1. The Dark Knight Rises
This is going to be therapeutic. Say it with me: The Dark Knight Rises is a bad movie. You know it, I know it, so lets stop pretending it was a satisfying finale to Christopher Nolans mostly wonderful Batman trilogy. Up until recently, I defended The Dark Knight Rises as a flawed but overall successful capper to one of the best trilogies in modern cinema. I saw it three times in theaters and immediately bought the Blu-Ray when it was released. When I reviewed this movie on a podcast back in late July, my cohosts and I all agreed it was a really good movie, even though we spent about 80% of the review complaining about murky plotting, the inadequacy of Bane as a villain, the sidelining of Batman and Catwoman in the second half, and the frustrating having its cake and eating it too elements of the climax and coda. I think this is because its difficult for us to come to grips with the fact that Christopher Nolan, one of the most dynamic and innovative filmmakers working in Hollywood today, finally made an out-and-out terrible movie. We needed this movie to be great, and when it wasnt, we all rationalized away our issues with it. But the first step is admitting there is a problem or rather, plenty of problems that make The Dark Knight Rises an awful movie. Perhaps its easier to list the elements that do work in The Dark Knight Rises: Anne Hathaway as Catwoman? Sure, but after a few fun early scenes, the movie doesnt know what to do with her. Banes takeover of Gotham City? Its an effective cinematic sequence, for sure, but it makes very little sense (particularly the aftermath). Showing Batmans increasing weakness? That works for some of the film, but then all of that is undermined after a friendly prison doctor corrects Bruce Waynes back in a matter of weeks, leaving him right as rain for his second showdown with Bane. The shocking reveal that Marion Cotillards character was actually the devious Talia al Ghul pulling strings the entire time? It feels anticlimactic and tacked on to give the audience one big surprise (and the expository flashback plays like a less effective version of a similar revelation in Nolans infinitely superior The Prestige). Even though it isnt as self-evidently terrible as something like Spider-Man 3, The Dark Knight Rises is one of the biggest disappointments in recent memory. Factors like Heath Ledgers sudden death certainly hindered how Nolan could conclude his wildly popular trilogy, so what were left with is an unfortunate finale weve all made excuses for. As time goes on, the shortcomings of this movie will become even clearer as it continues to fade from memory.