It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise. But The Dark Knight Rises has changed my mind. Here’s why.
Spoiler Alert
There are tons of spoilers in this entry. Do not read if you have not seen The Dark Knight Rises.
The Good
1. Batman is Dead
I applaude Nolan for killing off Batman. Wait, he’s alive you say? Wrong. Bruce Wayne is alive. Batman, for all intents and purposes is ‘dead’. He died a matyr. Like Bruce Wayne said in Batman Begins, “People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy.” His death served that point.
2. A believable Happy Ending for the Batman
All good adaptations of Batman have one common theme: the story of Batman does not end well. Batman is so obsessive in his fight against crime that it eventually destroys his body and any possibility of having a normal life.
In Batman Beyond, Bruce Wayne fights crime well into his old age, only stopping when he is nearly killed by a common thug when he suffers a heart attack during a simple rescue mission. Even a Saturday morning cartoon for kids paints an incredibly grime and tragic future for the Batman. And it’s for children.
Nolan succeeds in breaking the mold in a palatable and satisfying manner. Nolan’s Batman universe is much more grounded and realistic than the Batman in comic books, video games or cartoons. There are no aliens, world-shattering threats or super powered villains for Gotham or the rest of the world to contend with.
In fact, after the events of Dark Knight, crime in Gotham is virtually non existent due to the “Dent Act”. Blake even remarks that the crime rate is so low, police officers will have to chase down overdue library books soon.
Nolan’s Batman seems equally obsessive about fighting crime, but if Gotham has seen 8 years of peace, in which Batman can retire without dire consequences, I’m willing to believe that with the last of the League of Shadows destroyed, this Batman can finally hang up his cape and cowl.
A happy ending for Bruce Wayne that includes CatWoman? That’s just icing on the cake.
3. Duality at last
One thing I hated about Batman Begins and The Dark Knight was the poor attempt at duality. Seriously, with people’s lives on the line, who can afford duality?
After all, no job is more important or exciting than being the Batman, not even that of a billionaire playboy. Especially when Ra’s Al Ghul or the Joker is trying to destroy the city.
In The Dark Knight Rises, Gotham’s 8 years of peace makes for a very plausible case of Bruce Wayne’s existence outside of the Batman persona. Yes, there’s nothing more important than being the Batman. But if low crime rates ‘retrench’ this Batman, then I guess he’ll have to find something else to do wouldn’t he?
The Bad
1. Bane – Batman Villain or WWE Wrestler?
Bane is equal parts menacing and whimsical (that mask and that fur coat), he even has a catchphrase. and he removes his coat before his fights, exactly like a baddie from WWE (or a ‘heel’ for you wrestling geeks)! He even has a finisher, “The Backbreaker”.
He reminds me of WWE Wrestler Kane.
I was half expecting Vince McMahon to emerge as a baddie secretly planning a hostile takeover of Wayne Enterprises.
2. Bane’s mask – Drawing Gas from a Magic Pouch?
Forget the ‘Bat’, or the perpetual energy source cum nuclear bomb – Bane’s teensy mask and it’s seemingly endless supply of gas is the most unbelievable piece of technology in the film.
In the climax Batman even disconnects some of the tubes, and despite gas escaping from what must be a very small reserve, Bane still has enough gas left to function properly.
3. Alfred’s Abandonment of Bruce seems out of character
I understand Nolan’s need to remove Michael Caine’s warm and reassuring presence during Batman’s down fall. But considering how Alfred said he’d never give up on Bruce (in Batman Begins), it feels strange to see him do exactly the opposite. Especially during a crucial time for Gotham when only Batman can save the day.
4. Gotham’s Commissioner of Police : Stupid as hell.
Commissioner Gordon is a pretty dumb cop. In the comic books, Batman remarks that Superman’s boss, editor Perry White is too good a journalist to not have surmised that Clark Kent is Superman like how Jim Gordon is too good a detective to have not deduced that Bruce Wayne is Batman.
This isn’t the comic books and this version of Gordon isn’t that smart. Doesn’t he find it suspicious that in Batman Begins, a legally dead Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham at the same time Batman emerges? Also the microwave emitter is Wayne tech and leads to Wayne Tower. I’m also guessing that Wayne Enterprises didn’t sue Gordon, the Batman or the city for destroying the railway or part of their premises?
Then there are the events of the Dark Knight. Isn’t it suspicious that of all of the Joker’s targets, Harvey Dent (who was attending a fund-raiser at Wayne’s penthouse) was the only target left unscathed? Batman also appeared almost instantaneously when the Joker took over the penthouse. And where was Wayne during seige? You have eye-witnesses who see him go to a secret hideout, and presumably arrested armed thugs who can testify being handily taken down by the billionaire ‘vapid playboy’.
There’s also Wayne’s public support of Dent, which mirrors Batman’s. And there’s the issue of Wayne mysteriously using his Lambourghini to shield’s Gordon’s vehicle when the Joker places a bounty on the Batman whistle blower. At the end of the movie, Batman’s disappearance also coincides with Wayne becoming a recluse. Even if it wasn’t obvious at first, Gordon should have noticed something in the intervening 8 years.
And at the beginning of The Dark Knight Rises , doesn’t Gordon find it suspicious that both Wayne and Batman reemerge at the same time? When Batman visits Gordon in the hospital, he’s wearing an expensive (and presumably 8 year old) suit and an expensive watch. Clearly the Batman is rich. And couldn’t Gordon pull the hospital’s security to see the patients who were being attended to above him?
If Batman is visiting you in civilian guise, it’s pretty obvious that he infiltrated the hospital using a civilian identity.
Then there’s the issue of Bane overtaking the Gotham Stock Exchange and Wayne going bankrupt. But perhaps the biggest giveaway is the stolen tumblers from Wayne Enterprises. Gordon has not only seen one up-close but in Batman Begins, he drove one!
Was there really a need for Gordon to ask Batman who he was at the very end? Despite decades of detective work, Gordon is able to instantly remember putting his coat around a a young Bruce Wayne but he can’t piece together the rest of the evidence? Come on…
The Ugly
Despite its flaws, I really liked the Dark Knight Rises. I’m glad Nolan made this, because not only is it enjoyable in its own right, it makes the last 2 movies more enjoyable for a Batman critic like myself.
Batfans have longed for a grittier darker Batman movie, and Nolan delivers.
I’d love to see Nolan and Bale team up again in “The Dark Knight Returns” – an even grittier sequel that sees a 50 year old Bruce Wayne return to the cape and cowl.
