Why Do People Dislike The Dark Knight Rises?

[Powerboy]

I actually think it's on par with the Dark Knight. The revelation that Miranda Tate was predictable, but at least TDKR didn't have that goofy, mid-90s cgi looking Two Face.

Also was the ending where Alfred see's Bruce Wayne along with Selina Kyle some sort of dream sequence?

I thought it was decent but not up there with DK.

I thought the scene with Alfred at the end was more Alfred seeing what he wanted to see and so that some fans who needed that could interpret it as real.

I thought Selina Kyle was okay. In the movie proper, they never called her Catwoman, which I thought was somewhat shying away from the material.

I want a Batman movie that introduces Robin- and not right at the end- because not doing so shies away from a major part of the Batman story.

[WebLurker]

I enjoyed it in general. disappointing to experience the death of Heath Ledger and wondering "what if" he were in the film.

We will always wonder.

Catwoman was way better than the 1992 version.

Didn't see the '92 version, but I did like Hathaway for the version for what it was.

The abrupt resolution of the end of Dark Knight was odd, and disappointing. I thought Batman would be on the run/outlaw instead of just retired.

IMHO, it was the only ending that made sense. From the first movie, it was established that Bruce Wayne didn't see the Batman as his life's calling, but something to do to fix Gotham and then retire from. He tells Rachel as much in the first movie and the second one has the subplot of him wondering if Harvey Dent could carry on the job better than the Batman could. While you might argue that Alfred's dream of him leaving it all behind and finding a happier life elsewhere in Italy was a little on the nose in terms coming true to the letter, we should've seen it coming.

I would have preferred that the John character not be given a "robin" wink at the end. Was just kind of pointless. he was already an adult, not a teen sidekick.

Guess it was to show that Bruce's legacy would live on after him. I mean, a major running theme through the series was that the Batman was not any single man, but a symbol. A symbol that didn't wear hockey pads, but still. With out John Blake, the symbol would die with Bruce.

[Kirby101]

87% on Rottentomatoes with a audience score of 90%.

8.2 out of 10 with user reviews on IMDB.

So I would say the folks that despise it are in the small minority.

[Castle]

I love it. It's the one I re watch the most of the trilogy. It is almost a comfort food movie for me. I can kinda just put it on, and pay whatever amount of attention I feel like.

I think it's about as good as TDK, but Ledger's Joker performance and subsequent death really overshadowed everything. I also think that TDK was "the first" ya know? It was basically groundbreaking for super hero movies, and even the direct sequel is going to suffer by comparison.

That said, I think it is a great movie, and a great conclusion to the trilogy.

And to the OP, no the end wasn't a dream sequence.

The movie is on par with TDK in some technicalities but weaker a bit in story though it uses some of the cast better than TDK, like you said, Ledger was overshadowing and his death did make people look at the film differently.

One thing that bugs me is Nolan's reluctance to improve his fight scenes. it was one of the few weaknesses of his gritty Gotham take, I still could not believe how sloopy the last fight between batman and bane was and the messiness of the cops fighting prison thugs . Nolan was not even trying. what saves the last act of TDKR was keeping the themes of the movie set in batman begins with Bruce's Journey.

[Ikari]

The movie had some good stuff here and there, but overall it was a confused mess and WAY too contrived even for a superhero movie. ENTIRE Gotham police force lured into tunnels and kept there for FIVE months was so silly it totally took me off the movie. Then Batman frees the police who charge unarmed at the criminals who have massive firepower, yet they don't actually SHOOT them but it becomes a giant melee. 'Robin' is pointless and in general the movie has too many twists and turns most of which aren't particularly clever.
Basically, it's a storyline which might have worked as a 10-part TV series, but not as a single movie. It's a shame because Bale & Hathaway make a good lead couple with decent chemistry.
None of my friends particularly liked it, everyone thinks it's easily worst of the trilogy so I am completely at loss where the high ratings come from. Maybe people just stuff the reviews because it's Nolan but it's easily his worst movie and honestly just watching it blind I would never guess it's him directing.

[choptop]

I actually think it's on par with the Dark Knight. The revelation that Miranda Tate was predictable, but at least TDKR didn't have that goofy, mid-90s cgi looking Two Face.

Also was the ending where Alfred see's Bruce Wayne along with Selina Kyle some sort of dream sequence?

They don't very few ppl hate it a lot of ppl don't think it's as good as TDK but I really don't see many people calling it a bad movie at all.

[Indian Ink]

I was one of those that didn't like it. I don't think it was terrible, but still a major step down on the others.

I think the general problem was that the realist style doesn't jell with the ludicrous plot events. And that there weren't, for me at least, major characters of high charisma to distract me from this.

The very things that bug while watching this would be no problem at all in the unreality of a Tim Burton Batman film. Day turns to deep night in two minutes within a non equatorial zone? No problem. The theft that occurs at the stock market being upheld? No Problem. Bruce Wayne having all his fortune within said stock market, with no private businesses or expensive artworks or land ownership and so forth? No problem. Send the entire police force with no reserves left up top; down underground? No problem. (Plus many others of course.) However within this somewhat believable Batman world, it just seems like complete nonsense.

If you make the world more real, then the events within that world have to be more real as well.

