Finally! After an unbelievable amount of fake recounts, a group of lucky press members got to see an official screening of the much-anticipated prologue for The Dark Knight Rises, and a good number of them have published their thoughts.
On a side note, director Christopher Nolan announced at the screening that The Dark Knight Rises will in fact be the final Batman film. That aside – if you don’t want anything spoiled for you, I suggest that you don’t read on.
Viewer responses varied slightly, but the prologue seems to be almost exclusively adored, with many praising the six minutes of footage. One thing is for sure: the prologue is all about Bane (Tom Hardy). Batman (Christian Bale) doesn’t even appear, and apparently, Bane’s presence is more than enough for fans.
Here’s what Screen Rant had to say about Bane’s introduction:
The director once again shows incredible innovation and vision with an introduction to Bane that legitimately earns the (oft overused) descriptor: epic. The bulk (no pun intended) of the opening focuses on Bane – his depictions of the antagonists in this series have been among the most memorable and fascinating contributions that Nolan has made to the Batman universe. Aside from a slight audio issue (it is a bit of a challenge to make out the dialogue with the obstruction of the mask) that will likely be adjusted by the time of the film’s release, Bane is by all indications a villain worthy of the final installation of this franchise. Tom Hardy is able to electrify a frame with his very presence, his every movement fills the viewer with tension and a chilling sense that no one (not even him) knows what he may do next.
He is simply terrifying to watch.
You can check out some more recounts and thoughts from those who actually saw the prologue at here at Collider, here at /Film and here at Deadline, and you can read the rest of the ScreenRant article here.
Those of us who weren’t blessed enough to be invited to the screening can see the prologue before Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in certain cities on Dec. 16. Let us know what you think in the comments.