I had already decided in my head that the only film I might be comparing TDKR to is The Avengers when I went to see the former. For me personally, The Avengers is a much better movie, but lets not get into that yet. Because of this thought, I have been unable to stop myself from matching elements from both these films against each other. Which is a bit of an impossible task because apart from their most basic genres, brilliant casts and totally awesome directors, they are completely different movies. Except for one more thing- the badass, kick-ass, black spandex-clad, sexy, dry-humoured-to-perfection women- Natasha Romanoff of The Avengers and Selina Kyle of The Dark Knight Rises.
Anne Hathaway plays Selina Kyle in TDKR. Now Hathaway had huge Michelle Pfeiffer-sized shoes to fill, or so I thought. The great thing about the movie and how she plays it is that they create a totally different character and steered clear of that path. Hathaway plays her with a lot of wit and sexiness, probably the only glimmer of humour in a very grim movie. She is a femme fatale, but there is also the potential to be someone much better and greater. I did not expect to be this blown away by Hathaway's portrayal of Kyle, but she easily became the best part of the movie for me.
Scarlett Johannson played Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in The Avengers and Ironman 2 earlier. She was pretty cool in the latter, but she was almost scene-stealing in the first. That is high-praise because The Avengers is such an ensemble piece. She is a very adept and an uber-awesome spy- almost like a female James Bond, but without all the showiness. The only girl in the gang of all the superhero boys, but completely on par with them.
Like Hathaway, I did not expect the usually delicate-looking Johannson to be this tough and dangerous. But she is, and is totally believable.
I have a weird theory in my head that Kyle is almost like an earlier version of Romanoff. They are both absolutely brilliant characters, that have been played beyond all expectations by both these actresses. They each need their own movies, where they can do what they do best- say wry one-liners and kick butt!
I don't know who I like more honestly. Hathaway's Kyle might become more iconic because of the people's reaction to her film, but I cannot deny the fact that I really wanted to be Johannson's Romanoff throughout her movie.
Scarlett Johannson played Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in The Avengers and Ironman 2 earlier. She was pretty cool in the latter, but she was almost scene-stealing in the first. That is high-praise because The Avengers is such an ensemble piece. She is a very adept and an uber-awesome spy- almost like a female James Bond, but without all the showiness. The only girl in the gang of all the superhero boys, but completely on par with them.
Like Hathaway, I did not expect the usually delicate-looking Johannson to be this tough and dangerous. But she is, and is totally believable.
I have a weird theory in my head that Kyle is almost like an earlier version of Romanoff. They are both absolutely brilliant characters, that have been played beyond all expectations by both these actresses. They each need their own movies, where they can do what they do best- say wry one-liners and kick butt!
I don't know who I like more honestly. Hathaway's Kyle might become more iconic because of the people's reaction to her film, but I cannot deny the fact that I really wanted to be Johannson's Romanoff throughout her movie.
