the last chronicler

Actually, I hate to suggest this, but the tumbler would benefit from a sticker on the windshield. Whats bothering me personally is that the traditional lego windshield makes it look like a cyclops in comparison to the actual vehicle. A sticker could help divide it into two smaller windows instead of one big one. Of course two of these: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=47758 in tan could work as an alternative to the two slope peices and the glass, like in Brent Waller cuusoo set. Here: http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/8919

The last year was rushed, and so when I think of the elements of the story that encompass it I tend to lean on the dramatic elements that weren't covered in detail, such as the affect of the battle of the giant robots on the people, and so in some manner I do imagine a fan version that is darker and more realistic, but I think the key elements of the finale were appropriate for the series. Love the Mata Nui and Makuta battle, sure the Golden armor stuff seemed cheap, but at least it brought back the classic "collection" element of Bionicle, which was a good way to close the series. I think if Greg and the story team was given more time the minor problems the filled the ending could be expanded on, and story points could have been given a better explanation. So I guess my question is does your story sit in the same universe or is it a complete rewrite? I am intrigued...

I'd like to hear your ending, though I imagine it's dependent on other factors besides the official storyline. Also, the politics are pretty blunt in Bionicle, the matoran universe is socialist with a deity, and 2004 spends time showing how these beliefs can manipulated into "1984"-esque evil, through Makuta disguised as Turaga Dume and the Vahki police force (see this Soviet style Vahki propaganda from that year: Nuurakh- The feeling of working for the greater good is compensation enough , and ). That's one of the reasons I've grown to love 04, it takes the dedication that the Toa and Matoran had in the first three years and twists it against them. It explains why the Turaga kept the past hidden, their inability to see the political corruption in 2004 led to the full dictatorship that destroyed the city in 05 and turned Vakama against his people. Even though Greg thought him being evil was illogical, in the context of the overarching story it makes sense, Vakama believed Roodaka because everything he had known had been turned onto itself and destroyed. The Makuta, trusted followers of Mata Nui, revolted, and the matoran were shown to be ignorant. Only Matau's words reminded him that he was there to protect the people, not control them.

Frankly the HF building is more universal, and probably better, I just always found it boring in comparison to Bionicle because of it's lack of unique parts, which for me seems to prevent out- of-the box thinking. This may be more LEGO like, but linear building systems where you place parts end on end works with LEGO because buildings are built upward, where as the most natural form of "stacking" HF parts ends up creating a really long snake. Bionicle didn't have a universal building block, but it did have a universal construction system based on Techic, so it wasn't kid friendly but it was a smoother step up for the user if they chose to build larger sets or MOCs. The real reason I still call Bionicle a better series is it's underlying values, it actually takled some deeper subjects like communism ( 2004) capitalism and enviromentalism (2009), and less directly political subjects like identity (2001-2003, 2008) and took the time to define a hero as someone seperate from a killer. 2005 on film and in story was classic Film-Noir with Roodaka as the femme-fatale leading a suicidal dictatorship, and 2006 and 2007 had the self-sacrificing hero, matoran slavery, and "the Toa of Anarchy". Bionicle had a little awesome in every year. I didn't mean to open pandora's box here and createi chaos in the whole HF vs. Bionicle debate, and for that I am sorry. I just want people to understand my perspective and the method behind the madness, instead of just using immature angry fanboyish backlash.

