Category: Action
How much are we willing to pay for peace? In many places in the world, peace is often at the cost of freedom. Because freedom, while desirable, can be an agent for instability. And peace, while appreciated, can really mask instability. Those are two of the many themes of the final installment of Chistopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises.
The movie begins a number of years after the events of The Dark Knight. Although Gotham is peaceful and prosperous, Commissioner Gordon carries the weight of guilt on his shoulders. Guilty in perpetrating the lie of Harvey Dent's death and in the vilification of it's true hero, Batman. Moreover, the result of this lie is a tough law called the Dent Act which reduces Gotham's criminal elements to a bare minimum. It makes his job easier but Gordon is driven by the ghosts of the lie, never letting down his guard and going about with a sense that he will pay for his sins. For everybody else, prosperity reigns most and people go about their lives blissfully unaware.
Bruce Wayne also carries a heavy burden. He feels guilty for the death of childhood love Rachel and his choice of putting what was right before his personal feelings. He feels that his chance for happiness is gone, having not only lost a friend but someone whom he could have shared both of his lives with. He is also a broken man, the scars of his battle with the Joker taking it's toll on his body and spirit.
From seemingly out of nowhere comes the villain Bane. He has an agenda for Gotham, an agenda that seems to have no source or background. Although it appears to be that he is some sort of mercenary, it's quite clear that he is his own boss. Bane is ruthless and without mercy.
Bruce Wayne's shuttered existence is interrupted when his safe if broken into and his mother's pearl necklace is stolen by Selina Kyle, a master thief. He finds himself impressed by her skills and intrigued by her motivations. Selina's actions inadvertently leads to Gordon being taken by Bane. He is saved by Officer John Blake, who goes against his superior's orders to save him. This and Bane's actions, forces Wayne to bring Batman back.
Blane's trail leads Batman/Wayne back to Selina. He sees a kindred spirit in her, someone who also wishes to leave everything behind, as he had done when he left Gotham. He tries to reach out to her but she is too jaded with the world. Nonetheless, she helps him and Batman with their efforts to thwart Bane.
In the meantime, Wayne faces problems at Wayne Enterprises. A business rival, John Dagget, is trying to gain control over Wayne Enterprises. Helping him to defend his empire is fellow board member Miranda Tate. Alfred, in despair over what he sees is the return of the self-destructive drive of Wayne behind Batman, reveals a dark secret he has been keeping from Wayne which leads to a confrontation between them.
All that and the movie is barely a third of the way through! This three hour long movie provides a huge amount of entertainment value. It makes time pass quickly whether you are a Batman fan or not. Even if you haven't seen the first two movies (and I know there are four of you out there), you can come in an enjoy the movie as just an out-and-out action movie.
The brilliance of The Dark Knight Rises is the balance it achieves between action and drama. It then wraps them in a plot that is both easy to follow but has many layers to it at the same time. The drama is not something that merely happens between big action set pieces but is really the backbone of the movie, as it should be. And while the action sequences are a sight to behold themselves, they serve their purpose as major upheaval within the world of the movie and helps to drive the plot along as much as the drama does. In fact, other filmmakers should study this movie and understand why it is so successful at all levels. Really, the least they could do is take the ratio of drama and action and build a formula from that for future good action movies.
What they could also take note of is the use of real stunts. It truly added the realism to the movie. Most stunts were done real as possible. This makes the addition of CGI effects less noticeable. The moment directors decide to do CGI first, they tend to get lazy and those CGI shots looks like any other CGI shot. By mixing it and preferring the stunts to take precedent, the directors show respect for the audience and the willingness to go the distance for their art.
The movie has a dark tone it. Bad things happen to good people. A lot. This just adds to the realism of the world of Batman and Gotham. Rather than keeping the damage to just physical, there is also a lot of emotional damage, of hopes being crushed and surprising turnabouts in character. But it also goes both ways. Some find redemption in their final decision while some find it in their actions in the past.
One of the strongest themes of the movie was the choices society has to make in order to function and thrive. Blane forces the inhabitants of Gotham to choose freedom and truth over order and peace. Well, at least his version of freedom and truth over the previous order and seemingly peaceful surface. This is a multi-faceted argument that many people all over the world have to make a decision on, if they can at all. Rather than offering absolutes, director Christopher Nolan and writers Johnathan Nolan and David S. Goyer instead portrays the choice itself as being a manipulation towards another goal. So while Bane may offer truth and freedom to Gotham, he does so with an agenda. And while peace and order was based on the lie of Harvey Dent's death, it masks injustice and inflexibility of society in establishing it. By offering freedom and truth on one end and peace and order on another, Bane preoccupies Gotham with a false scale while he sets about his real goal, dominance. Which is as close to real politics as you can get. That is true political commentary of the movie, not the idiotic suggestion that Bane is an allusion to Bain Capital.
The Dark Knight Rises is a movie that can be enjoyed on so many levels. Whether you are just watching it for the action, looking to expand the lore of Batman or be intrigued in the social commentary of the movie, it doesn't disappoint and usually exceed expectations.
