The Dark Knight Rises with minor spoilers

I just got back from The Dark Knight Rises for the second time.  I wanted to wait a bit before I reviewed the film with spoilers.  For those who wish to avoid them, I recommend you read this later.  Over the year I have had this blog, though, I have written about my love for Batman.  I must say he is one of the greatest comic book characters out there.  Unfortunately I rarely feel that the comic book writers themselves understand why.  Fortunately, Nolan gets it.  And I must say, I felt like the movie was even better the second time around. 

Like many, I went to see the movie the first time with unattainable expectations.  The Dark Knight changed how I see movies forever.  Heath Ledger’s Joker obviously was a game changer for bad guys in action movies.  The rise and fall of Harvey Dent was brilliantly presented.  And the cliffhanger ending had me awaiting the sequel when I walked out of the movies four years ago.  Having seen TDKR the first time was a bit of a let down because it couldn’t reach my expectations.  Another problem I suffered the first time I watched it though came from friends’ questions leading to the movie.  Several of my friends engaged in a healthy debate over whether this movie would feature Earth 1 or Earth 2 Batman, whereas throughout the movie it is obvious that it is neither.  It is Earth Nolan Batman.  Shades of previous Batman storylines shine through but this is entirely his game.  And he owns it. 

I have always been a history nerd and a comic book geek.  My earliest readings came from a battered encyclopedia collection for historical information and my brother’s hand me down comic books.  Upon watching this movie, it became incredibly apparent that I was watching a film showcasing the French Revolution in modern day America, starring Batman.  Honestly, there is no part of that concept that isn’t thrilling to me.  I have always thought the French Revolution was much more fascinating than the American Revolution because it is a warning.  The revolution of a poor huddled mass led by the intelligentsia can be a wonderful victory (see the American Revolution) or it can be an unmitigated disaster.  The French Revolution kicked into high gear with the storming of the Bastille, a French political prison.  This is harkened to in TDKR in which Blackgate Prison is stormed early in Bane’s revolution.  In fact, I was genuinely surprised Bane didn’t draw the comparisons himself. This victory for the poor though quickly paved way to the Reign of Terror.  During the Reign of Terror, the rich and powerful (and eventually anyone who threatened the powers that be) were slaughtered by the thousands.  This is also alluded to in TDKR in a wonderful scene in which Scarecrow ran court for the newly “freed” Gothamites.

Meanwhile, if you are looking at the comic book comparisons, Earth Nolan features several of the most famous Batman storylines of the last two decades.  Obvious similarities are apparent with the Knightfall arc. The story pillars are streamlined down to the essentials.  I will say I was genuinely surprised with how much they showed.  The first fight between Bane and Batman was brutal.  The story then entered Act 2 which was influenced heavily by “No Man’s Land.”  A lot of this was my favorite parts of the movie.  I enjoyed the police, led by Gordon, working against Bane’s minions.  Other influences come from a myriad of stories, like “The Dark Knight” and Earth 2 Batman stories.  My favorite part though relates to Batman and Selina’s relationship.  Outside of Lois and Clark, this has always been my favorite comic book romance, since seeing Adam West and the various Catwomen in classic Bat-TV.

I still believe overall that Avengers is the best movie of the year.  The Dark Knight is still my favorite movie of all time.  But with The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan has brought a beautiful finish to Batman’s story.  This was definitely the most “comic book movie” of Nolan’s trilogy and I love it.  And my favorite part is that even though this was Nolan and Bale’s last Bat movie (for now), it leaves off with a chance for a totally new direction of stories.  Good show!

Batman Forever seemed to last forever

With Dark Knight Rises opening last weekend, the Burton/Schumacher Batman films played on the movie channels.  I have not seen any of them since they came out and decided I would watch each of them.  My DVR played against me however and I only got the chance to watch my favorite of the four, Batman Forever. I was about fourteen when it came out and remember enjoying it much more than Returns.  And I recall hating Batman and Robin, so I was ok with this development.

I just finished watching Forever though and am in a daze.  Like most boys of the 80s, I loved watching repeats of Adam West and Burt Ward jovially beating the daylights out of the “Clown Prince of Crime” and the like.  So I am used to Batman having his tongue inserted squarely in cheek.  But this was truly painful.  In fact, the entire movie can be summed up best by one of Riddler’s last lines.  After describing his master plan, he looks at Batman and asks, “Was that over the top?”

I remember that being my problem with Batman and Robin.  But upon rewatching this “masterpiece” I was floored at just how over the top the entire movie was.  While not as in your face as the leering view at Batman’s jockstrap in the Schumacher’s last movie, the full two to three seconds image of the Bat Butt will now be burned in my adult mind forever.  Watching Two Face cackle like Ceaser Romero on steroids, I feel I must go back and watch Dark Knight just to wash the taste out of my mouth.  And though I love seeing the aesthetic reappear in the Lego Batman games, the giant statues littering the Gotham skyline was horribly distracting.

I hate to say I really can’t think of a redeeming part of the movie now as an adult.  I want to like Kilmer as Batman but when the first line of the dark knight in a movie is “No, I will get take out,” it is difficult to view the movie with open eyes.  I hope I can sit down and watch the other three movies soon.  But as of right now, all I can think is thank goodness for Nolan.  Here’s hoping Warner can think of a way to continue this series.  Any possible return to the manic nature of the Batverse before is utterly terrifying. Much more so than hearing Prince sing of the glories of Gotham or watching Robin beat the daylights (nightlights?) out of the neon brigade of ninjas.