Sure, it works if you throw some Bionicle pieces in between. I just don't like that it's trying so hard to be it's own style separate from Bionicle and Technic, yet the design can't fully hold it's own. Bionicle was designed as Sci-Fi figures in the Technic genre, so the designs are logical. On the other hand large Hero Factory MOCs and sets, especially vehicles, can't hold their own in this so called "new system", as if they designed the figures this way for the sake of differentiating it from Bionicle. Of course it's not fair for me to judge the theme this early on in it's career, considering Bionicle had 10 years to perfect and increase the variety its system. But for arguments sake, I'm simply saying no theme is perfect and shouldn't be judged on one aspect or one year, but across the board so we can see it's qualities. Hero Factory is consistent bore-fest of Bionicle tropes rehashed, no better than any other kids action figures these days. It's stands only because it's balanced on the shoulders of previous greats, not because it's a quality product. Plus the limbs look like ZooB pieces. PS: I am being spiteful, and it's stupid to have these arguments over a toy, but Bionicle deserves credits where it is due, instead of being trivialized as simply the precursor to HF. I do not hate Hero Factory in any manner, it's cool system! But if you say something harsh like your previous comment don't think there isn't going to be any backlash, especially biased toward Bionicle. It's seems like you don't like story elements coming out of the blue. I admit, a whole new world was a jump, maybe forced a little, but the execution of 2009 was excellent, it really brought back the mystic feeling created 2001, but with it's own cultural twist based on roman Gladiator concepts placed over an apocalyptic world. The last year was rushed, and this did make things seem unrealistic or illogical, but you have to take things in their basic form, not as their details. The whole moon thing was appropriate though, and was a perfect way to show of Mata Nui's desperation and self sacrifice. To kill Makuta any other way but in the hands of the broken Mata Nui would have been a disservice in my opinion.

So essentially your cranky because your little theme was rushed to completion, so you have declared the whole thing to be crap. Just to let you know, everything ends eventually, sonetimes swiftly and unexpectantly and there's nothing you can do. At least Greg is respecting the fans and filing in the plotlnes that he couldn't finish, instead of letting the secret sit. Hero Factory is going to have a similair fate eventually, that doesn't make the product tripe. Bionicle has had problems throughout it's history, but at least it ended at a somewhat high note, with some nostalgia and an epic-scale battle, with a brilliantly themed 2009 covering it's back. Personally I think Hero Factory only seems better due to a lack of personnal attachement and a consistently mediocre plot lacking in symbolism or morality. Highlighted by a building system, that although unique, is poorly designed for larger scale building and includes an excessive amount of unecessary attachement systems. I am being harsh, but they are essentially just fancy minifigures on a larger scale. I enjoy the sets and the theme, but creativity wise I've seen much cooler things come out of Bionicle (and I prefer the look of the parts).

Yeah, that part was a little off, not the greatest writing for that. You know what they say though, if being stuck in a tunnel doesn't kill you it makes you stranger stronger. Actually, for me, the most unrealistic part was Catwomans "clean slate program". With people having more knowledge about technology in this decade over the last, I found it's inclusion, or at least the way it was handled a bit illogical, despite being thematically relevent. Reminds me off the shattered bullet reconstruction in order to simple find fingerprint in TDK, it's a concept that's a little illogical for my taste. Reminded me of Cobb in Inception, and that company that could magically erase all his problems. That was actually handled better script-wise by Nolan because it implied political connections more so than technology, something like that may have worked better in ths film. Def: please don't take it personally, I just don't why someone can't believe Batman would retire, he's done it in the comics, gaaaahhhhh! Whatever. Walter: I found the film surprisingly similar to both previous itterations, almost a little too much so. The whole story brough back elements and concepts of the first film, with the feel and overaching political and emotional symbolism of the second. Personallly I though the balance this time was perfect, with the plot just enough out there to not feel like a rehash like other comic book films. Dark Knight is still my favorite, where the way the story arc plays through the characters is amazing. For me a good film is where it's plot, characters, themes, and arch fall together like clockwork, which the Dark Knight did slightly better, with I think an equal, but less obvious, amount of plot holes. But the way this film takes such extreme situation as a revolution into the modern world, playing off of some great Batman characters, almost makes me favor it's concept over TDKs. PS: I think people who found this film iffy the first time should watch it again soon. At least for me, I've always found Nolan films to feel very compact, especially with the transition between high-octane action and they emotional scenes. Plus they tend to jump around alot over elements that can be solved by common sense through carefully watching the film, which lends to peole seeing plot-holes where there isn't. This played well with Inception and Dark Knight, because of the choatic nature of the Joker and dreams, but due to the linear nature of this film it makes things more jaring. You can't go into this film thinking about the previous one or the image you've constructed from previews.

