Thanks to Operation Early Bird, a very limited number of people across the globe got to see the 6 minute prologue to The Dark Knight Rises last night and luckily enough, Hypable’s own Jimmy Bean, Pat McCoy and John Thrasher were some of those people.

For a description of what happened in the prologue check out our earlier coverage here. John and Pat went together to the Palisades Mall in Nyack, New York on Tuesday night. When walking in to the theater, each person was presented with a t-shirt that had a suspicious looking Batman logo on the front with the word “LEGEND” underneath. Check out the photo below:

Though there was no explanation of the logo or the “LEGEND” in the prologue, Pat and John determined that it looks like a chalk drawing of the bat symbol. It may be a long time before we know exactly what it means. Additionally, we’ve been seeing that other IMAX theaters, specifically in California, have received a second version of the t-shirt with what look like scratch marks or teeth, with the word “END” below. Check out the photo below. Thanks to Trent for the photo.

As for the prologue itself, Jimmy, John and Pat are each chiming in below, and will have a full detailed reaction on the next episode of HeroHype!

For now, check out John’s mainly spoiler free reaction to the prologue and the snippets of the movie he saw.

John’s Reaction – “This prologue was just breathtaking. I made sure not to read details so I could have a pure and honest reaction. All I could do was sit there after the lights turned on. Being a tiny minuscule part of this movie and having it film in Pittsburgh (which is close to home) the excitement level was already sky high. The IMAX experience of this prologue made it not only look amazing but sound amazing. It’s truly a whole other way to experience films and I would highly recommend anyone who is going to see this (or any other Nolan film for that matter) to do so in IMAX. People will complain about Bane’s voice. There were a few moments where neither Pat nor myself could make out entire what he was saying. But, overall I wasn’t annoyed or disappointed by it. It sounds real: he’s wearing a mask after all. The end sequence of the prologue featured a montage of moments from the movie such as Bane and Batman fighting, Catwoman in costume, Selina Kyle in what appeared to be an orange inmate jump suit, and the Batplane flying through the streets of Pittsburgh Gotham. If I had to give this prologue a number from 1-10, 10 being the most exciting and awesome, I would give it a 9.8. If you’re even a mediocre Batman fan, this prologue is going to get you jumping out of your seat screaming for more.”

Now, check out Jimmy’s spoiler-ridden description of the prologue:

Jimmy’s Reaction- Go see this thing in 70mm IMAX when it comes out. Seriously, it’s worth it. In the theater I was in, if you looked straight ahead you saw nothing but the giant IMAX screen, and that’s the ideal way to view this prologue.

The prologue is basically the introduction of Bane, along with a quick run-down of this shit that this beast is capable of. More than anything however, we get a glimpse of Bane’s followers, who we’re sure will become hugely important in the actual film and are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of Bane’s cause.

The scope of the prologue was breathtaking. Just like The Dark Knight did with Batman Begins, this film has a completely different feel to it. It doesn’t even feel like a Batman film. It really felt like more of a James Bond film, but the visuals are iconically Nolan’s.

As for Bane’s voice, it sounds AWESOME. The voice itself is something completely new that sends chills down your spine, although it is true what everyone has been saying, it’s veryhard to understand him. The important bits came through (“Crashing this plane” and “The Fire Rises” in particular sent goosebumps down myarms), but the longer sentences were absolutely lost on me.

The prologue basically follows the kidnapping of a scientist and the hi-jacking of a plane. The IMAX screen is used to its full potential here, and the execution of the operation makes it seem highly possible that Bane has more than just the league of shadows on his side. He had at least a dozen accomplices on this mission, and the results are spectacular.

As for the sizzle reel at the end, several moments jumped out at me. Seeing Selina Kyle in an orange jumpsuit in the backseat of a policecar, seeing Bane walk past his minions in his spectacular white fleece jacket costumes, watching Gotham collide with the police. It was all spectacular and capped by an amazing shot of Bane disposing of a shattered Batman mask.

Overall, this has amped my excitement for the film, mostly because Bane is promising to be one hell of an antagonist. Bane represents power in all facets, and it will be interesting to see what someone with that much power will do to bring down the most powerful man in Gotham.