Day 16/17 - The Dark Knight Rises

Batman is a man of his time period. In fact, as the movie says, the point of Batman is he could be anyone—there is a hero in all of us.

Each incarnation of Batman since his creation in 1939 by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger has reflected the views and concerns of the world in which he was lives. He has reflected the pop culture of the 1960s and gone into “dark mode” with the graphic novels of the 1980s and 1990s. This latest incarnation reflects our present struggle of today’s wealthy versus “the rest of us”—with Bruce Wayne losing his wealth in a revolution that comes out of nowhere.

One of the delights of Nolan’s intelligent script is his “quoting” Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities plot. As in Dickens, the people rise up in revolt and the world of the wealthy vs the poor is turned upside down. Catwoman Silena Kyle (Hathaway) even warns Bruce Wayne: “You think this can last? There’s a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you’re all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us."

One friend’s capsule view of the film was “lots of bang boom.” Ironic, isn't it, since Batman wants to do it all without guns. Certainly there are some loud and spectacular special effects, such as the bombing of Gotham’s bridges and subway, leading to an entire football field disappearing as a player runs for a touch-down. [Was that an intention or unintentional quote of the football stadium scene in The Sum of All Fears (2002), also starring Morgan Freeman?] But the sweep of all the various fight scenes was mesmerizing.

Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010) is one of my favorite films. He peoples his scripts with talented actors who seem to be part of a Christopher Nolan repertory company: Tom Hardy, Joseph  Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, and Cillian Murphy (acting as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, the judge giving the choice of exile or death). Added to these actors are Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman, Matthew Modine, and Liam Neeson (briefly).

While Christian Bale makes an admirable Batman/Bruce Wayne, I found myself drawn to Anne Hathaway who remained often the person I watched. Her intelligent and likeable performance gives depth to the usual Catwoman character. Plus, being a fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, I also found him growing as adventure hero.

The strength of the acting and the intelligence of the script can be seen by the response many of my friends had to the ending—tears and smiles. When everyone raves about a film, it has to be a great communal experience. Should you see? Today.

The Rise of the Dark Knight (2012) *****