The Dark Knight Rises...and so does this blog!

So on impulse, I decided to write a blog entry about The Dark Knight Rises. After I finished the entry, seeing that I don't have an up and running blog, I realized I needed to create one. More to come, don't know about what yet or when, but stay tuned. For now, check out the entry below. Thoughts or comments? I'd love to hear them!


Warning: Batman Spoiler Below! If you have not seen the Dark Knight Rises, read on at your own risk…

I just returned from watching The Dark Knight Rises for the second time in under a week, and it’s safe to say that this film is a genuine masterpiece. Whereas many final films in trilogies fail to meet expectations, the Dark Knight Rises delivered on all accounts, succeeding to entertain, intrigue and captivate my imagination for the full 2:45, both times around. During the second time around I brought a notebook into the theater and took vigorous notes throughout the film (I know, I’m a complete nerd, but with such a rich script, how could I NOT take notes?!?), and decided to create this blog as a venue to share my thoughts on a film steeped in depth.


Let’s begin by talking about Bane, a villain empowered by a sense of righteousness and genuine purpose just as much as his brute strength. Bain (whose name I believe comes from the fact that his mask keeps his pAIN at Bay) is a man on a mission of religious importance, killing everyone that lies in his path because he believes it is a “necessary evil” essential for a greater good. From the moment Bain introduces himself and says: “It doesn’t matter who we are, what matters is our plan,” it’s clear that Bain is a man that puts the vision above himself. As Alfred says, Bain possesses the “Power of Belief,” a passion and conviction that spreads to his subordinates, like the man who was more than willing to crash and die with the plane simply by Bain reassuring and inspiring him, “Brother, the fire is spreading.” Throughout the film it is clear – Bain’s people are committed, to the point of giving up their own lives, and it all starts at the top, with Bain’s commitment to his vision of true justice. Throughout the film, Bain makes comments suggestive of his sensitive side, like during the National Anthem when Bain casually remarks: “What a lovely, lovely voice”, before blowing the entire field up, or when he says “Thank you” to the guy holding his helmet in the stock exchange after shooting the place up. Perhaps Bain is simply being facetious, but the point still remains- Bain is not in it for money, fame, or vain – he does what he does because he believes.


 On the other side of the coin, the theme of vanity permeates throughout the film, juxtaposing the altruism generally displayed by the lead hero and villain. Each time an egotistical sentiment is expressed, it is met with disastrous result – utter failure, and often death. Shortly after Officer Foley brags, “I’m going to take down the Batman,” Batman escapes. Immediately following Daggett the businessman’s whiney egocentric rant of demands to Bain, his head is literally smooshed (don’t question me, smooshed is definitely a real word). Even the great villains of the film are vulnerable to the pitfalls of the ego. Bain as well as Talia’s fatal mistakes are when they leave Batman alive for their personal satisfaction – Bain when he lets Batman wither in prison so Batman will suffer through witnessing the destruction of Gotham and Talia when she lets Batman live so he can experience the heat of the 12 million souls he failed. If either character overcame their desire for personal vengeance, Batman would have died, the bad guys would have lived, and Gotham would have been destroyed. Ultimately, more than Batman or any other hero, the Achilles heals of Bain and Talia are their own egos.


  Fear. It’s one of the strongest emotions known to mankind, and explored with incredible nuance in the Batman trilogy. In the first half of the film, Batman’s greatest weakness is his lack of fear, something which everyone seems to realize except Batman. Alfred says, “I’m not worried about you failing, I’m afraid you want to.” The blind guy in jail say says, “You don’t fear death, you welcome it.” Even Bain is quick to pick up on Batman’s lack of fear, “Victory has defeated you,” alluding to not only Batman’s sluggishness after putting away the joker but also his victory over fear, a battle he has waged since a childhood plagued by formative fear-inducing experiences like falling down the well and the loss of his parents. In Batman Begins, Batman defeated the scarecrow and his fear-inducing tactics, but he missed the point that rather than defeating fear, he should use it to his advantage. Batman finally integrates this insight in prison, which is also where he started his journey as Batman, when one of the prisoners points out to him, “You don’t fear death, you welcome it. Fear of death is powerful.” To reconnect with the powerful fear of death, Bruce climbs out of the prison without a rope, and in doing so, he learns that it is more powerful to channel his fear than defeat it.


