So we have heard a fair amount of reactions from critics and people who have been lucky enough to see The Dark Knight Rises before the general public and those reactions have been spectacular with tears shed and standing ovations. With less than a week from premiere, Empire spoke to several names in cinema about Christopher Nolan’s work on The Dark Knight Trilogy.
David Koepp ( Writer: Spider-Man, Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible ): “To me, what was most fascinating is I have two teenage boys and watching the reverence with which they saw it, again and again and again. It really is like their generation’s Godfather. It is absolutely a seminal film for teenage boys of that and this era. If I told you I knew why, I’d be lying. It’s lightning in a bottle, and you can never explain it. Great script, top-level performances… It just completely connected to something.”
Neil Marshal ( Director: Game of Thrones ): “When I first saw it, to be honest, I couldn’t account for its huge success. My first impression was that it was long-winded and way too serious for its own good. I’ve since watched it quite a few times on Blu-ray and I’ve really come to appreciate both its cinematic craft and its intelligence — it’s certainly not frivolous. I think that’s what ultimately gives it such lasting appeal. Sure, it’s really just about a guy who dresses up as a bat, but it’s such a smart, beautifully made movie about a guy who dresses up as a bat! It definitely raised the bar for modern blockbusters. Maybe too high, since so few have ever come close!”
Wes Anderson ( Director: Fantastic Mr. Fox ): “I enjoy Chris Nolan’s work in general, but I watched the Blu-Ray and it has a thing where you can go to any scene in the movie and go to the making of that. There’s nothing that has ever made me feel less like a professional than watching Chris Nolan’s group at work. The remote-control miniature cars. Just every technique. The rehearsal of flipping the semi-trailer end over end in the middle of the desert before they blow it up in Chicago… There’s one scene where a guy jumps off the top of a skyscraper — they rehearse the jump but for the actual thing they did it CG. ‘But for the rehearsal you did jump off the building?’ ‘We have it as a reference.’ Wow. Chris Nolan is quite great. My favourite is Memento, but I’d like to learn how to do these things.”
Adam McKay ( Director: Anchorman ): “The Dark Knight is the best superhero movie ever made. I’ve seen others that try to get all real, and they strip away the fun and the mythology. And then I’ve seen movies that go too far towards the cartoon aspect. But Nolan, with mathematical precision, blended the two. The way he shoots is such a throwback, and yet so modern. He’s using old-fashioned techniques with modern ideas. Amazing.”
What you can take from this is that Nolan’s work on these films is that they have become more than just things you go see on a Friday night at the theaters. It’s become inspiring pieces of art, influencing things that we see today. Just honestly ask yourself today, if Nolan had not taken up the task of making these films, there would be a definite change in some of the things we see today. Would we not have seen as many movies grounded in reality? Would we not see more serious takes on the characters that we love? (Deny all you want, clearly The Amazing Spider-Man has been influenced by Nolan in one way or another.) It’s for sure been a cultural phenomena and I’m sure, it may not be Batman, but whoever does the next big thing in Hollywood it will in some shape or form push the next great big wave of things to come. Love it or hate it, Nolan’s work on The Dark Knight Trilogy has made an indefinite mark in history, and will be brought up in years to come. Its no doubt something I will tell my children when I get old, a story about a man who something dear to me and did something legendary with it.
Source: Empire