The Dark Knight Rises: Articles, Analyses, Notable reviews etc.

[The Dark Knight]

Just rewatched the first 40'ish minutes of TDKRises. I'd like to reassert my affection for how Bruce is portrayed in that part of the film.

For starters, he's physically debilitated. Now, to start with, I wasn't sure I completely bought the concept that about a year of being Batman would inflict that much damage on him. But then I remember that, altogether, I only played competitive tennis for three years as a kid. And today I've got poppy elbows and rly weak knees. Let me just say that my workouts weren't even remotely close to as high-impact as Bruce's single year'ish of being Batman, not to mention his many years of training and conditioning. So I now concede that I might've spoken prematurely when it comes to Bruce's many injuries and physical infirmities in TDKRises.

As I've said, I very much enjoy the story trope of the once mighty hero brought low and driven into solitude. Partly it's because that's very human and partly it's because you know it's just a matter of time until the hero take up his mantle once again. The lower you bring the hero, the greater his triumph when he eventually returns.

But for seconders, time has obviously done nothing to dull Bruce's mind. Whatever his physical frailties might be at the start of TDKRises, he's as mentally sharp as he ever was. He's able to detect Selina's presence in the drawing room, get the drop on her, identify her in the Batcave's computer, track her down in the city, concoct a ruse to visit Gordon in the hospital while concealing his identity and other things.

Batman's strongest asset has always been his mind. That was true from Day One and I appreciate the fact that Nolan keyed in on that early on. Yes, Batman is an ass-kicker for sure. But his mind has always been his most powerful weapon and Nolan never forgot that.

I'm not saying TDKRises is perfect. I see the argument that the movie is a little bloated. But I have nary a criticism of the film for the first 40 or so minutes.

Rises gets better with the passage of time. It's bloated in parts but I'm a fan. Bruce's ordeal and Bane's villainy make the movie. The Bruce of the first half doesn't have anything to live for. He's back on the job as Batman and using his skills, but if he falls in battle then so be it. He doesn't fear death, and Bane says the same during his prison speech.

Bruce of TDK Rises gets absolutely torn down and his biggest victory is simply surviving. Bane and Talia don't. I said in another thread that Batfleck has a mythic reputation for 20 years of crime fighting and serving with the League. I stand by that. But Baleman certainly gets street cred for the single act of flying the bomb out and saving Gotham. That's when his arc comes to fruition. The journey to that moment is encapsulated in the climb. At that point he has purpose and fears death: because of the possibilities ahead of him.

[thecolorsblend]

Just rewatched the first 40'ish minutes of TDKRises. I'd like to reassert my affection for how Bruce is portrayed in that part of the film.

For starters, he's physically debilitated. Now, to start with, I wasn't sure I completely bought the concept that about a year of being Batman would inflict that much damage on him. But then I remember that, altogether, I only played competitive tennis for three years as a kid. And today I've got poppy elbows and rly weak knees. Let me just say that my workouts weren't even remotely close to as high-impact as Bruce's single year'ish of being Batman, not to mention his many years of training and conditioning. So I now concede that I might've spoken prematurely when it comes to Bruce's many injuries and physical infirmities in TDKRises.

As I've said, I very much enjoy the story trope of the once mighty hero brought low and driven into solitude. Partly it's because that's very human and partly it's because you know it's just a matter of time until the hero take up his mantle once again. The lower you bring the hero, the greater his triumph when he eventually returns.

But for seconders, time has obviously done nothing to dull Bruce's mind. Whatever his physical frailties might be at the start of TDKRises, he's as mentally sharp as he ever was. He's able to detect Selina's presence in the drawing room, get the drop on her, identify her in the Batcave's computer, track her down in the city, concoct a ruse to visit Gordon in the hospital while concealing his identity and other things.

Batman's strongest asset has always been his mind. That was true from Day One and I appreciate the fact that Nolan keyed in on that early on. Yes, Batman is an ass-kicker for sure. But his mind has always been his most powerful weapon and Nolan never forgot that.

I'm not saying TDKRises is perfect. I see the argument that the movie is a little bloated. But I have nary a criticism of the film for the first 40 or so minutes.

Rises gets better with the passage of time. It's bloated in parts but I'm a fan. Bruce's ordeal and Bane's villainy make the movie. The Bruce of the first half doesn't have anything to live for. He's back on the job as Batman and using his skills, but if he falls in battle then so be it. He doesn't fear death, and Bane says the same during his prison speech.

Bruce of TDK Rises gets absolutely torn down and his biggest victory is simply surviving. Bane and Talia don't. I said in another thread that Batfleck has a mythic reputation for 20 years of crime fighting and serving with the League. I stand by that. But Baleman certainly gets street cred for the single act of flying the bomb out and saving Gotham. That's when his arc comes to fruition. The journey to that moment is encapsulated in the climb. At that point he has purpose and fears death: because of the possibilities ahead of him.

As you know, I view it as Batman dying in that moment. When he was towing the bomb out of the city, he looked terrified. But once he gets out over the bay, he's finally at peace. He did what he set out to do, he saved the city, he knows his number is up and he accepts. Not with gladness and not with fear; just a perfect sense of peace. His time is over and he's fine with it.

[The Dark Knight]

That's a legitimate interpretation. I choose to believe he bailed once he blew apart the buildings with the cannons, with the explosion covering his ejection. The following closeups being misdirection from the moments leading up to his escape. We know the autopilot was fixed, which gives the theory solid grounding.