The Dark Knight Rises Was A Superior Movie To The Avengers (Assemble)

Lead Hero During the DK Trilogy, Bruce Wayne is a figure of great tragedy, and it culminates in DKR where we find him as a recluse, broke, damaged both physically and mentally, and living a lie in the wake of the Dent Act, not to mention that even his attempt to benefit Gotham as Bruce Wayne fails spectacularly when he realises the damage it can cause. It is only through the actions of the metaphorical White Rabbit (sorry) of this movie, Selina Kyle, that he feels motivated to get the hell out of his mansion. We see that even despite his longing to be Batman again, he still has some reluctance as he wants to protect the secret of Harvey Dent just as much as Gordon wants to. His initial reluctance turns into an unwise over-enthusiasm to be Batman again as the film develops, showing just how consumed he has become by his alter-ego about how he thinks only the Batman can save Gotham, not recognising the inner strengths he himself has that will lead him to launch the first actually effective strike against Bane of the movie. As we all know, his first foray as Batman completely fails, and he ends up a cripple in Bane's prison, forced to watch for months on end while his home city goes to hell while his fellow inmates try in a futile fashion to escape. He is further taunted by the (partial) knowledge of Bane's origins, and must live with the pain of constantly failing to escape, all because he still thinks of himself as Batman first and Wayne second. It is only when he lets go of that notion, and realise what he can do when he thinks of himself as simply a man fearful of staying in prison for all of what remains of his life, that he's at last able to defeat his demons and, through persuading Selina Kyle to help him, start the chain of events that will lead to the saving of Gotham, and to his spiritual healing at the end of the movie where at last he is able to experience the first genuine happiness he has had in a very long while. The Dark Knight Rises is very much a more "Bruce Wayne" centric movie, and benefits for it, as Christian Bale excels when given even more to work with for the character out of costume than in Batman Begins, really convincingly portraying the sheer weight of his character pain and acting astoundingly alongside his peers. I genuinely believe that if not Oscar snobbery, Bale would have been an excellent nominee at least for Best Lead Actor. Lead Hero In Costume Where in the previous movies he had a more frequent presence, Batman's appearances in this movie are less frequent but more rewarding. Spurred on by a very emotional scene with the hospitalised Jim Gordon, Batman is able to orchestrate a spectacular tunnel rescue of Bane's hostages all while evading the police at the same time. He then has an excellent action scene with Kyle where the two work together to fend off the goons. As ever, the physicality of Batman up to this point is excellent. The real brilliance, though, comes in the fact that for the first time in the trilogy, Batman is made to look truly vulnerable and inferior when it comes to his sewer fight with Bane. The selling of the sheer beating Batman receives is absolutely spectacular, and the wham moment of Batman having his back broken by Bane delivers everything that was promised in the hype for that moment. His return to Gotham, after managing to escape the perils of Bane's prison, is truly epic. He frees the trapped cops of Gotham City and rallies them and the ordinary citizens of Gotham against the criminals holding their city captive. He then proceeds to have a second more passionate and personal fight with Bane that far exceeds any fight scene in the Avengers. The Batman is then able to, with excessively limited time and suffering from a stab wound, take out three Batmobiles, crash the truck with the nuclear device, and then get the nuclear device the hell out of Gotham. Now THAT'S impressive. Christian Bale, as ever, is excellent in the physical side of Batman, and in line with the complaints against his previous movies, he tones down his "Bat-voice" considerably and sounds much more human and menacing. Lead Villain Tom Hardy had already earned critical acclaim for his roles in Warrior and in Inception and Bronson, and here the guy plays an absolute beast in Bane that more than makes up for the mediocre version in Batman and Robin. Bane is a guy who has no qualms about killing his own team members, whether because they merely "disappoint" him or as a noble sacrifice to the cause, and much has already been made of his sheer physical dominance throughout the movie. Bane's body language throughout this movie is astounding, and he becomes the first Nolan Batman villain to be a truly credible threat to Batman all by himself, cementing himself a truly awesome moment when he beats the Bat to a pulp. His voice acting is astounding too, providing some truly chilling lines such as describing himself as "Gotham's Reckoning" and telling Bruce Wayne that only after he destroys Gotham would he allow Wayne to die. His speeches to the people of Gotham channel every bit of the menace displayed by terrorists and dictators involved in real life coups. He is also a villain you can empathise with, as he performed a heroic sacrifice to get a child out of prison, only for his face to be mutilated and for him to be exiled from a group he wanted to be part of. Supporting Cast DKR brings back all of the reliable supporting extras in Lucius Fox, Jim Gordon and especially Alfred with the latter two providing really poignant moments within the movie, with Gordon being haunted by the lie he's promoting about Harvey Dent and the loss of his family, and Alfred being distraught at how far Bruce Wayne is sinking and how desperate he is for Bruce to move on and live a good life. Crane returns and is absolutely hilarious in his cameo, but special praise has to go to John Blake for being an especially well-played street smart cop who holds out hope for Gotham and knows things are clearly wrong with the city and plays a very good role in bringing Wayne out of hiding. And Selina Kyle of course plays a perfect blend of both sexy and very much threatening, as well as having a great deal of comedic moments that makes her the best version of the character since the Batman Returns one. And of course Miranda Tate deserves a mention, for going beyond being yet another love interest and actually demonstrating she can hold her own and of course has the well worked revelation about her that ties the story neatly together. Plot Quality The Dark Knight Rises follows on from two highly successful and critically acclaimed movies, and these movies have long since transcended being just comic book movies, actually tapping into many of the very real fears that we as the populace have of terrorists. The movie is very much a tragedy about people trying to protect a series of lies and addictive obsessions that have consumed them, and what happens when the truth comes out and the disastrous (and all round explosive) consequences that follow. We see a Gotham on a knife edge, and what happens when the knife cuts through the very thin fabric protecting it leading to a near destruction of Gotham that makes its other threats pale in comparison. In essence, the story is very much of the Shakespearean mould, providing highly complex characters and making every one of them matter, leading to a highly dramatic and thrilling conclusion. Comic Justice DKR is inspired by several comic book stories. Naturally, "Knightfall" plays a part, although a more fit Batman fights Bane in the movie. There is also "No Man's Land", where the villains cut Gotham off from the outside world. And the most of its inspiration comes from "Legacy", with an alliance between an Al Ghul and Bane, as well as the villains use of a big weapon and Batman's second fight with Bane. I feel the movie compliments the comics very well. Case rests for R2. In R3 I'll argue against Avengers.