12. The Combat Choreography
We all know the drill when it comes to one-man-army style combat situations: our hero stands in the middle of a group of enemies while they wait patiently to take their turn to attack him, rather than swarming and overcoming very quickly. Even if they have guns. After all, the latter doesn't look anywhere near as impressive on-screen. But if a director chooses not to dispense with that entirely, the key is to artfully conceal the conceit of those sequences and deflect focus with enough impressive flourishes and well-executed choreography to make it inconsequential to the enjoyment of the scene. For the most part, that wasn't the case in The Dark Knight Rises, in which Batman was faced with a number of multiple foe combat situations, and we were offered the sight of those multiple enemies standing waiting for their cues to throw a punch or kick in the direction of the Bat. This might not have been such an issue if the right shots were chosen, and Nolan had stuck to his usual tight-angles, but in most cases, focus was pulled too far out and the shots were wide enough to see the fighters lined up waiting to step in. In contrast to the combat sequences between Batman and Bane, which were excellent, those wider shots looked amateurish and much too planned to have any real impact.