The Dark Knight Rises

[hismikeness]

I saw it and really liked it. It was after seeing the first two back to back for an all day marathon. The audience was in it for the long haul, knew what was up, and acted pretty professionally. There was one teenager who threw a glow stick during The Dark Knight. He was sitting right in front of me so I leaned forward real good and when the credits were rolling I stopped him and said "cut the shit with the glow sticks." He just muttered ok and shuffled out.

Anyway, my point is to ask if anyone else saw it and if we could discuss the movie and not the incident in Colorado.

To anyone who hasn't seen it, watch for the bizarre physics of the tires when Catwoman is on the Batcycle and she cuts a hard right- I can't really wrap my head around how that maneuver might work. And I'll be damned if I'm going to suspend that much disbelief at a Batman Marathon. 

[Guardian85]

To anyone who hasn't seen it, watch for the bizarre physics of the tires when Catwoman is on the Batcycle and she cuts a hard right- I can't really wrap my head around how that maneuver might work. And I'll be damned if I'm going to suspend that much disbelief at a Batman Marathon. 

The wheel assembly was mounted on gimbals so that the entire assembly can rotate to allow sideways movement of the bike while leaving the driver upright.  It might make more sense to you if you watch it in slow motion.

The Batcycle for the 2008 superhero film The Dark Knight (directed by Christopher Nolan) is called the Batpod[3][4] and its mock-up was done by Nolan[5] and later designed by Nathan Crowley, who designed the Tumbler for Batman Begins (2005). The bike has 20" front and rear tires (the Tumbler's front wheels), and is powered by a high-performance, water-cooled, single-cylinder engine - geared toward the lower end for faster acceleration and with no exhaust pipes. The exhaust is routed through the hollow steel/aluminum/magnesium tubing used for the frame of the bike.[6] The Batpod is steered by the shoulders instead of hands, and the rider's arms are protected by shields. The two foot pegs are set 3½ feet apart on either side of the tank, which the rider lies on, belly down.[7]

The engine noise was designed around the Shepard tone, for which sound effects came, in part, from the sound of the Tesla Roadster's electric motor.[8]

The Batpod ejects out of the Tumbler's front end, making the Tumbler's front wheels both of the Batpod's. Because the Tumbler is ordered to self-destruct, the Batpod allows Batman to continue his pursuit. For the film, the bike is armed with grappling hooks, cannons, and machine guns. Six models were constructed for the film's production to anticipate some of them crashing.[9]

One action sequence in the film shows the wheels rolling against their normal axes, seemingly for added stability in sharp turns or other maneuvers. This also allows for instant changes in direction - if the driver approaches a wall, the Batpod's central frame will rotate to keep the driver upright. The chassis also elongates, allowing the rider to pass under low-hanging obstacles, as when Batman slaloms underneath a tractor trailer the Joker is driving.[6]

The term Batpod is mentioned by Alfred only once in the movie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batcycle

[Crow]

Did anyone ever watch the animated shorts that were created similar to those of the Animatrix? I think it was called "Batman - Gotham Knight". Personally I though the first short captured the Batman character better than any film has to date.

[Firebird]

Finally saw it last night in IMAX and loved it. Not as good as the last movie in my opinion, but that set such a high bar that it's just nit-picking. My wife liked this one better because the story had more depth in her opinion, and she does have a point.
It's interesting that so many people loved this movie considering how little Batman is really in it; it felt like maybe 20-30 minutes tops. I'm not complaining because I liked the story and how well the other characters were used. Though Bane's voice was driving me nuts, as I had to strain to understand what the hell he was saying. But his character was well-done otherwise.
I liked how the movies were interconnected so well, how surprisingly good Anne Hathaway was, and the "Bat(wing)"; that thing kicked ass. Marion Cotillard felt a bit miscast, though the twist with her was well done.
It's nice to see Hollywood take the character so seriously, but I think this ruins other comic book movies for me too.

[Crow]

It's nice to see Hollywood take the character so seriously, but I think this ruins other comic book movies for me too.

I like that they did this as well but at the same time I think they missed a beat. Without incorporating a diverse range of emotions in all characters and the architectural qualities which is what made a man running/driving/flying around dressed as a bat more believable. The reason the second film was so much better was because of the Tom Waits inspired Joker, it was interesting to watch and added character to what was basically bankers dressing as superheros/villains at the weekend, the Joker was a stark contrast to everything else in the film and was better for it. They are the best Batman films though, by a long way and possibly the best comic book based films.