Comments on: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Gets Villainous With Catwoman And Bane(?!)

By: john

john — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 15:23:47 +0000

for those thinking tom Hardy can't play Bane, I suggest you watch "Bronson," a movie where he plays a sociopathic prisoner in the British penal system. He easily put on 50 lbs just for the roll. Trust me, if costumes are done right, he can pull off Bane (although no, he won't look like the gigantic, Hulk-looking Bane from the comics.)

By: Patrick Hester

Patrick Hester — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 05:33:01 +0000

Wow. Feel the Bane hate.

For the record, Bane is one of the smartest foes Batman has ever faced. He didn't simply break his back, he studied Batman, learned his movements, what made him tick and figured out who he was. He set into motion a series of events intended to push Batman over the edge. He released all the inhabitants of Arkham so that Batman would have to deal with all of his foes at once rather than one by one, pushing him harder and harder so that each encounter would weaken him.

He planned his confrontation, planned everything down to the last detail and finished it in the Batcave so Batman would know that Bane knew exactly who he was. If Nolan uses him correctly and doesn't fall on the WWE aspect of the character (like Bane's previous turn on the big screen as a grunting man-servant for Poison Ivy), I think he can be just as compelling and creepy as Ledger's Joker.

As for Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, I think that also has the potential to be very interesting but honestly, I would rather they explored the Talia storyline. I think the Catwoman thing is a little too played out at the movies. Give us something new.

~P
@atfmb

By: The Ragi

The Ragi — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 02:19:49 +0000

@Todd SFO: Both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight had two villains each already... nothing new.

By: Todd SFO

Todd SFO — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 01:37:33 +0000

I just wish they'd keep it simple with one villain (although, to be fair, Nolan wove the two-face story in seamlessly in he last film). It just feels like Hollywood overkill and marketing: It has to be BIGGER and LOUDER and FASTER! In the 1990s franchise it just felt like razzle dazzle at the expense of good storytelling and character development. So I say Catwoman or Bane, but not both. Regardless, I think both actors chosen have the chops.

By: Scott Marlowe

Scott Marlowe — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:19:46 +0000

Nolan has more than proved himself, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being. Personally, I was really hoping for the Riddler. That sort of character in Nolan's hands might have been pure awesomeness.

By: Andrew Liptak

Andrew Liptak — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:50:54 +0000

I'm game. I seem to remember a lot of people puzzled by Heath Leger as the Joker, and that turned out well. Hopefully, there'll be just as good as a story as in The Dark Knight.

By: Rabid Fox

Rabid Fox — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:15:02 +0000

If Jerry Bruchheimer was directing another Batman movie, the gal from Princess Diaries and Bride Wars would be apt. Nolan is likely picking her less for the sugary, Disney side for, and channeling Hathaway's acting chops from Rachel Getting Married and some of that psycho factor from Alice in Wonderland. But, yeah, she'll have to hit the stairmaster to become a convincing cat burglar--and if Toby Maguire can do it, then anyone can. As for Hardy as Bane, I find it surprising that the once wiry Praetor Shinzon (I liked Star Trek: Nemesis, so shoot me) is now a jacked up muscle man.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:23:42 +0000

Anne Hathaway as Talia Al-Ghul? I could buy that.

But as Catwoman? I'm more skeptical.

By: Scott Shaffer

Scott Shaffer — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:23:08 +0000

I will say I agrere with JP, that Bane always struck me as the traditional super hero villian with a shtick and without the same character of Joke or Catwoman (or even Black Mask.) Instead, I think of Bane the same way I think of Killer Moth.

By: Paul NYC

Paul NYC — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:51:15 +0000

It would be nice if the formatting options actually worked. My remark about Spider-man 3 was supposed to have a strikethrough. Thanks for ruining the joke. Appreciated.

[Editor: Comment fixed, Shecky! ]

By: Paul NYC

Paul NYC — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:47:07 +0000

Don't like the Bane character and never did precisely for the reasons mentioned above. I don't know how Nolan is going to make a believable villain out of a juice monster that seems more like something out of the WWE than Batman. Joker is a character. Catwoman is a character. Bane is a gimmick. Don't like it but I'll reserve final judgment until I see Spider-man 3 The Dark Knight Rises.

By: Alan

Alan — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:44:41 +0000

Tom Hardy is a great actor, but nowhere near big enough for Bane. Not sure if Hathaway will be athletic enough for Catwoman. But with Nolan at the helm, I have great faith.