it is always realistically exciting to view a super-hero or even Sci-Fi movie in one of the latest multi-shopping complexes in South Korean metropolis, for the atmosphere seemingly builds-up as you enter and find your way through a maze (Yeah, wait ’til you try to exit the building after a late-showing when ALL other stores are closed .. Hello ?) of such monolith structure .

and not to mention shopping, this iPark Mall Shopping Complex built atop YongSan KTX bullet train station contains three floors of restaurants sandwiching upper CGV movie theatre floors – put in some coffee shops and a book-store too, so you have ample places to relax before-andafter the movie . and because it is a train-and-subway station hub, taxi cabs always lined-up outside the main entrance even after viewing the midnight slots 😉

  
as compared on my Post of ‘Mission impossible Ghost Protocol’ this YongSan Branch has the second largest screen after WangSimNi of CGV iMAX Theatres in South Korea, and chosen because :

  1. traffic is a nuissance to get to and out of WangSimNi,
  2. my range of seats were absolutely taken – 2/3 way back and the Right corner on the center block – bracing the corridor gives more space to the screen afront, and I’d like to be ready to get-out when the realism gets too much,

 

and as you enter this massive structure with train and subway station, electronics-dedicated wing, department store, super-mart, inter-connected mall and movie theatre .. it is stuffy . throughout the station, in the department store and up at the theatre too . we are in the middle of Asian Monsoon Season with a strong typhoon weakening to disperse over the Korean Peninsula and the weather is HOT .

although now a technologically-advanced nation, buildings save energy cost by taking advantage of elders still not-at-ease with air conditioning . more so : a bulk of Koreans traditionally counter heat with /more/ heat as the ritual of devouring whole-chicken soup on the designated-Beginning and End Days of Summer (actually it used to be dog soup but a majority of citizens has opted the more-civilized meat)

so know that temperature inside is barely enough to keep you from perspiring and an alternative is to pre-heat yourself more at YongSan Spa, right next to the whole complex, South . it is a huge unisex hot springs and sauna, with another near-by in the more touristy iTaewon aptly named iTaewon Land high-up on the stairways across from YongSan Hotel .

et alors .. on commence ?

 

*** SPOILER WARNING ***

so it is appropriate ‘The Avengers’ seen in 3D while ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in iMAX, for while the former is universal team-action and the latter has similar aircraft-hovering scenes, but vast panorama of Gotham City often shown on screen best realized in large-scale .

aside from a single street-chase scene, a rather-complicated (by super-hero movie standards to the tune of ‘WatchMen’ 2009) human-to-human drama lingers-on with no explanation in-sight, which is a massive waste of quite-expensive screen-space if you opted to watch on a giant iMAX screen -_- and half-way through the movie, if you have accompanied a dumb date just for the looks : you are thinking “wrong movie umph”

and you keep-on waiting in enthusiasm for the action, as it eventually comes in the classic Vietnam War movie ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (1987) – I mention this for what eventually comes is NOT a super-hero Sci-Fi blast against this episode’s villain BUT inner-city guerilla warfare . what-did-ya-say ?!

 

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

adding to the curiosity building along about the plot, the secluded under-ground prison where this movie’s primal evil Bane is supposed to have escaped from as a child, is mysterious to the viewer as the more-futuristic hidden lab in the Utopian thriller ‘The island’ (2005) – and remaining so even after the movie . prison-or-not, eventual disease should wipe-out any living thing in such closed quarters without sanitation and sewage . one single shot of its exterior scenery on the out-skirts of a hill-side town hints of Middle Eastern realm .

yes, an On-Line community back-stabber Spoiled me prior to seeing ‘The Sixth Sense’ (1999) and here again with an unexpected double-plot-twist (the first : dreadfully-unwelcomed and the second joyfully welcomed) towards the end . its core plot-twist similar to the psychological detective TV Series ‘Criminal Minds’ last double Episode of Season 7, where Josh Stewart here playing one of the lead mercenary fighter also guest-star in .
   
acting Academy Award in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ would go to Gary Oldman playing Police Commissioner Gordon, this time around : revealing the human-side and geez even does action-hero onto the climax !
and Michael Caine as Alfred the loyal butler, this time much emotional from the usual calm know-all
– both familiar characters of classic Batman series fame, and because so : mighty hard for a POW ! WOW ! Batman fan to fathom them weeping in emotion AND lost in the course of righteousness .

*** LOST-IN-SPACE : “DANGER ! DANGER ! WILL ROBINSON” ***

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is a “Drama” where the core of the story-line unravels over the last 2/3 of the movie . a new experimental-stage fusion energy core is at stake (as the 1997 movie adaption of a sixties classic TV series ‘The Saint’). Gotham-wide battle ensues to nuke vs.save a good part of this City-by-the-Sea, coming with a touching /dramatic/ ending . and no-way this is gonna be the last of the supposed-Trilogy, for the ending already bore enough platforms for a couple more slots including Hello ~ Robin !

  • THUMBS-UP :
    • side-rotating motion of the wheels on Bat-Pod motor-cycle when sliding side-ways, encore !
    • under-planes of the inverted-helicopter The Bat !
  • NEAR-MISS :
    • hand-battle between Batman and Bane seemed so raw & for-ever,
    • we’ve seen enough wall-climbing on ‘Mission impossible’ movie series, thanks to Tom Cruise’s dangerous hobby
    • CatWoman kissing Batman simply don’t compute brr,
  • UNEXPECTED :
    • most main characters even evil, emotionally shed tears by movie’s end, ofcourse except Batman who only cries in utmost pain ugrrr
  • IMPROVEMENT ON BLU-RAY PLEASE :
    • more introduction in the beginning would help and
    • a bit more insight on how Bruce Wayne did-that in the ending scene hmm ..

 

 

in the end, this story is about the human side of the caped crusader which we have NOT come here to enjoy – for come’on : humans in us is enough, so instead put glory on the inspiring (both in design as well as operation) vehicles – of which Batman series have been much about from the start .

so the thrill continues, for the Hong Kong-based racing toy and collectible action figure maker : Hot Toys just announced plans to unleash all three of them, shown in this movie ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ yippee ~

mind-you : classic G.i. Joes can fit into these, so one would take up the whole top of your refrigerator ! um to glorify your appetite

yesss, from an avid collector of one-sixth scale action figures
– Korea Tech BLog, mid-July 2012 amidst Typhoon Khanun –

 

[ related LINK ]

12.7.18 BATMAN The Dark Knight Rises iMAX 2D CGV WangSimni YongSan YeongDeungPo Seoul Busan ≫LiNK

 

( September 28th Friday 2012 Update )

to commemorate iOS6, iTunes game app The Dark Knight Rises 1.02 is now $0.99 !!!