Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Written by Scott Edwards

There is no way to know what people walking in the street next to you are thinking. They may be just very happy and content with their situation, or upset and ready to bring the city to its knees. It does not matter how much time you spend people watching, you might be able to predict their next move on the street, but never truly know what is happening in their head. It pains so many to not know this or be able to help stop it when something devastating happens when they were only feet away from the person that caused it. There is nothing wrong with being guarded when it comes to meeting new people and not letting them in right away, but once you start to dive into their psyche, you might want to step back and make sure that you want to be around when this person decides to jump off of the deep end.

Eight years ago in Gotham a devastating day came forth for the city as Harvey Dent and several others were killed by the Batman. But the positive that came from this is that the city has never been more united and the crime rate has been at an all-time low. While at the Harvey Dent dedication dinner, Commissioner Gordon is still feeling the itch and knows that nothing is perfect, no matter how nice it may seem. But there is an uninvited guest at the party as well that is looking to take advantage of the hermit Bruce Wayne while the benefit is being held at his home. Delivering Wayne his dinner from the party, Selina Kyle has other things on her mind and has been able to open a safe that was deemed as uncrack-able. To her shock, Bruce Wayne is there and not a hermit at all, he just happens to have a bum leg and is not able to get around very well. 

While Gotham looks fine on the surface, there is something sinister brewing beneath the streets as Bane and his minions are working tirelessly on their plan. When a robbery goes wrong and Gordon is able to track a couple of the thieves into the sewer lines under the streets, he gets captured and gets to see the myth up close and personal. Not knowing what he is seeing while being dragged to Bane, Gordon is able to escape with his life, but not before getting shot. Hearing the news that the Commissioner has been wounded, Bruce Wayne believes it is time to don the cape and cowl once again, but has to get some sort of idea what he is up against.  With all of his joints being locked up from years of fighting, his rich kid activities are not recommended, but the safety of the city will not wait for him to get better. Getting back on the streets and giving the city the hero it needs once again should be enough, but when Batman’s back is broken by Bane, he quickly finds out that he was not ready for battle and will have to train much harder if he is going to make a difference.

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​With everything going according to plan, Bane is ready to take over the city and is able to trap all of the police force underground. Being able to upgrade a fusion generator into an atom bomb, Bane now holds all of the chips and will lay siege to the city for its past discretions. With the promise of a free Gotham, Bane gives the streets back to the people and there are no longer rich and poor, they are all equal in every way. And setting up courts being led by the Scarecrow, no one will be able to find their way off of the island alive. As the occupation of Gotham continues, the police force above ground that has not been killed is able to find out the pattern the bomb is taking through the streets and tries to devise a way to take action without any outside help, but little do they know that they are being watched as well. It will take a massive distraction to get close to the bomb, one that only Batman himself will be able to provide and with the help of his friends, Gordon, Fox and Ms. Kyle, he may be able to do just that as the clock is ticking down to doomsday.

This might be the first time that I have seen this movie and actually enjoyed it just a little bit more than The Dark Knight. With the League of Shadows returning from the first movie, and a man that holds little to no respect for human life in Bane, it seems to be a little bit darker than its predecessor. I guess my only drawback to the liking the movie more was the Bane voice that has become infamous in harassing people to no end, so I guess it truly did its job. I think that this is the best overall story in the series that does not focus around one character trying to take Gotham down once again. The fact the Batman is not ready for the battle just adds to what is happening on the screen when he is forced to sit and watch as the city of Gotham is ripped to shreds. 

If you want to pick the best character out of this movie that is not Batman, you would have to go with either Selina Kyle or Miranda, both extremely strong characters who have their own agenda, just one is a surprise when all is said and done. I hate to say goodbye to this series as it has brought the Dark Knight back from the shadows it was left in with a much more realistic feel to it. Don’t get me wrong, I like the comic book feel as well, but it is hard to see the emotions come to life when the actors cannot capture what you previously saw on the page, that is what the animated movies are good for. Well this particular series is over and I cannot wait to see what they use from this storyline to revitalize the Batman legacy in the new movie. Hopefully Wayne is not retired for another twenty years, since he just found his happy place to end the series.      

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