The best description of it comes from a friend of mine: "Awesomeness incarnated".
, How much are we willing to pay for peace? In many places in the world, peace is often at the cost of freedom. Because freedom, while desirable, can be an agent for instability. And peace, while appreciated, can really mask instability. Those are two of the many themes of the final installment of Chistopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises.
The movie begins a number of years after the events of The Dark Knight. Although Gotham is peaceful and prosperous, Commissioner Gordon carries the weight of guilt on his shoulders. Guilty in perpetrating the lie of Harvey Dent's death and in the vilification of it's true hero, Batman. Moreover, the result of this lie is a tough law called the Dent Act which reduces Gotham's criminal elements to a bare minimum. It makes his job easier but Gordon is driven by the ghosts of the lie, never letting down his guard and going about with a sense that he will pay for his sins. For everybody else, prosperity reigns most and people go about their lives blissfully unaware.
Bruce Wayne also carries a heavy burden. He feels guilty for the death of childhood love Rachel and his choice of putting what was right before his personal feelings. He feels that his chance for happiness is gone, having not only lost a friend but someone whom he could have shared both of his lives with. He is also a broken man, the scars of his battle with the Joker taking it's toll on his body and spirit.
From seemingly out of nowhere comes the villain Bane. He has an agenda for Gotham, an agenda that seems to have no source or background. Although it appears to be that he is some sort of mercenary, it's quite clear that he is his own boss. Bane is ruthless and without mercy.
Bruce Wayne's shuttered existence is interrupted when his safe if broken into and his mother's pearl necklace is stolen by Selina Kyle, a master thief. He finds himself impressed by her skills and intrigued by her motivations. Selina's actions inadvertently leads to Gordon being taken by Bane. He is saved by Officer John Blake, who goes against his superior's orders to save him. This and Bane's actions, forces Wayne to bring Batman back.
In the meantime, Wayne faces problems at Wayne Enterprises. A business rival, John Dagget, is trying to gain control over Wayne Enterprises. Helping him to defend his empire is fellow board member Miranda Tate. Alfred, in despair over what he sees is the return of the self-destructive drive of Wayne behind Batman, reveals a dark secret he has been keeping from Wayne which leads to a confrontation between them.
All that and the movie is barely a third of the way through! This three hour long movie provides a huge amount of entertainment value. It makes time pass quickly whether you are a Batman fan or not. Even if you haven't seen the first two movies (and I know there are four of you out there), you can come in an enjoy the movie as just an out-and-out action movie.
The brilliance of The Dark Knight Rises is the balance it achieves between action and drama. It then wraps them in a plot that is both easy to follow but has many layers to it at the same time. The drama is not something that merely happens between big action set pieces but is really the backbone of the movie, as it should be. And while the action sequences are a sight to behold themselves, they serve their purpose as major upheaval within the world of the movie and helps to drive the plot along as much as the drama does. In fact, other filmmakers should study this movie and understand why it is so successful at all levels. Really, the least they could do is take the ratio of drama and action and build a formula from that for future good action movies.What they could also take note of is the use of real stunts. It truly added the realism to the movie. Most stunts were done real as possible. This makes the addition of CGI effects less noticeable. The moment directors decide to do CGI first, they tend to get lazy and those CGI shots looks like any other CGI shot. By mixing it and preferring the stunts to take precedent, the directors show respect for the audience and the willingness to go the distance for their art.
The movie has a dark tone it. Bad things happen to good people. A lot. This just adds to the realism of the world of Batman and Gotham. Rather than keeping the damage to just physical, there is also a lot of emotional damage, of hopes being crushed and surprising turnabouts in character. But it also goes both ways. Some find redemption in their final decision while some find it in their actions in the past.
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| Can't wait for the DVD? Read the novel instead |
One of the strongest themes of the movie was the choices society has to make in order to function and thrive. Blane forces the inhabitants of Gotham to choose freedom and truth over order and peace. Well, at least his version of freedom and truth over the previous order and seemingly peaceful surface. This is a multi-faceted argument that many people all over the world have to make a decision on, if they can at all. Rather than offering absolutes, director Christopher Nolan and writers Johnathan Nolan and David S. Goyer instead portrays the choice itself as being a manipulation towards another goal. So while Bane may offer truth and freedom to Gotham, he does so with an agenda. And while peace and order was based on the lie of Harvey Dent's death, it masks injustice and inflexibility of society in establishing it. By offering freedom and truth on one end and peace and order on another, Bane preoccupies Gotham with a false scale while he sets about his real goal, dominance. Which is as close to real politics as you can get. That is true political commentary of the movie, not the idiotic suggestion that Bane is an allusion to Bain Capital.The Dark Knight Rises is a movie that can be enjoyed on so many levels. Whether you are just watching it for the action, looking to expand the lore of Batman or be intrigued in the social commentary of the movie, it doesn't disappoint and usually exceed expectations.
The best description of it comes from a friend of mine: "Awesomeness incarnated".
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