Christopher Nolan has suddenly become the Steven Spielberg of our generation. No, that is not an over statement or even sarcastic in nature. When you truly think about it Chris Nolan has achieved a very prestigious status that is people actually have certain expectations about his films. This is very rare these days when people including me have carried real high levels of expectations from a director more than the franchise maybe. Everyone was blown away by the tremendous success and brilliance of INCEPTION and maybe the majority of people were expecting more if not the same from him in his next Batman venture. Hmm, so lets's dig in and analyse the film and see if batman prevails or not.

As most of the people have already seen this movie and know hat it basically is about let me get straight to what I felt about it. Like many others I too was really excited for another Batman movie, who wouldn't  be after the cinematic master piece of The Dark Knight. I was more than ready to be enthralled by a new type of villain this time around. While the Joker is my favorite villain of any superhero franchise, I was waiting to see the brute force types in Bane. He is smart and has the brain to pull off something terrifyingly big to demolish Gotham but in the end he obviously does not have the character of unpredictable and  psychotic traits of Joker. So tough act to follow.


The movie does start off with a spectacular way to show off it's villain. That sequence is brilliantly shot and is creative in all fields. Never have I seen the introduction of the villain in a plane tearing up at the heights of the skies. Brilliant again sir. This is trademark Nolan style where the first sequence never has exposition or story flow to it, it's master introduction technique if pulled off well(except Inception where there was a key point in the script which was the introduction scene). The mood is set well where the terrifying presence of Bane is established well.

My main concern with film is quickly visible in the first half of the film, Nolan wants to tell so much but obviously he can't in one film, but he has definitely shot the film accordingly, so to make it shorter it has been heavily edited. Nolan films, if I have noticed correctly do not have that many jump cuts as this films exhibits. This is obviously done to shorten the film length which I personally hate. This really breaks up the flow of the story and distorts the fine art of story telling that this man obviously possesses. So the editing is so fast it got me really thrown off track.

The curse of the cat woman continues and this film does not do justice to this character like many before have tried to an failed again and again. Anne does look very good in the cat suit but I just cant get the image of Halle Berry out of my head. I felt this character was unnecessary and added more as a gimmick rather than furthering the story. In a story which already has so much going in it this character was a waste as it is very forgettable and should have been replaced with the main story line.

The second half does provide for some fine moments especially the fight between Bane and Batman. It has it's moments but they are far too apart. The story comes into it's own in the second half and some of the major plots are unraveled here. There are so many things going on but the reason of it all, the glue to make it all stick is not portrayed correctly. It somehow does not come together to wow us like in the previous edition. Major concern again being that the script has so much in it but so little time to tell all this that the execution in the end looks haphazard. The film is not bad it is relatively good but it misses it's mark as the end of a great series. It deserved a grand finale a tale that could have been remembered but rather ends up being just about right even forgettable by Nolan standards. My biggest problem was the way Bane gets killed, he is what the film is all about and the way he dies in the end is really pathetic. The writers definitely messed up there. But in the end people did like it and that is what matters. I personally prefer the previous editions in the franchise over this film. Hopefully Chris maintains what he is good at and we can have something better than this in his next venture........... 

Let's talk about an actor whom I really like but in context of the real world I don't. Love him or hate him he will always be there, SRK. Now there have been some really fantastic moments with SRK on celluloid, even though he started his career copying Dilip Kumar out and out, he has developed his own style and aura about acting. One such moment that is worth mentioning according to my opinion is from a good film called Chak De India. No, before you jump to conclusions it's not the now famous Sattar Minute wala dialogue. That whole sequence is too repeatative for my taste. If you forget the video and listen just the audio of that scene you will clearly see that Shah Rukh has definitely been inspired by the brilliant voice modulation of the Sr.Bacchan. For me that was an ok sequence which I could have done without in the movie.Characters and situations have been used brilliantly in the film and I wish that the same would have been delivered for the seriousness of the finals. Never the less the moment that took my breath away was the climatic sequence where the team finally wins the championship. Again this was a cliche and we all came to see that as the movie progressed, but the most amazing part was obviously SRK. That one look of content on his face was absolutely ravishing. That look, of years of tarnish and burden being cleared of his shoulders takes my breath away. He is dignified in his persona but even he can't control his self composure at that moment and this is aptly portrayed by this actor. That emotion makes us connect with this character who is after all fighting for justice against the system but importantly against himself. His search for purity ends and he is baffled by the very thought of having nothing to justify to the world or to himself anymore. The way he fills his eyes with tears of jubilation and relief is something marvelous to look at. We all got sucked into that emotion and only an ACTOR can induce such pain in us and never a superstar. We feel his pain and suffering and his true happiness returning, that moment justifies all the follies in the film. I really wish SRK does such roles and dignify his own talent, he does not need a rubber suit or a mental illness to justify his stardom. That smile of feeling proud to be an athlete, a coach, a man, an above all an Indian is justification enough.

