Nolan's overhauling of the Batman franchise brought successful stability to a franchise that had been teetering back and forth between terribleness and greatness for a while. Now it's coming to the close of the trilogy that brought a new, darker direction to 'The Bat', and I'm hopeful the final film will end the franchise on a good, if not grim, note.
All the trailers that have been released have me rather optimistic, as I get the general feeling that this film will be a larger, more resounding epic, even more so than the first two. It looks as if the final movie in the trilogy brings the story to a grand scale, and rightfully so. After an amazing build up in the first and even second film, it was time that Nolan took the franchise to a whole new level. Trailers show the whole city in chaos, and I think this will be not only the story of Batman, but the story of the city of Gotham, and the people that inhabit it.
I believe what we saw on the two ferry boats in The Dark Knight is a smaller scale version of what we will see on such a grand scale in Rises. As Batman can't be everywhere and save everyone, I think the film will focus also on the theme of human decency, and if a city such as Gotham can be redeemable in it's own right.
For those of you not familiar with the comic lore, Bane, the villain present in The Dark Knight Rises, was the only man to ever 'break the bat', as he physically broke his back, and left Batman incapacitated. I'm curious to see whether Nolan will incorporate this into the movie, but the shattered mask in the poster above has me assuming that Batman will be less in some way by the end of the film.
Joseph Gordon Levitt's role as John Blake, also has me rather excited. There has been a big effort to keep details of his character and the film as a whole under wraps, although we see hints in the various trailers and set pictures circulating. We do know that Levitt will play some sort of inspector or cop, judging form his attire. I also think it is possible however that Levitt's Blake may play a bigger role than he appears to. As of yet, in the franchise there has been a lack of a key character.
You guessed it, I'm talking about Batman's 'sidekick' Robin. I imagine Nolan has been hesitant to approach the character, as it is probably difficult to incorporate such a kiddish young role into such a dark-toned franchise. I do think however, that Blake may be a version of Robin, or possibly even the man that takes up the cowl of the bat if Batman is in fact, broken. At this point, everything is speculation, as Nolan has kept everything under deep wraps, hidden in his Nolan-cave of film.
The casting looks to be spot on in every sense, and I am not at all skeptical of any of Nolan's choices. First off, the choice of Bane as the main villain in The Dark Knight Rises (as far as we know anyways) shows that Nolan is hoping to go out in grand fashion, as he was truly one of the only characters to be seen as equal to Batman (as he actually broke Batman, not taking into account the Yin and Yang relationship between Batman and The Joker). Tom Hardy has certainly exhibited excellent acting chops, as we saw in Inception, and his role in Warrior is a testament to his ability to pull off the fighting.
Many have been wary of Anne Hathaway's role as Catwoman, although I think she is fully capable, and have more reason than just thinking, 'In Nolan We Trust'. Although it was a guilty pleasure, 2008's Get Smart saw Hathaway showcasing many qualities we haven't seen before. She was as sexy as she was sassy, and I think Nolan will capitalize on these qualities, and bring them out in full force in The Dark Knight Rises.
One more thing has also piqued my interest. Although I'm not quite sure what to think of it, I'm rather intrigued that Liam Neeson will be returning in The Dark Knight Rises as Ra's Al Ghul. While he seemed to be done away with in the first film, his return might hint towards bringing out another aspect of his character, that was present in the comics. While I won't assume too much, I'll just say that his presence in the cast has me excited, and curious.
All in all I'm extremely excited for The Dark Knight Rises, and hope it'll be able to match and exceed the current expectation and hype it has generated. It's been a long time coming, and I can't wait to see what Nolan and the gang has come up with. If you weren't already excited, I hope I've helped a bit, as this is certainly a film everyone should be looking forward too.
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