bkev said:
I guess I have a skewed perception because my definitive Batman will always be the Animated Series.
I'll drink a Dr. Pepper to that ;) Some aspects of the comics define what Batman really is, but in the end, TAS really is the ultimate version of Batman to me. You get to see so many facets to him, the storyline never becomes convoluted, and the characters are well-defined and fleshed out. My problem with the comics is much the same as the Star Wars EU, and I've largely stopped caring about the comics altogether, except for an exceptional story here and there--and even then, someone has to promote it to me because I won't even bother picking it up without a recommendation.
Personally, I think Rachel's death is interwoven fine, but the film portrays Bruce trying not to let it show. Every now and then, things get through, like when Batman tells Harvey he wasn't the only one who lost something. But I hear your complaint, and it would have been nice to see a bit more.
I thought of another complaint of the film I'd like to share: we don't see a real detective. I remember reading information during the lead up to the film, and we were told we'd get to see more detective-work. When the time came, the only thing that really stands out as somewhat legit deduction was his reconstruction of the bullet and therefore the fingerprint, but the whole concept is beyond belief for me in the Nolan version of Batman's universe, so I don't even like the idea. I'd really like to see a Batman who sneaks and snoops, uncovers clues and uses realistic technology and brains to follow a mysterious trail. Perhaps a Riddler villain would have allowed for such a storyline better, but then the Riddler is pretty silly, and I'll always be tainted by Jim Carrey's version. Who knows? If Joker can be remade into such a "serious" character, I'm sure the Riddler could have been far more intimidating as well.
I feel like I'm spending all this time critiquing the film, but I really do enjoy it. I guess if I were to rate it, I'd give it a 7/10, while Begins I'd give a 9/10. Begins was my favorite movie for a time, I enjoyed it so much, and it holds up to repeated watching a scrutiny better to me. But I truly enjoy Dark Knight, and I feel the ending was extremely impactful.
I still find myself extremely excited by TDKR, and the choice of Bane was a good one IMO. While he was poorly done in B/R, he really is a pretty cool baddie in the comics (the first storyline that I followed in the comics, as I first read it during the run of Knightfall back in 6th grade!). I believe Nolan can pull off a great finale, and even if it only matches up with TDK as another 7/10 in my book, I'll still believe it worth the wait and price of the ticket.
Oh, and the idea of a Matches Malone film is very interesting as well, CaptainSolo. It'd be another aspect of Batman that I'd like to see explored further.