20. Not Cutting When Alfred Smiled
Never since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King has a film had so many endings, and the single most lasting response to those endings was that Nolan missed a major opportunity to create an enduring ending shot to match that which ended Inception. Though I've already established that the decision not to kill Batman was a mistake, Nolan flirted with the second best option - leaving a question mark over his fate, allowing the audience to knit together the details suggesting Batman escaped the explosion, and then playfully cutting when that look of recognition passed over Alfred's face. It would have been a far more poetic conclusion to the movie to leave that question mark hanging, especially since the appearance of Bruce Wayne alive and well completely robbed Alfred's greatest scene - his heart-wrenching speech following Wayne's death - of a good deal of its emotional impact. And when Alfred was so evidently presented as the emotional heart of the film, that seems a rather callous decision. The ending sequence was actually indicative of a much larger problem with the film: the lack of artistic restraint, and a similar eye for small subtle touches that gave The Dark Knight its enduring personality. It wasn't just the grand technical elements of that film that made it such a success, it was the little moments - like the Joker sanitising his hands before blowing up the hospital - and nothing as insistent as those last images of the follow-up film. It might have been bigger and bolder, but ultimately, The Dark Knight Rises was a far less artfully crafted film, from plot details to the way the story was told in places, and when it comes down to it, it won't be the large scale set-pieces that are remembered. It will be the performances, the little artistic touches and the story-telling that endure, and unfortunately for Christopher Nolan, he only really scores a hit on one of those three factors. So what do you think Bat-fans? Do you agree with any of the points made in this article? Would you like to defend Nolan's trilogy-ender against any of the specific criticisms? Share your thoughts below.Introduction to your list should be at least 150 words. Please use this layout for your lists. Each item on the list should be accompanied by a 620x300 image and some text explaining the choice.
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