"Batman Begins" started with a basic idea. The thought was to use a director of smaller, more arthouse films to remove the campy elements of Batman and return him to his pulp-based, crimefighter roots. Indeed, Bruce Wayne's journey through Asia and education of quasi-mystical techniques that comprises the first quarter of "Begins" is reminiscent of old radio favorites, like the Shadow or Doc Savage. In order to accomplish this, a list of directors was gone through, including Darren Aronofsky, before Warner Brothers decided on Christopher Nolan. Little did anyone realize that the film series itself would become a cultural phenomenon, or that Nolan had only begun to lay the groundwork for the epic story of Bruce Wayne, hero.
"Batman Begins" was relatively unique at the time of its premiere, due to the fact that it was first and foremost the story of the hero. Up until that point, most comicbook adaptations had given equal weight to, or even focused on, the villains or love interests; doubly so if a big name actor/actress was in one of those roles. "Begins," on the other hand, had probably 90% of its scenes feature Bruce Wayne, with a further 5% of scenes devoted to other characters' reactions to him.
"The Dark Knight" rattled things up again when it focused on an interconnecting mesh of gangsters, cops, lawyers, ordinary citizens, and of course, superheroes and villains. The narrative revolved around the progress the Caped Crusader had made in his war on crime, and the cost that comes with it. "TDK" is obviously notable for several things, chief among them being Heath Ledger's lauded performance and untimely death. Much was made of Ledger's stand-out portrayal of the notorious terrorist/serial killer/prankster, but with "The Dark Knight Rises" ignoring the Joker and following up on Harvey Dent's legacy and Batman's fate after taking the rap for murders and losing the woman he loved, "TDK" is viewable in a different light. It's no longer the story of the Joker's attack on Gotham, but rather about a few men waging their own war on the evils of the city and the price they must pay.
Of course, Ledger's Oscar grab wasn't the only run-in "TDK" had with the Academy Awards. The film was snubbed for a "Best Picture" nomination over more traditional fare (read: not comicbooks). This was despite unanimous critical acclaim, and many feel the outrage over the incident led to the expansion of the "Best Picture" category to 10 nominees. Some also believe the Oscar is being "saved" for "The Dark Knight Rises," to be awarded for the Dark Knight Trilogy as a whole, a la Lord of the Rings. Thus, we are brought to "The Dark Knight Rises."
We finally come to this, what is easily Summer's most anticipated movie, maybe the year's. Over the past seven years, Christopher Nolan has developed his modern-day take on the Hero's Journey. An epic poem for our times, if you will. It's a brazen move, to be sure. In this era of opposing pop entertainment and abstract art, one man and his team became Hellbent on telling a classical story; and of course, "The Dark Knight Rises" is the payoff.
Eight years ago, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) lost the love of his life, took the blame for a series of heinous crimes, and hung up his cape and cowl for good. Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) cleaned up the streets and paved the way for an unprecedented peace in Gotham City. Now, a new villain has raised an army to destroy the city once and for all for its crimes of opulence and corruption, the tactically genius, physically dominating Bane (Tom Hardy). Bruce Wayne must once again don his crimefighting persona and form a shaky alliance with master thief Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) to combat the evil that descends on Gotham.
First off, there is a lot of stuff in this film; it's very dense. It's a lot to digest in a review. The best way to start would probably say that a few characters are actually cut out of the movie, relatively speaking. Gordon and Alfred (Michael Caine) seem to have greatly-reduced screentime in favor of Selina Kyle and John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). This isn't a horrible thing, though because those characters are pretty engaging, and learning about their backstories is interesting. However, first and foremost, this is Bruce Wayne's story.
The Dark Knight Trilogy now feels much like Beowulf, where at first Grendel (Ra's al Ghul) had to be vanquished, then the worse Mother (Joker), and now finally the Dragon (Bane). The heroes' ages correspond to their foes, as well. The first villain was faced by a hero that had to prove himself; the second defeated by an established, well-regard hero; and the last adversary was challenged by an older, wearier hero. Of course, the endings to both deal with the symbol and legacy of the hero, and how their "kingdoms" view them after everything.
Christian Bale knocks it out of the park in this one (not that he didn't in previous installments), portraying a broken man, in every sense of the word. He has to deal with a body in less-than-ideal shape and a spirit that lacks true conviction. Many times, Wayne must consider why he fights. Thrill? Death-seeking? Fear? Anger? Which emotions are personal, and which ones are belief? Liam Neeson's character has a line in "Batman Begins," which really sums up the theme of this film: "A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification." Bruce Wayne has become lost in the scramble, and now faces an opponent with undying faith, a man who truly believes that he is doing what must be done.
Speaking of his opponent, most reviews will probably skip over Tom Hardy's performance, but it deserves a mention. He is evil incarnate. If the Joker was unbridled chaos, Bane is pure tyranny. Hardy's presence onscreen is sizable (and not just because of his physique, which is massive when he takes off that vest), making the viewer wonder how Batman will make it out of Bane's grasp.
The film has a very somber, depressing tone for most of its runtime. There's a sense of hopelessness, throughout. Then the third act comes, and you remember what a hero is, including the closest thing to a middle finger Batman can give his enemies. In fact, it's even better.
One other thing that should be mentioned before closing, is the supposed Occupy Movement connection. It's very easy to see both sides of this issue. On one hand, Bane and others in the film are urging lower-class Gothamites to rise up and take control of the city's spoils, and condemning a police force that would protect the ignorant and elite. On the other hand, the guy demanding that is a murderous despot. JRR Tolkien once said that there's a difference between allegory and applicability. An allegory is in direct reference to something else, whereas applicability means the work can be compared to any number of things that recur. There will always be those with nothing, and fat thieves who hide behind the law, it's as true today as it will be tomorrow. A theme of the movie is that suffering builds character. So while Christopher Nolan may not be commenting on Occupy or the Tea Party, he seems to believe no one should be sheltered in their castle immune to pain, but that also the less fortunate need to drive harder. As Commissioner Gordon points out "The system became shackles."
The film is long, like any epic. Aside from that, there are only singular words that come to mind about the movie. Bold. Layered. Grand. "The Dark Knight Rises" takes the superhero genre to a whole new level, commenting on the power of belief, symbols, and the loss. It's almost a religious film, in many ways (not as explicitly as "Batman is Jesus"), requiring multiple re-watches to catch all the nuances of what also works as a blockbuster.
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