(If you think hollywood is better than the hindi film industry, then have a look at the climax scene of The Pursuit Of Happiness, Will Smith is brilliant in that scene and there is no comparison here, but I will be biased and say that we have the better talent.)

I have many such many moments to share but some deserve to stand alone while some to deserve to stand in a crowd.

Anyone who has watched The Dark Knight Rises must have experienced what we like to call the awesome power of expected bullshit. Yes there is bullshit in the climax of that film, but it's good bullshit. Bullshit that you expect but don't want but are kind of accepting it because we suckers for happy endings. But I give credit to Christopher Nolan for making that attempt. He opted for the safe route with a twist which is now synonymous with him except Inception which I believe has literally left everyone hanging. Even the most sharpest of minds cannot deduce the ending of that film, simple reason being the end does not happen. We never see what actually happens and are so left to come to our own conclusions. What a clever way of ending a film and trusting the audience and their intelligence to come to their own conclusions. That defines confidence and knowing one's script. I remember seeing Inception and the theater was drop dead silent throughout the film even though it was packed. I was amazed as to how powerful this medium really is. A movie can really engross you if it conveys the right things. These are the times that make me think about those amazingly brilliant moments we have had on the big screen. These are moments which define the magic of cinema for me. We all love and accept this fact but are differed on the outtake of it all. Maybe it's time we take a look at some of these moments and understand what they signify.

Let's take for example a movie which has many of these brilliant moments. Lagaan. This movie is pure egotistical and really brash in it's approach. But I don't complain because it is filmed brilliantly, every moment has it's due and things flow freely and the tension is built up perfectly. Sitting in a single screen theater at the age of 13, I was amazed to see people shouting at the screen. This was the first time I saw such audience reactions and was a little carried by the energy. Patriotism was rising and everyone was really involved with the film. The climax is very predictable and well, really what we wanted to happen yet felt really good to watch and had an element of satisfaction. This film shows what dramatic moments can really achieve. Victory can never be justified by a worthless cause. The cause defines the victory and this victory was oh so sweet.

Sometimes we don't need dramatic music, overly obvious tension built up, and excessive emotional rain. Sometimes we need the moments which are subtle like Gulzaar saab's lyrics. They might not look much but pack the punch of a thousand poems. One such moment which I thought was brilliantly written and directed was when Ishaan is standing near the edge of his school compound. What damages can be done to the tender psychology of a child is clearly evident. The atmosphere is grimm and we know why he is standing there. Dejection and frustration is aptly portrayed. We want him to be saved, to be understood and in this scene we somehow feel pity and sad for the character. This is one of those crucial scenes which dictate the turning point of the film. He doesn't jump as he stopped by one of his friend's informing him of the new arts teacher and we know the hero has arrived. It is a cliched concept, we know it's Aamir at that point and he will save this child but the way its is driven to the audience is so subtle in it's approach that it adds a new dimension to the film. This moment somehow stayed with me after the film as well maybe it is a reflection of how society is harnessing the responsibilities of an adult on the child and destroying their childhood in the process. It speaks of depression and makes the audience feel that emotion with subtle storytelling.






All that is to be said need not be said. Let's make a part 2...........