Harvey Dent is dead but leaves a more peaceful Gotham in his wrathful wake. Batman has all but disappeared, having taken the fall for Dent’s death in an attempt to save Gotham’s soul. And Christopher Nolan is left with one more film, nearly 3 hours, to stitch en epic trilogy together and end his reign over the Batman franchise.
In The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan aims to merge the plots of the first two movies. He doesn’t accomplish this seamlessly, but does effectively recall the mentorship Wayne found in Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) of Batman Begins while forcing Batman to deal with his new infamous reputation as a result of The Dark Knight. The audience is left with the desire of the greatness of the second film; namely, the Joker (Heath Ledger), which means that the new super-foe that Batman must face, Bane (Tom Hardy) falls short of expectations.
Gotham appears to be a safe city: Crime is low, hope is high, and people all but worship the memory of Harvey Dent, the admirable politician who dedicated himself to cleaning up the streets. But skepticism exists, especially in Police Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), who believes that no matter how many criminals are put behind bars, his job is never done. He also lives with the burden of knowing the truth about Dent’s demise as Two-Face, the vengeful – and a touch crazy – shadow of Dent’s hopes and dreams. And Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) lurks in the shadows of Wayne Manor, hiding from his failure to save the girl he believed to be his soul mate and the regret that he did indeed live long enough to see himself become the villain Gotham despises. But whispers of new villain, Bane, set Wayne’s bat senses a-tingling. This League of Shadows excommunicant preaches and works for anarchy and targets Gotham City as ground zero for his anti-order plan. Aging Wayne looks to old friends Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Gordon and new Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) and Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) to help him take down this new oversized nemesis while he’s in and out of his mask and cape.
But who cares about Bruce Wayne of Nolan’s trilogy? He’s supposed to be an eccentric billionaire playboy. Instead he just mopes and pines for the loved ones he’s lost. And while his self-pitying anger and sense of morality are very real and powerful motivations for the caped crusader, it leaves you wondering how more people around him don’t pick up on Wayne’s night job. And people are even starting to question Batman’s methods: he still refuses to fire a gun or kill anyone, which in his field of work, can be dangerous. After saving Selina Kyle in a fight only to kick a gun out of her arms, Selina is right, “Where’s the fun in that?”
So with a sullen lead, Nolan needs supporting roles to juice up his summer blockbuster. With the untimely death of The Dark Knight‘s real star, Ledger, Nolan looks to friends from others of his films– including Hardy, Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (as Blake, a determined and pure cop) to add the charm.
But really it’s Hathaway that gets the job done. As sensual cat burglar, Selina Kyle (I guess no one wanted to go ahead and call her Cat Woman just yet– and I’m okay with that!), Hathaway provides a sex appeal and danger to the mix that the series, and this installment in particular, needs. The audience sees her almost immediately in the film as nothing more than a maid and server working at the Wayne Manor during Harvey Dent Day celebrations. But quickly, the truth comes out: she’s an adept thief with an eye for valuables and an out from her world of crime.
I’ve always criticized Hathaway as an actress. She’s very limited in her skills and seems to always play the same person even in vastly different roles. But as Selina Kyle, Hathaway slinks in and steals the show. And what’s more, Nolan’s version of Selina stands out as a high-quality female role. Sure, the character demands the sex quality that all bad girl “femme fatales” must possess (I wonder just how many heart rates spiked when Hathaway first appears in her second-skin “cat” costume), along with that desire to reap the benefits of crime. But Selina also boasts an (almost) Robin Hood quality. She’s a lower-class girl who has honed her skills as a thief in order to get by in the world and tells Wayne, “You’re all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.” But she doesn’t want to continue on this route anymore– she’s saved for a new life and wants out, but her spotted past keeps her locked in to crime. That’s plays so well into the Selina Kyle of the original comic series. Always a loose end, Selina Kyle, or “Catwoman,” keeps Batman on his toes since it’s always up in the air as to which side she’ll fight for. Hathaway plays into this well. Luckily, a bit of a flirtatious relationship with a do-gooder helps persuade her into using her ferocious antics in the fight for good… sometimes.
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Nolan has made if very clear that The Dark Knight Rises will be the last of his Batman series, leaving the films as a trilogy. But in true money-grubbing Hollywood form, the closing scene gives the audience a glimmer of hope that Nolan will be back with the Bat.
Find out why Nolan says NO to a fourth Batman in this article from the Atlantic.
Check out this article from The Atlantic for why Marvel will finally see its movie hey day.
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