THE DARK KNIGHT RISES above
No Ewoks. A fair number of endings instead of LOTR. No Emo Peter Parker.
Could it be… the perfect ending?
“It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.” – Jim Gordon, The Dark Knight Rises
Christopher Nolan brings every aspect of his previous films full circle with the introspective, heavy yet hopeful final installment of the Dark Knight trilogy. I am biased, since Nolan started this franchise by making his crew watch my favorite film, Blade Runner, as visual and tonal inspiration. From the noir stylings and dark city, this time he even gave Batman his own Spinner.
(The Dark Knight Rises is available on DVD
Revisiting the philosophical themes of Batman Begins and the two omitted truths from The Dark Knight, rises has some amazing commentary on bearing false witness and partnering with the darkness. He punctuates the trilogy by mimicking the true definition of savior that includes more than merely being a symbol, but includes being both scapegoat and sacrifice.
Over the next week we’ll follow up this overview with 5 more in-depth, spoiler-riddled posts, because really getting to the truths and parallels of these characters demands dealing with their various decisions and fates.
For now, this spoiler-free video review provides some cursory thoughts.
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I loved this movie. I found so much of it to be fascinating—the literary references, the noir tone (I, too, absolutely love Blade Runner).
I have a few criticisms with the plot and one character who was so strong throughout the movie, but the revelation of another character’s real identity rendered the previously mentioned character almost completely weak. The character, a genius through most of the film, suddenly becomes little more than the second character’s plaything.
However, that wasn’t enough to ruin the movie for me, and while I would say that The Dark Knight is probably a stronger film overall, I think The Dark Knight Rises will end up as my favorite of the three.
Curious – and potentially spoilery for people who can read between lines, so reader beware my response: I actually found the reveal to make the aforementioned character MORE interesting, but that’s just me. I see where you’re coming from, I guess my thought is that some of the smartest people I know ARE slaves or puppets to someone or something else. That idea intrigued me. I’ve seen seemingly strong, resolute men and women crumple and cry. And the other character they were beholden to seemed equally damaged in many ways, so it all put a opera-esque slant on everything and made them all quite different than the Joker, or Ra’s.