The Dark Knight Rises

After many months I have finally decided to break my silence in regards to The Dark Knight Rises.

What I have kept silent about is the tragedy of Colorado.

As you know this year when TDKR opened there was a midnight screening where a gunman opened fire killing 12 people and injuring 58 others. Needless to say the movie is associated with the shooting and many people decided to stay away from the theaters in fear of copycats and such.

Now the first thing is the fact that this was a senseless tragedy. Senseless in the fact that this killer’s intended victims were people that he didn’t know.

Now many people want to blame the theater in the fact that security was too little too late. The type of security that was in the theater consists of ushers and possibly a rent a cop. Even if there was a rent a cop there was nothing that they could have done to stop the madman from going on his killing spree. In looking at the killers arsenal and he could easily have killed anyone that tried to stop him. When the shooting started the police were called and they responded in 90 seconds and apprehended the killer.

 

Now as far as the killer goes I am taking some advice from some of the advocates and I am not going to type his name here and not give him the attention that he craves in this attack.

All that this man wanted was to hurt innocent people. I believe that he chose to attack the midnight screening because he knew that there were going to be many people gathered there. Also when he was arrested he referred to himself as The Joker. Well Anyone that follows Batman will tell you that the Joker has green hair and not ORANGE HAIR.

 

I have many people to commend in this tragedy. First and foremost are the heroes and the authorities in this case. There were many of the victims that gave their lives to save their loved ones during the shootings. Kevin Smith summed it up when he referred to them as “Real Batmen” because heroes.

I also feel the need to acknowledge Batman himself Christian Bale who on his own time and expense paid a visit to the victims in the hospital and visited the memorial to the victims.

 

Now as a man that frequents the midnight screenings I am hoping that this doesn’t effect the future of these events. One of the things that I enjoy about the midnight screenings of movies like these is the fact that fans arrive in costume.

Star Wars has screenings with Storm Troopers. Batman Screenings have fans attending dressed as either the Dark Knight or members of his Rouges Gallery.

I hope that doesn’t change.

Now please let me change the subject and talk about the flick.

 

I will be honest in the fact that I was a Batman fan even before the first 1989 Tim Burton Film.

Needless to say I am always first in line whenever there is a Batman flick released in the theater.

 

However I am also a massive fan of the comics and the Animated Series.

Now before we go any further I want to say that this will not be my usual review as I will be talking about spoilers in the movie.

I am taking into consideration the fact that almost all of you have seen the movie I am going to give my opinion of the film.

 

The story takes place almost a decade after the events of The Dark Knight and Gotham City is at piece after the death of Harvey Dent Gotham has created the Dent Act that allows the incarceration of mobsters without either trials or parole. Batman taking the blame for Dent’s murder has gone into hiding. Bruce Wayne has become a total recluse living in the now rebuilt Wayne Manor that is now used to hold charity events which Wayne watches from the shadows now walking with a cane after all the accumulated injuries that he had suffered in his time as Batman.

Eventually Batman returns and has to face off against Bane who was not only trained by the same mentors that trained Batman also  possess a superior mindset that allows him to easily defeat Batman in battle breaking his back and them sending him to the prison where he came from years earlier.

With Batman broken Bane takes over Gotham City and after incapacitating the Gotham PD and blowing up the escape routes begins his own Occupy Gotham movement making Gotham a vast wasteland without support from the outside world.  

Eventually Batman heals and escapes the prison and returns to Gotham City for the final confrontation with Bane and the real leader of the League of Shadows who Batman fans will see coming from miles away.

 

What I like about The Dark Knight Rises is the fact that it includes elements from three of my favorite Batman stories.

The first naturally is The Dark Knight Returns story that many readers will regard as the greatest Batman story ever written.

The story written by Frank Miller is that Batman has been away for many years and one day her returns when the crime rate in Gotham escalates and the Dark Knight must face off against both the criminal underworld in Gotham as well as the United States Government and then Superman and The Joker find themselves in the mix.

Another Batman story that you can find in The Dark Knight Rises is No Man’s Land

Beginning with Cataclysm where Gotham is hit with a massive earthquake that absolutely destroys the city resulting in Gotham being declared No Man’s Land with a yearlong story that shows Gotham and its citizens surviving through the long winter and rebuilding their city.

No Man’s Land is the storyline that introduced Cassandra Cain to the franchise as Batgirl.

Finally the most obvious Batman story that influenced The Dark Knight Rises is Knightfall.

Taking place alongside the Death of Superman story in the comics Knightfall is a trilogy of stories where Batman after being worn down by the release of all of the inmates of Arkham Asylum at the same time Bruce Wayne is easily defeated and his back is broken by a steroid pumped genius named Bane.

Batman has to name a successor to take his place while he recovers and does so with Jean Paul Valley known as Azrael.

 

Valley soon goes on a power trip as Batman while Bruce goes on a journey to find a miracle cure for his spine and has to heal his mind after his defeat at the hands of Bane.

 Bruce Wayne recovers and has to face his successor and take back the mantle of the Batman by force.

Those three Batman stories are all featured in the Dark Knight Rises.

Now I want to speak a little about the character of Bruce Wayne in TDKR.

I have heard any of you on the internet complaining about the character and his actions.

Many were complaining about the fact that in the beginning Bruce Wayne is no longer Batman and is living like a recluse saying that he would never stop being Batman.

 

The truth is that he would stop being Batman if he felt that it would help Gotham and in the movie it is helping the city by making Dent look like a martyr and himself into a villain.

Now what many are complaining about is the fact that in the ending. (Spoilers Ahead)

In the end Bruce Wayne fakes his death and leaves Gotham. Bruce is last seen in Italy by Alfred and is with Selena Kyle. Who is played by Anne Hathaway in one of the best interpretations of the character of Catwoman.

Bruce has also left Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character John Blake both Wayne Manor and the Batcave and it is revealed that Blake’s real name is Robin.

Now many are wining that Bruce would never leave Gotham City and retire however just because he has left Gotham City in the hands of Robin doesn’t mean that that is the end of Batman.

Anyone that reads comics will know about Batman Incorporated.

 

Batman Incorporated is a Batman title that features Batman maintaining other Batmen around the world and that could be what he can be doing at the end of the Dark Knight and Robin can be the beginning of Nightwing.

 

The Blu-Ray of the film features a slew of Special Features including a feature Length Making of Documentary that is cut into many different parts.

The Special Features also include a Second Screen App for your smartphones and tablets as well as full documentary on history of the Batmobile that is a must see for any and all Batman fans.

I honestly feel that The Dark Knight Rises is the new standard for Batman on film and the next Batman movie that I want to see should either be a Superman team up or a Justice League movie.

I honestly hope that no one forgets about the tragedy of Colorado but I hope that the movie will not be associated with the tragedy in movie history.