almost bankrupt. 

No. 7: The people of Gotham City How in the world did the Dent Act eliminate organized crime? You mean to tell me no one tried to fill the vacuum? I wish this movie would force on the people of Gotham, I mean, it doesn't show us how Ubu being a liberator or terrorist affects them. Yes! We get a small montage of people being thrown out there homes, partying, and being tortured, but it wasn't explored. Gotham City is like a character itself. I was hoping that Gotham's citizens would be more involved in what Ubu was doing. Also, the Gotham citizens didn't react to Ubu's speech about Harvey Dent, I mean, they didn't ask Commissioner Gordon or anyone if it's true? However, it would be a matter of he-said-she-said because it's hard to prove that, because he's dead, Gordon's family was written out of the film, and the witnesses disappeared. I wish Commissioner Gordon would disclose what Hervey did to someone. 

I was surprised that the GPD didn't get out of the sewers themselves. I mean, don't they have equipment that can help them do that? Also, Dr. Crane/Scarecrow is in this movie, but he was wasted; he's used as a judge to execute the rich citizens of Gotham. The arc in the last two films was can Gotham be saved? I thought this movie was going to continue that arc by having the people of Gotham stand up to Ubu, fighting back, and wanting Batman to be their hero. I wish the writers would come up with a better way for the people of Gotham to find out that Batman didn’t kill Harvey Dent on purpose, so that the people of Gotham can appreciate Batman for taking the fall. 

  

No. 8: Miranda Tate/Talia That’s right, Miranda is Talia al Ghul, the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul. You can't argue that this is a good twist because we didn't know Ra's had a child until now. This really gives me a headache because I don’t know who planned what. Miranda tried to see Bruce numerous times about the clean energy project, and she finally does after Daggett made Bruce broke, so Bruce made her in charge of the Wayne board and the fusion device because he's afraid that someone will turn it into a bomb. What!?! Why did Bruce build and keep a device that can be turned into a bomb and cost your company money? I know he has a fail-safe for it; however, that won't stop someone from finding it since you haven't been around for eight years. what the fudge, Bruce? 

Also, Talia could have risked Ubu and his men for abducting the doctor who could do that for nothing, because she didn’t know that Bruce still had the fusion device. After Batman beats Ubu, Miranda reveals herself as Talia and that she was the kid that escaped the pit, and Ubu protects her from the other inmates. I'm confused by her motivations because one contradicts the other. First, she said I hate my father until you killed him, then she said I will honor my father by finishing his work. OK, if Talia hates her father as she claims, why would she want to kill the man who killed her father? She should be grateful that he killed him, I mean, he did abandon her and her mother in the wishing well with a bunch of men, and her mother was murdered. 

Also, she did something that contradicts that motivation. Early in the film, after Bruce made Miranda head of Wayne Enterprises, she slept with him. Why would she do that? I would understand if she did it to drop his guard and kill him, but that didn’t happen; this is weird. Did she do this to gain his trust? That can’t be it because Bruce made her head of Wayne Enterprises. Did she do it to break his heart? No, because there's no romance between these two. Was she trying to distract us from thinking she's the real villain? No, that’s what Bane and Daggett were for. 

Either this is her way of thanking him for killing her father, or this is fan service; the reason I said that is because in the comic, Talia is one of Bruce/Batman’s love interests. I wouldn’t sleep with the man who killed my father. If I was her, I would maybe give him a medal. How did she know that Bruce killed her father? I mean, this movie doesn’t tell us if she was also excommunicated from the league of shadows or was part of that group. Like I said before, Talia and Bane don’t operate like the League of Shadows. Also, Bruce/Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and Harvey Dent, both when he was dead and alive, fix the reason why Ra’s al Ghul wants to destroy Gotham, so what did she mean by I will finish my father’s work if you hate him? 

The bottom line is that she is another character that needs to be written out of the film. I mean, if Robin isn't going to be in this franchise, why should she be in it? Hack Ra’s al Ghul’s bodyguard wasn’t in Batman Begins. Speaking of Robin John Blake's legal name is Robin, so this is how you bring Robin into this franchise without actually doing it. Screw you, Mr. Nolan or whoever came up with that. 

P.S. her death scene was terrible.  

                 

Epilogue: As far as Selina Kyle goes, I just wish she had a bigger role in the movie. Her wanting to wipe her record clean and start over is ridiculous because her record is not all digital. What is she going to do about the papers that have her records? Also, it makes no sense for her to despise the upper class because we don't see them stepping on the lower class's toes. Also, Bruce's family has a history of helping the less fortunate, so what is she talking about? I don’t think this movie is terrible, it's just the problems in this movie bugs me, especially when this movie screams rewrite and contrivances. The other gripes I have with this film are minor, like the Batcave, some of the dialogue, making Bruce seem old, more plot holes, the eight-year gap, and the spare tumbles. I thought this movie was going to have Bruce still be Batman in the 8 years that passed, instead of him sitting in Wayne Manor. Also, have him start questioning if he's making things better or worse? Then have Bane show the people of Gotham that Batman is a man, not a symbol. After that, he takes everything away from Bruce/Batman, his wealth, alias, friends, home, and his well to live. 

Bane could have expanded on what the Joker did in The Dark Knight by driving the people of Gotham crazy to the point where they want to die. He could have done this by showing them what prison life is like. From Bane's point of view, prison life is no different from civilian life. The only difference between the two is that society has better carrots and sticks. You don't know what fear is until you know what prison life is like. I also thought that Bane was going to destroyer Gotham City from the inside out when I saw the stock exchange scene in the trailers.

I thought he was going to bankrupt the city, create an EMP, release the inmates, and hold the city hostage. Also, I thought the writers were going to do something with the screenplay about class warfare; this would fit into Bane and Selina Kyle’s backstory and motivations. They both grew up in a bad and poor environment. This movie could have made us ask questions like how much money means to us, can we thrive in a survival of the fittest, or might makes right society? 

The problem with that is the movie doesn't show that Gotham has a history of a class divide. This movie could have been better if the creators had worked Selina Kyle into the story. I mean, have her do some of the things Talia was doing, as far as have Bruce invest in Salina’s project that will make the Wayne enterprise bankrupt, they develop a romance, and then have her break his heart. After Bane executes his plan, we see she has a change of heart, so she goes back to Bruce to make amends, and they try to stop Bane. If any writer can take my suggestion and build a story around them, then it could have been a great film.