Nolans mantra has never been 'realism', but more so 'heightened realism'. I think you where going into this film expecting a plot at Dark Knight level, ( or maybe you where expecting a documentary?), but as for realism this film sits right snug between the first and second film. So although Nolan films boast a realistic setting, the heroes and villians represent extremes in this world. Nolans films avoid superpowers because they are beyond logic, where as Batman's powers come from gadgets. Similarly Bane has gained power through securing mining facilities in foreign countries for expensive investors like John Dagett. For this reason, Bane's attack on the airplane is no less realistic then Batman's batpod ejector seat on the Tumbler, or the Bat. Frankly, most people don't understand physics at that scale because such a situation has never occured, the closest thing being mid-air refueling, which is entirely possible. In the end though, the realism is not important here, but its metaphor and relevance to the rest of the plot. It sets up Bane's power, his men's willingness to the cause, and the abilities of the League of Shadows. Plus, the seaming lack of CGI pulls the whole thing together as one of the coolest action sequences ever. Bruce Wayne always believed Batman was a way of pulling the world and Gotham out of apathy towards crime and corruption, so when he became an outlaw and the Dent act was created, there was no reason for Batman to exist anymore. Unfortunately he has been living in constant depressing through his parents death, and the death of Rachel, waiting for the chance to avenge them once more. Batman had become a part of him, and in case you don't remember, Rachel was his 'hope for a normal life', with Alfred being the only peice of that past left. With him gone he desperately turned to Miranda Tate for affection. It's all connected, you just have to look beyond the beautiful cinematography. Bane's plan parallels this, as not only is he destroying Gotham to fulfil Ra's Al Ghul's mission to enact justice apon a corrupt empire, but he is also destroying everything that Batman believed was justice. Bane tortures Batman by not only showing that his heroism was a lie that gave the rich and powerful control over Gotham city, but by also completing the work of the man Bruce Wayne murdered. This way, he was enacting true revenge against the Dark Knight. Now about the ending: People keep saying things need to be closer to the comics, but every idea I've seen and spoken of in TDKR is derived from them (even exact sequences). People just think it takes fantastiscal characters to make a good superhero story, which in my opinion lends itself to lazy writing. (Why does Catwoman survive that murderous fall in Returns. Um, cat... magic. It works but it's not as strong as the characters background lending to their costume and actions.) That was a lot of words which I am too tired to check for errors. PS: on second thought, Peter Parkers need to become cool and then becoming cool was a much better plot, and Dr. Conners want to turn everyone into lizards because they were 'better' was much more logical than Banes 'ridiculous' rampage. PSS: Def, now I that have turned your argument to ashes you have my permission to die.

These are excellent, especially the Bat, and I love the compact nature of the Tumbler model. Fun story, I'm working on a LEGO TDKR Trailer 3, in Lego, and I used your Bat design as the basis for the one in my trailer. Probably should have asked...

My choices are Gordon and Venom. Venom due to those hilarious attachments as well as being a classic Spidey villian. Although I like the Bane figure he's a little cartoony in comparison to the custom I already own: http://thr2.pgmcdn.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/thumbnail_570x321/2012/03/dark_knight_rises_lego_trailer_a_h.jpg But the Gordon figure is beautiful in both detail and accuracy.

I heard of this "spoiler", I don't think it's true, from what I've seen and heard. It also contradicts the themes of the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V5GieeL9lI&feature=related Lookin' great!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOR7bE5AdTQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imE3EaitaHk I'm really excited for this. It looks just amazing.

