THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

I am a life-long Batman fan! I have loved Batman as far back as I can remember. I always had the toys, watched the shows, and would dress up like Batman. While the 1960's movie was great for my very young mind at the time, the terrible Batman movies starring Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney were a disaster and had no resemblance to the real Batman. They were a nightmare for Batman fans and the public at large. 

Christopher Nolan took over the Warner-Brothers franchise and made it very real and very close to what we had all be hoping for. Batman is the best character and lends itself to brilliant films if those in charge do not mess it up. Nolan, David Goyer, and their team have done a spectacular job of bringing a super hero into the real world. It is fascinating to see Batman operating in the real world and not on some fantasy set. I have enjoyed many of Nolan's films like The Prestige, and Inception could have been good without Leonardo DiCaprio. Nolan has tremendous skill as a writer, director, producer and in the Batman films he has managed to speak to ongoing social issues. In Batman Begins he touched on eco-terrorism and a type of misguided vigilante justice. In the Dark Knight the Joker was remodeled into an anarchist, in The Dark Knight Rises he is taking on the Occupy Wall Street and Anarchist again. Those who use the guise of income inequality to gain power, these are usually very powerful people who organize these efforts with only a few knowing the true plans. They want to change things but history tells us it always ends up very bad for normal people with only the few puppet masters benefiting. With todays occupy movements they are funded by billionaire George Soros, who made a fortune collapsing countries economies,
stealing people's pensions, and collaborating with the Nazi's in his youth. The first organizers of the occupy movement were almost all well to do and trust fund babies. You have to ask the question why would they want to destroy the very system that made them so rich? The only answer is to gain more of the wealth and power. What is so sad is the poor misguided people who are not yet capable of seeing they are helping create their own potential demise. The brilliance of using the Bane character to speak of the bane on our society is wonderful!

I admire him for taking these issues head-on in a very subtle way. I have not read the script nor do I know the end of the film. Mr. Nolan has yet to invite me for a private screening. What I do know is that this film is set 8 years after the events in The Dark Knight. Batman is more physically diminished from years of battling super villains and keeping Gotham safe. I read the excellent novels Knightfall and No Man's Land (Nolan indicated the two novels were source material for the film).  It appears from the previews that Bane has broken out all the prisoners from Arkham to force Batman to wear himself out rounding them all up. This was a theme from Knightfall. Batman went weeks with little rest while fighting all the released convicts before Bane chose to battle him. You see Occupiers bursting into people's homes, stealing all that they have, and murdering people. It is clear that as in Knightfall Bane breaks Batman's back but unlike in the novel, Bane has the broken Batman as prisoner. Batman must build himself up while in prison and it is clear that Bane and Cat-Woman have captured some of Batman's tools and technology. 

The second trailer from the film indicates just how amazing of a film this is going to be! Mr. Nolan has indicated that this is the final Batman film he will do. He has said that he told his story. Christian Bale has indicated he will not play Batman again if Nolan is not involved. This is very sad for those of us who love Batman and these films! It is a terrible error in judgment on Mr. Nolan's part. He fails to understand that Batman has the best source material of any movie franchise and the greatest collection of characters and villains to draw upon. Most villains in Batman's world are grounded in reality and adaptable to the big screen unlike Green Lantern or even Superman. These are also the three best films Nolan has made, suggesting he needs the Batman franchise as much as it needs him. He'll continue to make good films on his own but these are great films! He has left a tremendous blue print to follow if WB studios hands it over to someone who follows the plan but that is not guaranteed. He's also told a story arch that may limit future films to stories immediately after Dark-Knight and immediately before this film.  I believe that Bruce Wayne is exposed as Batman in the film and while he does not die and reclaims the mantle of The Dark Knight, he may no longer have the need or ability to be Batman with his identity exposed. Nolan would be giving Bruce Wayne and Batman the happy ending that he almost never receives in other adaptations.

It is my sincere hope that Mr. Nolan continues on with Batman but if not that most of the writers and crew remains in place. I thank him for the three great films and giving the world great films based on perhaps the greatest character ever created but the other side of me wants to shake some sense into him.

Here is part of the 6 minute prologue that was shown during some movie screenings recently.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgZiLBQ0nwU

All photos and artist creations courtesy of WB, DC Comics, and the proper copyright holders.