The Dark Knight Rises
To be honest, I had absolutely no idea that there was a first movie. I always hear the term Dark Knight trilogy but how could I have known that it means “The Dark Knight” is actually only the second film in the list? In fact, I have never even heard of “Batman Begins” before we discussed the trilogy while walking to see “The Dark Knight Rises”. It was only afterwards that I found out how the order of films in the trilogy really goes. It is quite unusual for me to fail at researching films this much, but then again, these films falls under ‘blockbuster’ for me, and I never really felt the need to know more about them.
Of course the Dark Knight trilogy is different from your average blockbuster. Typically, when asked about whether I disregard Hollywood blockbusters in favor of auteur films, I tend to bring “The Dark Knight” as an example of a blockbuster I absolutely loved. In retrospect, however, I barely remember why. Reading my previous review on “The Dark Knight”, I doubt I can say any more than what it says already. Apparently, in summary, I liked the main girl (yeah!), I loved the complexity of the Joker as a villain and I think I also liked the twist about Two-Face and the fairly tragic end of the story. For many years, I felt that “The Dark Knight” was THE blockbuster done right and the shining example I have always used when explaining my film preferences.
I am doubtful that this can be extended to the entire film trilogy, even without having seen “Batman Begins”. Considering that “The Dark Knight Rises” was an almost 3 hour ordeal, I am surprised and happy to say that I did not feel bored even once. The story is dramatic, the effects are definitely very cool and all the characters were again very likable. I thought Anne Hathaway was strange as Catwoman, but I have seen her in many films before, making me believe that she would be able to pull it off. And she did. She was able to show off her skills and I am glad there was quite a happy ending, bringing a believable, nice conclusion to the trilogy. But amongst all of it, the most likable character in the film was definitely Joseph Gordon-Levitt who I have liked ever since “Brick”, and who was a nice addition to the film. But his backstory is relatively boring and while you really wanted to root for him, he was just the little guy who had a big heart but not enough power. Without a doubt, he is a worthy successor to Batman (because really, all he needs is the Batman equipment) and it would be interesting to see how he develops, and whether he also would get engulfed into the general darkness of the Batman universe.
Unlike in “The Dark Knight”, there is a “right” and a “wrong” in this particular film, there really are only good and bad characters, Bane aside. Unfortunately Bane was a brute whose only motive is to help his friend. And that friend had motives which were even less understandable. As a result, the villains in this story were rather lame, and the single dramatic twist in the story was almost powerless. The suspense of the entire story lies in the detonation of that atomic bomb, and somehow that just sounds so 50-years-old. Shouldn’t people have gotten over the atomic bomb scare these days? Similar to “V for Vendetta” which I loathe for its simplistic political opinion, I think that the political implications of “The Dark Knight Rises” sounds rather questionable. In fact, everything about it just feels wrong – the depiction of barbaric muslimic cultures (what’s up with that prison anyways?), the derogatory way the uprising of the Occupy-like workers is portrayed… that at least felt like it’s some contemporary issue, but at the same time it’s totally idiotic. What is the point in making that atomic bomb go off anyways except for the suspense of the audience?
I spent a good chunk of time reading up on “The Dark Knight Rises”, which shows my interest in the film and the entire trilogy. I definitely want to see “Batman Begins”, but in general I am pretty sure that I want to stay out of the rest of the franchise. Considering that superhero stories are totally not for me, I find it impressive how the Dark Knight trilogy caught my interest. Watch the film, because you are in for a lot of fun, but don’t expect the epiphany that “The Dark Knight” offers.