Deadly Movies Has Seen The Opening 6 Minutes of The Dark Knight Rises

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The Dark Knight Rises Poster #2

Last night Deadly Movies went along to  the London viral marketing screening of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ prologue (aka the opening 6 minutes of the movie). Shown in glorious IMAX and on the UK’s largest theatre screen it was certainly an impressive sight. Without giving a blow-by-blow synopsis (but you probably should stop reading if you’re avoiding ALL TDKR plot points) the 6 minutes is a heart-pumping, mid-air, action sequence which introduces us to Tom Hardy’s Bane. Bane and his mercenary crew are intercepting a CIA transfer of wanted Russian scientist Dr Pavel. The means by which Bane orchestrates this interception is genius, involving some inspired practical stunts, two airplanes, and a lot of daredevil stuntmen. It’s visually amazing, and showcases Nolan’s insistence of filming as much in-camera action as possible and leaving CGI as a support tool rather than a reliance; a tactic that makes all of his Batman movies stand out in ever crowded genre.

Now onto the contentious point that’s causing a lot stir online.., Bane’s voice. First of all the voice is nothing like you would expect. It’s not bullish, deep, or growling as I was expecting from such a big, violent character. Rather It’s an almost high-pitched, unhinged, synthesised voice that’s incredibly menacing and unnerving. Hardy’s Bane is well spoken and, as far as I could tell, yes, he seems British (or German as some are noting). Hardy seems to be channeling, of all things, Sean Connery and Roger Moore.., he sounds like an insane James Bond talking through an electrically charged pillow. It’s everything you wouldn’t expect the voice to be. And I loved it, it sticks with you. BUT, the rumours are true, the voice in this 6 minutes of footage is almost inaudible, so much so that entire lines are lost. It’s very difficult to understand Hardy, and that is a major concern. If this is how he’ll sound in the entire movie then it’ll be difficult to understand his motivations. I’m hoping that this is either an early audio-cut which will be cleaned up, or that Nolan and Hardy will re-record some of that dialogue in ADR. But I sincerely hope they don’t change the voice, just the clarity. Speaking of which, the audio on the whole was incredibly loud (which may have just been the theatre I was in, but this was often a complaint levied at TDK too). Some of the other actors’ dialogue was lost amongst either Hans Zimmer’s tremendous thumping score or the sound of explosions and gun fire.

What followed this opening scene was a quick 60 seconds of shots. Large sprawling fight scenes and riots, Batman’s new (flying) ride, Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle and Catwoman (there is NO cowl btw), JGL running through a corridor, and most telling of all, Bane carrying the smashed cowl of the Caped Crusader. Bleak times ahead for the Bat indeed. Overall what became clear was the scale of this movie. The term epic keeps being thrown around in the build-up to the film, and it certainly looks to be grandiose.

The Dark Knight Rises Prologue

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TDKR Prologue ticket

Tonight Deadly Movies is off to see ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ prologue at the BFI IMAX theatre in London. Over the weekend a handful of privileged journalists and celebrities were invited to see the Prologue in LA. The likes of Eli Roth, Edgar Wright, Jon Favareu, and Duncan Jones were amongst the guests and gave the six minutes of footage glowing reviews. It’s strange that a film can be so anticipated that the opening six minutes generate such buzz and excitement a full six months before the movie’s scheduled release. Aside from the action (which is supposed to be mind-blowing, upping the anti from ‘Inception‘) most reviews centred on the spectacle that is IMAX film stock. Nolan has shot over a third of the movie on IMAX film stock and is only allowing the prologue to be seen in IMAX theatres which can project IMAX film, not digital transfers. As many in attendance testified last weekend, the spectacle of IMAX film projected onto an IMAX screen tops anything offered by the gimmick of 3D. Deadly Movies will be seeing the prologue shortly, keep your peepers peeled for the review.

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer and Prologue

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Expect a lot of Batman vs Bane in the coming TDKR trailer

So Variety (or at least Variety’s Jeff Sneider) is reporting that the full length trailer for ‘The Dark Knight Rises‘ will be attached to ‘Sherlock Holmes 2‘ (also a WB release which makes sense) from December 16th. And if that’s not enough of a festive Bat-treat for you, on December 21st, a mere 5 days later, you’ll be able to see a 6 minute prologue to TDKR ahead of ‘Mission Impossible 4‘ (a revenue gift for that movie) in IMAX theatres only. So, all this news begs for some serious bat-pondering.

The Trailer: This past summer saw Nolan treat us to a teaser trailer, one that gave very little away in terms of plot or new footage. It did feature some fleeting images of Bane, Batman, and Commissioner Gordon. It also hinted heavily at the theme of destruction, anarchy, despair, and social breakdown. Expect more of the same, but on a grander scale. I think we’ll start to get a true understanding of the scale of the this movie which, given the HUGE shooting schedule and excessive locations used to depict Gotham City (London, New York, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh), should be beyond anything we’ve ever seen in a comic-book movie.

The corresponding trailer debut for ‘The Dark Knight’ back in December 2007 was essentially all about Batman and The Joker. It completely neglected (on purpose) the Harvey Dent / Two-Face story arch. I’d imagine It’ll be the same this time around. Expect a lot of Bane & The League of Shadows footage and plot points. I think Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman will certainly be shown, no doubt in full costume and in action, but her motivates and larger role may well be withheld. We’ll also get some clips and soundbites from the supporting cast: Gary Oldman’s Commissioner Gordon, Michael Caine’s Alfred, Morgan Freeman’s Lucios Fox, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s cop John Blake, and Marion Cotillard’s mysterious Miranda Tate. Don’t expect to see anything of (or from, in the character sense) the rumoured plot twists and surprises.

Things to look out for in the inevitable final 30-seconds flourish of shots: The new, and technically advanced Bat-cave, any new Bat-vehicles (yes I know most of you know there is a new one but some don’t), a rebuilt Wayne Manor, Catwoman in all her glory, Batman on the run from the police, hints at Bane’s origin, new gadgets, and Arkham Asylum.

The Prologue: Like ‘The Dark Knight‘ prologue this will undoubtably be the opening six minutes of the movie followed by 30 seconds or so of quick shots (many from the trailer and some new). I’d imagine that the prologue will address the origin of Bane. Remember that ‘The Dark Knight‘ prologue was ALL about The Joker, aside from the shot montage, it featured no Batman at all. However I’d expect to see a little more of the Bat this time around as Bane certainly doesn’t have the same cultural resonance as Mr J (for the general audience at least). So I’m going to suggest that we’ll see some Batman on the run stuff, continuing on from where ‘The Dark Knight‘ left off.

Whatever the outcome (and I may be very wrong!) we’re in for a real Batman feast before Christmas. Following on from Batman Year One and Arkham City, It’s been a great year for Batman fans so far, and that’s without the movie.

Update: Speaking to Empire, Chris Nolan confirmed the following about the Prologue. “[It’s] basically the first six, seven minutes of the film, [and will serve as] an introduction to Bane, and a taste of the rest of the film.”