Rising to be Seen: The Dark Knight Rises Shows Its Face for the First Time

What a month it's been for Christopher Nolan's next feature film, and finale in his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. We went from knowing hardly anything about the film, to images of Bane and Selina Kyle, to a teaser poster, and a trailer, all in a matter of a few weeks. I'm going to dissect everything we've learned and been given hints at so far, and then reveal what my plan is for the inevitability of more trailers and posters as July 20, 2012 nears.

Anticipation for Nolan's third Batman flick has been stirring ever since The Dark Knight was released. There were so many questions surrounding the film before it was even written, and if you haven't seen The Dark Knight yet (what is wrong with you?), then skip to the next paragraph......last chance.....okay, many were wondering mostly about the villain situation in Nolan's third film. After the sudden, and tragic death of Heath Ledger, rumors flew that the Joker would appear again in the next feature, but played by a different actor. Then, it was that he wouldn't appear at all; then, there was the idea that he would be shot from a distance, so as to look like Ledger playing the character; then, the rumor started that Nolan was going to use footage from The Dark Knight that wasn't previously released. This all came to a halt when Nolan flat out stated that the Joker would not be in the follow up, at all. Period. Nolan stated he simply wasn't comfortable with the idea, and I applaud him for it. Next, there were rumors that Harvey Dent/Two-Face, portrayed brilliantly by Aaron Eckhart, would be back, as The Dark Knight made it fairly ambiguous as to whether he perished in the films conclusion. Both Nolan and Eckhart both shot this idea down as well, simply stating the character was dead. I applaud this as well, as it gives The Dark Knight such a variable comparison on who is really the main subject of the film, Batman or Two-Face? But that's another topic for another post.

Okay, spoilers done, we now arrive at The Dark Knight Rises. There's first the issue of the title. I personally do not have a problem with it, but many have called it shallow and/or weak, which is such a stark contrast to the "ooohs" and "aaahs" when The Dark Knight was named. Perhaps Batman Rises may have worked better (and not have been such a mouthful), but I'm not going to dwell so much on a film's title. Next was the issue of the villain, or villains. Nolan announced the two "main" "villains" as being Bane (played by Tom Hardy) and Selina Kyle/Catwoman (played by Anne Hathaway). Groans were heard almost immediately. Bane hasn't been seen in a Batman film since the disastrous Batman & Robin, so needless to say people had terrible flashbacks. People are also skeptical that by announcing Hathaway is playing Selina Kyle means that she won't be Catwoman in the film. Also, and I can't believe I'm saying this, people have argued that Hathaway isn't "sexy" enough to play Catwoman, and that Hardy can't put on enough muscle in order to play Bane. To that, I have this to say:

                                                             

Really?

I can't help but remember people who questioned Nolan's casting of Ledger as the Joker for The Dark Knight; at the time, I thought it was a terrific choice, but who knew the outcome would be so extraordinary it would earn him an Oscar? I'm not saying that Hardy or Hathaway will be on that level, but these are two terrific actors given roles that they are excited about, and I have no doubt both will give great performances.

We then come to the pieces we've been given in the past month. The first is a tease photo of Hardy as Bane, seen below:

If anyone still had doubts about Hardy's training ability, this photo puts those questions to rest. It's obvious he's bulked up quite a bit since we last saw him on screen in Inception. What I love about the photo is that, like all of the other villains Nolan has had in his trilogy, he's very realistic looking. You can see what appears to be camo pants, and that mask. I can only imagine how terrifying this Bane will look when we see him for the first time up close and shot from the front. But one thing that intrigues me about this photo more than anything else: what's up with the light directly to the left of Bane? It could just be an error when the picture was taken, but Nolan is too methodical of a director to let something like that be just an error. It could be the light at the end of his tunnel per say, as in the comics Bane breaks out of prison to begin his reign of terror. I really have no ideas on it, but I find it really interesting.

Next we come to the teaser poster:

Nailed it. Completely on target. This is by far one of the best teaser posters I have ever seen. The entire concept is something I can't get over. It's obvious the theme of escalation in damage control and darkness will still be present in Nolan's trilogy, and will come to its breaking point in the final film. It's also apparent that before the Dark Knight can "rise", Gotham must "fall". The crumbling buildings, which give way to the bat symbol outlined with a clear sky, give the idea that the sun may shine on Gotham at some point. Even the idea of looking up to see the symbol, which is such a stark contrast to the bleak teaser poster to Batman Begins, which had a silhouette of Batman looking down, set against a scorched red sky:

Fittingly enough, that red and yellow color scheme was used dominantly in the film. The case was the same with the teaser poster for The Dark Knight, which gave the idea of a blue color scheme, that was prominent in the movie:

The black, white, and gray color seen in the Rises poster gives me the thought that the film will be shot in that way, with a very bleak and dark tone; darker than we've seen with the first two.

There is also the first image of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman:

Honestly, I don't mind the costume. At this point we really don't know if this is in fact the final costume, but it is obvious that Nolan will be taking a much more realistic take on the character, shying away from the Michelle Pfeiffer costume of Batman Returns. An outcry happened almost immediately, but to be honest, I don't see this as a finished costume. Maybe Kyle won't ever take on the Catwoman nickname in the film, yet, I can't see that happening. Set photos have recently leaked of a mask being carried around by Hathaway stunt doubles, which hint at the iconic Catwoman ears. If that is the case, then this is perhaps early on in the film, and we'll see a complete Catwoman about halfway into the film, kind of like Two-Face from The Dark Knight. 

Finally, there is the teaser trailer that was shown before the final Harry Potter film, and released in HD a week later:

This trailer does what I think it should. I like it more than the teaser for The Dark Knight, but at the same time I feel it gives just a bit too much away for a teaser. Unless this all happens within the first fifteen minutes, I think we've discovered too much for a teaser trailer. From this trailer, we can understand that Commissioner Gordon has been badly injured somehow, perhaps in a fight with Bane, and that the person he is speaking with is not Batman, but in actuality is Bruce Wayne. I only assume this because that is in fact Christian Bale's voice we hear speaking with Gordon, and the dialog, which points to Batman in the third person, with Bale saying, "What if Batman doesn't exist anymore?".

Also, we get a clear shot of Bane, if only for a split second, and if you can pause it, his mask looks just as terrifying, and realistic, as I think it could. There's no mention of Catwoman in the trailer, but that will be coming I'm sure in the first full trailer, due, I would assume, some time in December.

There's a lot here to digest, and I think we've been given more than enough to whet our appetite until the full trailer hits sometime in December.

However, I won't be covering it. If you read my earlier post about why I hate trailers, you'll understand my reasoning here. I am planning on not even viewing the full trailer when it is released. I do not want to know more about the movie than I already do; finding out that Batman reveals his true identity to Gordon, and seeing Bane up close, is more than enough to keep me satisfied until next summer.

Okay, maybe I'll watch the trailer once, but I won't be dissecting it on here at all, so this shall be my final post on The Dark Knight Rises until the inevitable review of the film next summer.