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While The Dark Knight trilogy stands out as one of the most well-crafted superhero trilogies of all time, there is one glaring issue that I still find distracting in The Dark Knight Rises. I’m a huge Christopher Nolan fan, and it’s fair to say that his Dark Knight trilogy is a spectacular series of films. From the groundbreaking Batman Begins that completely changed how the character was perceived in live-aciton, to the heart-thumping The Dark Knight where arguably the best version of the Joker (Heath Ledger) ever appeared, the series had some huge wins.
However, I do think the third and final entry felt lacking compared to its predecessors. And that is not to suggest that the entire thing was bad, but it just felt like things were glossed over in a way that feels entirely disconnected from other Nolan films. While Christopher Nolan’s movies are typically meticulously crafted and refined, The Dark Knight Rises suffered from an oversight that distracts from the drama and story in the film’s action-packed third act, when Talia al Ghul’s death lowers the tone and overall quality.
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The Dark Knight Rises’ Talia Al Ghul Death Scene Is Its Only Real Weak Spot
Talia’s Death Is Poorly Acted And Out Of Place
By no means am I suggesting that this one scene completely erases all the good that came before or after, but it’s hard to watch the movie without this scene breaking up the momentum. Nolan’s work, especially his Batman trilogy, is an exceptional display of action, character development, and fantasy. Throughout the trilogy, Christian Bale transforms into a man who has been irrevocably changed by the death of his parents, and now seeks out ways to put his corrupt city right.
As he faces spectacular villains with equal depth, such as the Joker, Harvey Dent, and even Talia al Ghul herself, the story feels richer and more thorough than most hero movies before or since. However, as part of this magical storytelling, the films rely on a certain level of authenticity to keep the viewers actively engaged. It’s important to maintain this level of focus in order to maintain the flow, but when something breaks that focus, it can be detrimental. Unfortunately, this brief scene does just that as it fails to maintain a high level of realism, authenticity, and quality.
And that is not to suggest that the entire thing was bad, but it just felt like things were glossed over in a way that feels entirely disconnected from other Nolan films.
Even The Actor Feels Like The Scene Was A Low Point For The Dark Knight
In reality, it may be the actor who is performing in this role, and clearly they delivered a bad take at that moment, but the truth is that it’s not entirely their fault. Marion Cotillard, the woman who plays Talia, has even acknowledged her own frustrations with the scene, and her opinion about why it is so distracting (via Comic Book Movie);
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We’re all in the same boat, and if sometimes it gets out of control, then everyone is involved. Sometimes there are failures, and when you see this on screen, you’re thinking: ‘Why? Why did they keep that take?’ But either you blame everyone or nobody. But I thought people overreacted, because it was tough to be identified just with this scene. When I’m doing the best I can to find the authenticity in every character that I’m playing, it’s tough to be known just for this scene.
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As an actor, it falls on the individual to play their part. Show up, get into the mind of the character, and make it feel real. But, a director is responsible for providing feedback in real time, so that the vision of their end product is realized. If they don’t get the right performance, or line delivery, they need to go again. This may result in reshoots down the line, or, if a scene simply doesn’t work, and it isn’t vital, it could be cut. The issue is, this moment made it through several rounds of revisions, edits, and approvals to get into the final product, and somehow, this take, with this tone, was chosen and left in.
Should The Dark Knight 4 happen?
Jonathan Nolan, Christopher’s brother, would love to go back to their Batman world. While the director seems to be done with comic book movies, The Dark Knight 4, helmed by Jonathan, who is involved with major projects like Westworld and Fallout, could be great. However, Christian Bale has said he would only return to the franchise if Chris Nolan directed it, and since that’s unlikely, a new Batman would have to be cast, perhaps Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character. While I would be excited to see The Dark Knight 4 as an Elseworlds story, it wouldn’t make sense without Bale.
The Dark Knight Rises’ Movie Timing Exacerbated The Scene Complaints
The Timing Couldn’t Have Been Worse
But, it’s not just the fact that a bad take was left in, it’s the entire context around this shot. Just before Talia meets her untimely demise, there is an incredible chase, with all the members of Batman’s team working together to try and stop this bomb destroying the city. It’s explosive, its intense, and it gets the audience amped up. Of course, the following sequence should be in keeping with that tone, or provide a subtle shift to a new emotion, but intense thrilling action to comically bad death scenes is not subtle.
It’s a sticking point that leaves a bad taste in viewers’ mouths, and destroys the immersion of the scene. And on top of this, it comes at the climax, of the final chapter in a trilogy which had so much promise and did so much right. This ultimately worked against it as expectations were higher than normal, and so a lazy death scene, with a comical head roll and eyes snapping shut just feels like a let-down. All together, it didn’t destroy The Dark Knight Rises or the trilogy, but it was a disappointing moment in an otherwise spectacular series of movies.
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