If you mean in the summer, it's plausible, but "together" is a loose term considering one is a DC theme and the other is Marvel. Considering we don't even know what the Spiderman set looks like it doesn't seem too unreasonable to not have seen any images of a Dark Knight Rises set. PS: Nice Avatar

I find it tough to judge 5 word sentences out of context, but just as Batmans voice sounds riduculous out of context so does his dialog. Frankly I liked the car line, I was little worried after trailer 2 that they had forgotten how to write a balanced script, but the classic insert of the funny line of dialog at the end of 3 shows they know how to break tension in context. Also, we really can't get much deeper into discussing the motivations of Bane without seeing the film itself, but I'm confident they are using the comics as a basis. Certainly these elements won't come in the same order or style as the comics, but that is the case of any villian in the comic book genre. These choose a character and motivations that best suit the plot. Also, I must admit that when I first saw the image of Bane holding a picture of Harvey Dent up wearing his long jacket, before much else had been revealed, I immediatly thought French Rev. I was excited at the prospect not just because of all the revolutions in North Africa, but because of the economic crisis in the United States. It was the perfect set up for contextual realism. Of course, trailer 2 double confirmed this, and the fact that I guessed the plot correct and it had been based on a French Revolution novel has made me excited. This will be a very unique film, and it's the kind of film I really want to see.

Not sure why everyone hates on the Christian Bale Batman, the voice is just part of the disguise and the portrayal of Batman's dark history. It was maybe a little too strong in The Dark Knight, but Batmans anger and violence helped to show Joker's effect on Bruce's mentality, and reflected his need to avenge the death of his parents through fighting crime. Oh, and Darth, those cheesy peices of dialog are called one liners, and they make up most of the comedy in superhero films. Better get used to them . PS: Also the point I guess I was trying to make about Bane is that he has multiple conections to big scale terrorism yet to be seen in the Dark Knight Rises. Ra's Al Ghul being part of that. If the film makers choose to give Bane more reasons to attack the Bat and Gotham than that should just deepen the character beyond what the comics originally conceptualized.

One could also say Batman isn't a political/ crime drama or a story of an unlikely hero formed from a Ninja-assasin going rogue. But it happened, and it worked. This is about telling a bold finale in more ways then one, and having Batman fight for what he believes is right in a mental, physical, and societal manner allows for a much deeper perspective on the man and the Bat. This is what made TDK strong, and I have hopes it will make TDKR even stronger. Its also important to note the film is based on A Tale of Two Cities by our favorite Charles Dickens, a story of the French Revolution. This sets up the idea that Bane may be more than "a mobster" but a man who wants to take down the powers of Gotham. This does parrelel the comics, where Bane is trained by none other then Ra's Al Ghul himself to take down Batman and his city. These Nolan films are about characters and morality, and if you chalk it down to that alone from what one knows about this film, as of now, TDKR Bane will be very much in the spirit of comic Bane. Yes it is a risky choice of villian and a dramatic visual change, but it seems reasonable not to expect magic strength juice in a dramatic Bat film, and frankly a mexican wrestler does not give off a scary or intellectual vibe. I think what people forget about movies is that they don't change elements of the original work just to piss the fans off, they change them because a story is told in more than just words. But we'll see when the film is released, there is room to fail and to succeed.

That is one impressive decal design right there!

Thanks guys!

This is stop motion. Um. Edit: Wait, is that a pun? Ha.

Thank you!

I know this is a little off topic, but I couldn't wait for this film, so I recreated a little "video" in Lego as tribute: Topic

Well I';m surprised by the voice acting, hopefully the game will be excellent though!

I am really hoping we get more Batman in the summer to coincide with the film. Although the story continues to be dark, I'm hoping LEGO decides to include a film Bane, who is really not as frightening visually as the Joker from four years ago. As for the current Batman and Avengers, although the sets aren't a priority many of them will hopefully fall in to my collection. Onnnnnnnnnnn...ffffffff Topic: Also, I recreated a little "trailer" for you guys: Hope you like it. Video Removed. Topic

A recreation of The Official Dark Knight Rises Trailer in our favorite building system! This took way too many months to shoot, and way too many problems to upload! LEGO Dark Knight Rises Movie Trailer By ParanickFilmz. Thanks to Adviceversas for the mouth animation and JediMasterSoda for the CGI. The original Media is property of Warner Brothers and DC Comics, which we have no affiliation with.