[Jim Kelly]

With reactions to anything, you're not really seeing what the majority of people thought about something. You're pretty confined to those people who feel strongly enough to register their reaction on media that others can see or hear. It's purely a guess that that relatively small number of people represents the whole. It's just as possible that the greater number of people that saw THE DARK KNIGHT RISES were perfectly happy with the movie and therefore felt no need to indicate that in a public fashion other than simply purchasing tickets and buying merchandise. In fact the big box office bears this out. While the people that didn't like it are more motivated to voice that opinion in some way such as on Rotten Tomatoes--so they're overrepresented by the numbers.

[Joker]

I enjoyed it in general. disappointing to experience the death of Heath Ledger and wondering "what if" he were in the film.

Nolan said he would have been the Judge in the court scene, replacing Scarecrow.

I thought the scene with Alfred at the end was more Alfred seeing what he wanted to see and so that some fans who needed that could interpret it as real.

I disagree. This isn't Inception. That kind of ambiguity doesn't exist in the Batman movies up to that point. I don't see why it suddenly would at the end. It's Bruce. He most likely did that on purpose so Alfred would know he got the life he deserved. The life that Alfred wanted for him.

just watching it blind I would never guess it's him directing.

I guess if you're completely unaware of directorial style this is possible, but it is completely a Nolan film top to bottom. Like, it's so unmistakably Nolan.

[Timothy Hunter]

87% on Rottentomatoes with a audience score of 90%.

8.2 out of 10 with user reviews on IMDB.

So I would say the folks that despise it are in the small minority.

That's correct, but many people see it as the weakest entry in the trilogy.

Letterboxd:

Batman Begins 3.8/5
Dark Knight 4.6/5
Dark Knight Rises 3.7/5

That score is not bad, in fact quite the contrary. However, it is a huge drop from the Dark Knight.

In my opinion they're equally good.

[Mistah K88]

I liked Begins the most of the trilogy...don’t shoot me.

Anyway, I will say that my suspension of disbelief was tested more in TDKR than the previous two movies. I can buy a microwave emitter vaporizing a city’s water supply into a mist... I can buy a good chunk of Joker’s plot immunity...what I can’t buy...is No Man’s Land.

John Blake “my friends call me MJ...I mean Robin”...either commit to it or don’t.

[BigLbo]

when i first saw it i didn't think it sucked but i felt a bit disappointed, never gave it much thought why. as years pass my desire to give it a 2nd chance have all but disappeared.

did they ever xplain why catwoman was such a bad ass??

[Ikari]

I was one of those that didn't like it. I don't think it was terrible, but still a major step down on the others.

I think the general problem was that the realist style doesn't jell with the ludicrous plot events. And that there weren't, for me at least, major characters of high charisma to distract me from this.

Yes this was a big problem. Combining more grounded and gritty visual style with similar silly plot as '90s Batman movies, it was a big tonal conflict. And villains really didn't do it for me. Bane is bit of a letdown and Talia is used as a twist villain.
When you do an animated or live action version from a masked comic character - or just doing a masked character in general in movies - you have to compensate somehow the fact that audience can't see characters mouth. Basically it means that you need to hypercharge the character in other respects so that audience is distracted from the inconvenience of not seeing the character talk. Darth Vader is perfect example of this. Bane was not charismatic enough to pull 'Darth Vader' effect off and it made his onscreen scenes bland.

I disagree. This isn't Inception. That kind of ambiguity doesn't exist in the Batman movies up to that point. I don't see why it suddenly would at the end. It's Bruce. He most likely did that on purpose so Alfred would know he got the life he deserved. The life that Alfred wanted for him.

Agreed, though the scene was sort of set up to look like Alfred's internal wish fullfilment. Also, Bruce's 'happily ever after' ending with Selina is bit weird since we just saw her hooking up with Miranda. "Oh well, I would have rather been with her, but this slightly less evil chick was my second pick so lets roll with this."

I guess if you're completely unaware of directorial style this is possible, but it is completely a Nolan film top to bottom. Like, it's so unmistakably Nolan.

I'm not good at picking up visual cues, for me movie's storytelling was very linear with mostly clumsy twists. It was very paint-by-numbers compared to most other Nolan stuff.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

It is full of too many plot conveniences and unexplained plot points and just stupidity in general. Bruce has been recluse for years and then immediately trusts this Tate woman, and it was never explained how she even knew he was working on a reactor, or how Bruce got back to Gotham. Big plot points of his knee and back were magically fixed in a few seconds. Bane's plan kinda dumb really he has no reason to let Bruce suffer he should've just killed him when he had the chance, neither he or Tate were even there to see him suffer anyway so typical villain writing.

Ofc Gordon being an idiot and sending every cop underground lmao . So much more stuff but those are the big stuff I remember.

The ending would've been more poignant has the set up for it been in the 1st or 2nd film not in the same film...

I thought the script was much better for the final fight was so much more epic and brutal, I probably get some of it had to be cut cuz of ratings but stuff like the tumbler coming between Batman and Bane should've been kept and the toned down stuff could've been added back on home video, alas...

87% on Rottentomatoes with a audience score of 90%.

8.2 out of 10 with user reviews on IMDB.

So I would say the folks that despise it are in the small minority.

If you asked all these people to re-rate the film I would suspect it would be significantly lower, the film had hype and even I at the time thought it was better than TDK lmao.

[WebLurker]

I liked Begins the most of the trilogy...don’t shoot me.

That's my dad's favorite, too.