 Throughout the film there are strong parallels between many characters, especially Batman and Bane. Both Batman and Bane have bases in locations that are dark, underground, and heavy on flowing water. Since both of them do their work outside the boundaries of the law, it only makes sense for them to work in the dark. Still, the physical characteristics of their bases are remarkably similar. Bane and Batman also both release prisoners; Bane through a violent explosion in Gotham and Batman by dropping the rope down the well after he climbed out. Batman, Bane, Robin, Tate, and Catwoman all are driven by anger and loss, and all channel it as an energy and motivation to the ends they pursue. All these characters also all have masks, (including Tate, who poses as a woman interested in saving Gotham when she really intends to destroy it), suggestive of the multiple, and complex layers of these characters. Finally, both Batman and Catwoman are looking for a clean slate, which is why they are such a good match for each other in the end.


 Two funny moments: when Talia is about to blow up the bomb, and Batman, with his throat strangled, can barely speak, and blurts out in a very muffled way “please.” It just sounded like he was talking with his mouth full. Also, in the jail, when the guys were chanting some crazy stuff at the bottom. Just pay attention to the old guy with the huge white beard. He looks insane, and I honestly wouldn’t want him out of that prison – he belongs there.


 Saddest moment of the movie: Alfred telling Batman about the truth of Rachel choosing Dent, but even worst, of his plans to leave. Bruce Wayne has literally lost everyone he ever cared about in his life, and to have Alfred, the one last person who he has any close connection to, leave on his own volition, must have been a real stab in the heart. On top of that, to hear the truth about Rachel at the same exact time– I can’t imagine what Bruce was going through.


 I loved the old guy in jail who took care of Batman – I liked to call him Jail Alfred. He literally did the same exact stuff as Alfred did for Batman, just in jail. He took care of Batman, gave him sound advice, and always made a goofy joke here and there, like when he said to Batman as he was making a bag for his trip: “Supplies for your journey, that’s wonderful.” A sweet man indeed.


 It was great when Batman first came back and the cops chased him instead of Bane. Upon being surrounded by cops, Batman looks around, and you can just tell by the look on his face that he’s thinking: “Seriously guys, I’m on your side, do we really have to play this game again. You have no chance at actually catching me, you know…” Great expression behind that mask, Christian Bale!”


 One awesome connection to the first film – when Tate and Bruce were lying together in Bruce’s cold dark house, Tate was doing an exceptionally good job at making the fire, and Bruce commented, “you’re good at making fires.” This immediately reminded me of the time in Batman Begins when Bruce and Ra’s Al Ghul were on the frozen lake and Al Ghul was making a really nice fire, keeping Brue warm. The family tradition of warming Bruce continues with Tate.


 A few questions that I would love some answers to…

1. What was the deal with Bain’s parachute vest, which he insisted on wearing all the time? I could understand why he would wear that in the first scene when he was on the plane, but afterwards, seriously, what’s the point? He never got off the ground again, so why carry a parachute on his back all the time?

2. I don’t understand why Ra’s Al Ghul rejected Bane. Was he really that ugly that Ra’s Al Ghul couldn’t stand him? Al Ghul, while certainly evil, was one of those evil guys that did what he did because he believed it was right, and I can’t really see him justifying the decision to excommunicating someone form the league of shadows just because of his looks..

3. At the end of the film, when did Batman escape from The Bat? Of course, he must have used the eject button and left The Bat on autopilot, but at no point do we see him ejected…I’m guessing that he must have ejected during the explosion in the building, but we never see him get ejected so it’s hard to be sure.

4. Finally, Bane, in his first attack with Batman, says, “You adopted the dark, I was born in it.” But it was Tate, and not Bane that was born in the prison…or was Bane also born in the prison? Kind of misleading….


All in all, great, incredible, excellent movie. I’d see it again- this time, perhaps, I’d leave the notebook behind and pick up a bag of popcorn instead. I’m ready to take a few years off, digest it, and in the summer of 2014, be back for a whole new trilogy where Robin takes charge ( who was incredibly developed in this film by the way). Until then, I’ll just have to rewatch the whole Batman series over and over again, and when that gets boring, there’s always Newsies…