Conquering the Pit of Apathy

Rating: 10/10 (27 July 2012)

I am a sucker for trilogies. Growing up in the crucible of the original Star Wars trilogy gave me a great affection for three part stories with memorable villains, recognizable music cues, and hair-raising heroics. I confess, I have never been a huge Batman fan. Not that I didn't like him, I just gravitated toward other "heros" in my youth. I had seen the 4 Burton/Schumacher films of the 80s and 90s - which I enjoyed, but never really resonated deeply with me. So I find it odd proclaiming that I find this series of films to be the most powerful and enjoyable films since the original "Trilogy" of my youth. Why?
The Dark Knight Rises gives the consummation that was needed for this series to be cemented in the greatest series of all time. Batman Begins surgically set the stage for this new world where Batman was still a hero, but themes were presented that were far from trite. When I first saw BB, I was impressed, but not overly so. It took the next two chapters to cast the first movie into the 'greatness' category. Many of the thematic elements and musical links are given much more depth with the release of TDKR. The theme of conquering fear is the central thrust of this opening chapter.
The Dark Knight did what every "middle" movie must do to make a great trilogy - it raised the stakes and gave the audience a great desire to see what would happen next. Ledger's Joker is one of the best villains ever to appear on film. Yet, it is how this character is used that leads to the central theme of TDK - Conquering Chaos. The last 5 minutes of TDK are probably the highlight of the trilogy for me. What a true hero looks like in the midst of mindless evil.
All of these bring us to The Dark Knight Rises -which turns us to another resonating theme. An unexpected theme. Conquering Apathy. Bruce Wayne has become a recluse, with no reason or purpose in life. The early dialogue points of this movie indicate that those close to him, recognize that Bruce has lost his "life." With no crime to fight, and no love to pursue, Alfred fears Bruce "Wants to fail." And thus we see the real enemy of Bruce Wayne is not Bane, or the resurgence of the League of Shadows, it rather is that he does not have any more fear. He is in the pit of apathy. He does not fear death. He has no reason for life. And from this pit, the Dark Knight Rises. With Hans Zimmer's exciting and moving score, we watch the rising of the Dark Knight from the brink of death, from the appearance of death, and to seize life once again - perhaps for the first time. The Batman is still part of Bruce Wayne, it is just that he has left his legacy and legend.
Conquering Fear. Conquering Chaos. Conquering Apathy. The Dark Knight Trilogy is the best trilogy to arrive in the theaters in the last 30 years. As someone who is not a huge "Batman" fan, I attribute this personal perspective to resonating themes, dynamic dialogue, memorable villains, and a third chapter that places a capstone on a saga that will be delightfully appreciated for generations to come.