The Dark Knight Rises

            I must start off by sending out my deepest and heartfelt condolences to all the victims and families affected by the terrible shooting in Colorado. This issue should raise awareness and questions on several levels: issues of gun control in this country, safety and the lack of security in movie theaters, and most importantly, that Christ is truly coming soon! What it should absolutely not do, however, is detract from the brilliant film The Dark Knight Rises. First of all, the shooter clearly came to the theater with a plan that he had formulated before seeing the film. Second, reports are saying that he claimed that he was the Joker, the villain of the previous Nolan film. I am already seeing media outlets and even preachers starting to blame this shooting on the Batman mythos in general and The Dark Knight Rises in specific. I think this is unfair to the film and to Batman fans that know what the character and the storylines truly stand for.

            That being said, I would like to give my comments on the film (no spoilers) and on what makes Batman so special and unique in comic book mythology. I thought this was a truly brilliant film. I would dare say it was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Given, I may be a little biased because, as any of my closest friends know, I am a huge Batman fan. It was a phenomenal conclusion to an amazing vision by Christopher Nolan. The movie runs fluidly and keeps the audience so engaged that they don’t realize they have been sitting for almost three hours. The action was excellent, the storyline was superb and the emotion that runs through the entire film was very gripping. To avoid saying too much, I will simply say that Nolan delivers big time on The Dark Knight Rises. He had a vision for the trilogy and followed through.

             Nolan’s vision was simple: make Batman believable. He created a solid story centered on the grittier, more down-to-earth interpretations provided by Frank Miller’s graphic novels Batman:Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. In my opinion, Batman is the realest and most believable character in all of comics. Batman’s story and power comes from one simple question: why? Why does Bruce Wayne do this? Superman is a demi-god from an alien planet trying to fit in with humans while simultaneously saving them from their own destruction. Spiderman was bitten by a radioactive spider and was reminded by his Uncle Ben that “with great power comes great responsibility”. Most superheroes, by definition, have some sort of superpower that drives them to do what they do. But Batman has no superpowers. No radioactive spiders, no mutation, no powers imbued by Earth’s yellow sun. So why does he do it? What drives him? One reason and one reason only: he can’t let go. He experienced a terrible tragedy as a child and it forever defines him. It was said that when his parents died Bruce Wayne ceased to exist and Batman became his true identity. The psychological depth of the character, his supporting casts, and even his canon of villains is unparalleled by any other comic book character or storyline. The Dark Knight Rises brings all of this out in epic fashion, cementing Batman as one of the most iconic characters of a generation.