So - I saw The Dark Knight Rises on Friday. Twice. I loved it that much. But I held off on my thoughts about it for a few days, because of what happened in Colorado early Friday morning. I also held off, because I wasn't sure of the right thing to say about everything. Some reactions in the media have been honorable. Others have been downright ghastly. People have blamed the film for this. People have spent more time talking about the shooter (I refuse to type his name here). It's not about the shooter. It's not about the movie. This could have happened at any big movie coming out; he just wanted a lot of people in one place at one time. It's about the victims. About Alex Sullivan who was turning 27 and tweeted that it was going to be the best birthday ever. It's about Jessica Redfield who had witnessed a shooting at a Toronto mall last month. It's about Matt McQuinn, who dove in front of his girlfriend and her brother. It's about the two active duty servicemen. And the survivors - like the guy who went to another theatre the next day to finish the movie "for those who could not finish it." I recommend this movie - when one is ready. It was fantastic, and we should not live in fear and let one man destroy something that was meant for entertainment. The guy who went back the next day conquered his fear right away, it seemed, but I must stress here that everyone deals with things in their own time. Some will never see this. Some will wait awhile. Just let everyone be. I say this also with that Twitter campaign in mind where people want to see the cast of Batman visit the injured in the hospital. Really, guys? REALLY?? Use some common sense, all right? Because this is not a good idea. If they want to go to the theatre after they heal, or wait til it comes out on blu-ray/DVD, or...just never see it, that's up to them. Don't force it on them. And definitely don't say that the actors should go visit them in character. No. Just...no. My prayers are with all of them. With Ashley, who lost her 6-year old daughter Veronica - and yet did not lose her unborn child, even though she took shots to the stomach and throat. With all of them, and with those who did not make it as well.
By the way, due to not having internet from Tuesday until this past Saturday (and also not being a cable subscriber or getting my news from TV), I was completely unaware of what had happened in Colorado. My mom made some comment about it, that maybe we shouldn't go because we might get shot, and I had no idea what she was talking about. I was on Facebook later in the day on my phone, and there were random comments made - still no real idea that anything had happened. The theatre on Friday morning was mostly empty, but I chalked this up to it being a morning showing. Morning showings are never that crowded, and the ushers weren't going through the theatre any more than usual. Same goes for the showing Friday night in Lake Placid. There were more people, because it was a night showing. But again, nothing out of the ordinary in terms of security or anything like that. I didn't really start getting information until Saturday morning. I was not scared then, and I would not be scared even now that I know. We owe it to them to not be afraid. Because if we are, then the man responsible - yes, the man responsible - will have won. He is responsible for this. Not the movie, not the people who made the movie. He is.
I'm not going to post a full review, but I will just tell you what I loved the most:
- Michael Caine. Amazing performance as Alfred.
- The final twenty minutes or so, which I found on YouTube today, and have watched several times since finding it.
- The plot twists. And that's all I have to say about that.
- Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman - not nearly as bad as people thought she would be.
- How everything with the three films together was tied up in a nice little package by the end. I can't wait for the blu-ray, because when I get it, I'm going to watch all three films back-to-back. I watched the first two Thursday night, but (obviously) didn't see the third one until the next morning.
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He's good in pretty much anything.
- Obviously, the scene at Heinz Field. I recognized Brett Keisel, Hines Ward, and Ben Roethlisberger straight away. And no way is Hines that fast.
There were some flaws, some plot holes, but really...I didn't care. I kind of figured that Bane wouldn't hold a candle to the Joker, for one, although he was okay. Heath Ledger left some huge shoes to fill in terms of the role of the villain. I loved this movie. RISE.
