I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the screening of the prologue at the Bob Bullock IMAX Theater here in Austin, as a part of the newly initiated viral marketing campaign for TDKR.
The screening was at 10:00, and a representative from Warner arrived at around 9:15 to address any questions we had about our tickets or the actual screening. Before heading into the theater to be seated, shirts were handed out. As far as I know there were only two shirts, one with a bat symbol with the word "LEGEND" and another with 8 lines representing Bane's mask that had the work "END". I received the former, and was kind of confused as to why the bat symbol looks so different from the standard Nolan bat symbol... hmmm.
At around 10, they had us seated and after a little wait they began the prologue. It starts at the very end of TDK, with Commissioner Gordon saying a few last words at Dent's funeral. It then cuts to a jeep driving across a grassy terrain towards a landing strip. Upon arrival, a CIA agent is waiting outside of the plane to accept the scientist Pavil, who was being escorted on the jeep. Along with the scientist were three prisoners with black bags over their heads, who Pavil instructs the CIA agent that they are working with the assassin, Bane. Once the plane has taken off, the CIA agent begins to interrogate each henchman by dangling them outside of the plane, asking about Bane and his plan. The first two don't speak, but the third decides to pipe up. A strange voice, almost robotic and synthesized, says "Why would you shoot a man before throwing him out of a plane?". The agent approaches him and removes the mask, revealing Bane. In a taunting manner, the agent asks him what he thinks of his failed plan. While this is happening, another larger plane is flying above them. After a brief exchange between the CIA agent and Bane, the smaller plane is taken over in an amazing sequence that my words could never do justice. At one point, a body bag is brought in with what appears to be a dead body, and some of Pavil's blood is transferred to the cadaver, an act that is probably to ensure that the public will think Pavil has died. The last shot from this scene is the smaller plane being dropped, and Bane and Pavil hanging from a cable from the larger cargo plane.
After the scene, we are shown a montage of clips including Batman with a pulse rifle (?), Bane walking out from a prison, Catwoman walking outside of a jail cell, Selina Kyle in an orange jumpsuit being driven in a police cruiser, and John Blake kicking down a door shotgun in hand.
THIS is the way to market a movie. Before seeing the prologue, I was looking forward to this movie. Now, TDKR has probably jumped to the top of my "Most Anticipated Films" list. Easily. Bane is creepy. Hands down. My (and everyone else's it seems) only complaint out of the entire prologue was that his voice was difficult to make out. It was almost as though he was trying to blend a British and Hispanic accent, and on top of that there was heavy synthesizing done to his voice to show the effects of his mask. There is no way to tell if they will decide to change this for the final edit or not, but I hope they do make slight alterations to it.
This prologue definitely deserves 4/4 batarangs.
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