From as early as I could remember, Batman was always a part of my imaginings and playtime as a kid. Everybody knew who he was – with comic books and action figures plaguing the playground with much gusto. I remember watching the Batman: The Animated Series episodes on Cartoon Network religiously. I collected what I could, from toys to comic books. I guess I was captured by Batman's heroism and grew a playful disgust of the Joker, Penguin, Bane, and whoever Batman faced. But more than anything else, the character was always a source of engaging conversation with my friends. I just never thought that it would be this way even today.
The Batman has come
The newly-forged Batman movie trilogy under the masterful direction of Christopher Nolan gave the franchise the much needed revamp it deserved. I always thought of Batman’s character as something much darker and more calculated. Although I will not discount the previous Batman films, I will only say that this story arc is almost unbeatable when it comes to storytelling, character development, and direction. From the captivating Batman Begins, to the revolutionary The Dark Knight, and now, the concluding The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan’s trilogy gives the audience so much to think about and talk about, which is very fun when you are a fan of the comic book.
The Dark Knight Rises
It is very hard to provide a review of The Dark Knight Rises as it is and ignore how the story was built to reach the pinnacle of its potential. The success of The Dark Knight Rises can be directly be credited to the masterful storytelling of the first two movies. The Dark Knight Rises provides a fitting end to the story – giving it an end that does not close the book on the Batman saga, but provides a whole new realm of possibilities of what can and will happen next.
The New 52 and the Justice League
Much anticipation has been growing after Marvel Studios launched The Avengers movie. Marvel took the time to weave its movies together, starting from Iron Man to Captain America, to be able to piece together the masterful puzzle of The Avengers. But as a fan of comic books, I was also very curious about how DC Comics would approach the same puzzle with its own superhero team, the Justice League. Let's face it – it is bound to happen someday.
To be honest, I was rooting for the Batman to break ground with this story arc. And this is the only spoiler that you will read in this review: the movie did not make that bold move to introduce the Justice League at all. I do believe that the producers did wrestle with this direction, but I think that it was a beautiful move on their part. Although I was a wee bit disappointed, I absolutely felt that they simply did not need to do that.
Geekstrong rating:
That said, I would like to give The Dark Knight Rises a very awesome 9/10. The movie was an absolute brilliant ending to the beloved Batman trilogy. It is not the kind of ending that grants the audience closure on the character. It makes you think about what will be the next chapter for Batman. For me, the best endings are always those that provide an exciting beginning for another story to unfold. The Dark Knight Rises doesn’t exactly bring the Batman saga to a close, and it signals the beginning of so many possible stories that may come in the later years. Clearly, Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, and David S. Goyer knew that they should never close the book on Batman, giving other writers an opportunity to build upon it in the future, and celebrate it.
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