Quick thoughts...
It was great.. Even Michael Keaton can't help but smile...
I must also admit, I have no clue where this film is heading. With Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, I felt like I kinda knew where things were going. Sure I was surprised (Batman takes the fall for Harvey WTF? Joker does a magic trick?), but each film felt like it had a role. Begins... was about the origin--the beginning. Knight was about continuation--specifically escalation. Rises seems to be about ending the trilogy, but the trailer doesn't feel like a typical "bookend" on the trailer. Things look ominous and dare I say darker than what we have seen from Nolan's Batman films. Further, its hard to see how Batman can "rise" considering again just how hopeless the outlook form the trailer provides. Most likely, TDKR is about rising, "learning to pick ourselves up." Still Dent's words echo louder, "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
This brings me to another vital hypothesis--Batman will die. Brace yourself. Christopher Nolan is preparing us to watch the death of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The films tagline "The Legend Ends," may just be a preview of coming attractions. Remember, The Joker in Knight even says, "You've changed things--forever! There's no going back." Truly, there is no way out. Dent was supposed to be Batman's replacement, but clearly that didn't pan out. His other hope for happiness was Rachel Dawes, but that also didn't work out so well. It seems everyone Wayne has contact with dies, so why shouldn't he? And if Batman himself, the titular character and arguably most iconic comic book hero of all time, isn't benign from death then why should any of his friends, etc. Lucious Fox, Alfred Pennyworth, and James Gordon I'm referring to you. Start writing your obituaries.
The new cast honestly looks very good. Bane looks scary and his muffled voice (already being derided by fanboys) has a Darth Vader quality that I find very intriguing. Some have said they can't understand him, but honestly people need to be patient (Those issues are always polished in post-production). People are also complaining that Bane is not big enough and I just don't get it. Nolan NEVER does his villains stitch for stitch from the comic books. Look at Ra's, Scarecrow, and Joker. Two-Face is probably the closest to the source material, but the theatricality is completely removed. So, let me reiterate, Nolan's Bane IS Bane... He ain't getting bulkier, but I promise after viewing the movie, you won't question why Bane was the way he was, because you'll feel like he is Bane. PERIOD.
Anne Hathaway also pleasantly surprised me. I liked the little masquerade ball with the not so subtle cat-ears (wink,wink). Her dialogue is also the center of the trailer and seems to anchor the surrounding action. It'll be interesting to see if it's also indicative of the film. Hathaway hasn't had a lot of chances to really be mean, besides Rachel Getting Married, so to see her terse seduction, while delivering a rather villainous statement was essential to letting "The Nerd Kingdom of Fans," breathe easier. I'm also fascinated to see how Joseph Gordon-Leavitt plays into the plot... Inception 2 perhaps?
Batman's also got a new toy... Is it a Batwing? Batbird? Batcopter? Batsaucer? I don't know, but it does look kinda like a Ridley Scott flying Ferrari with a dash of the Millennium Falcon and a real-life Apache helicopter all combined into a hovering vehicle of awesomeness.
Finally, what (if any) does this film say about society. Is there some social commentary at least in the sub-text that tells us about what we are currently experiencing? Begins was about picking ourselves up in the wake of tragedy while rallying around the community rather than the individual. Knight was about dealing with criminality in a post-9/11 world, where nobody is truly safe--a world without rules. It's also been said to be a paean to the failed/successful Bush presidency. Given the current status of the world and judging by the trailer, it seems Rises is about "Occupy Wall Street". But, it also seems too obvious, like Kim Kardashian writing a memoir on her marriage (if you can call it that). Remember, we are dealing with Mr. Magic himself Chris Nolan after all. I mean did you see Memento? Inception? Prestige? Not to mention Insomnia or even The Dark Knight? Nolan is a master at making us think we know, only to then completely shatter those expectations. Though there is likely some sort of social commentary on "Occupy Wall Street," I hesitate to say its THE sole text or sub-text of the film... After all Nolan still has us debating if that damn top fell or is still spinning.
(It fell FYI)...
Needless to say... I can't wait.. July 2012... Get Here!
Off to do my "I-can't-sleep-so-I-run-at-night-while -watching-Real-Housewives-of-Orange-County-and-re-runs-of-The-Hills" workout so I can look like Bruce Wayne Christian Bale from American Psycho...
Maybe one day I can also be as narcissistic as he is too? What ambition...! I guess I'd probably be that way too if I was both an Oscar winner and Batman. Such is life... It is what it is...
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