When it comes to blockbuster movies, everyone has an opinion but that is especially true for Batman movies. One of the most popular and recognizable characters in comics, Batman has transcended the printed page to be a pop culture icon, so much so that you don’t have to be a comic book fan to understand and appreciate the character. It’s something that makes Batman movies even more appealing but also makes them more open to scrutiny. This was the case for Christopher Nolan’s the Dark Knight trilogy and, for the first two films — Batman Begins and The Dark Knight — it seemed like the extra scrutiny was unnecessary. These two films were not only good Batman movies, but they were good movies in general, elevating the superhero film genre in bold new ways that made audiences excited for the third installment.
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And then, The Dark Knight Rises arrived. While the film performed well both with audiences and critics and was very successful at the box office — it was the highest-grossing in the series — the film soon started getting some harsh criticism. People started picking the film apart, pointing out what they felt were “plot holes”, underdeveloped storylines, and convoluted plot, and even a lackluster villain in Bane. it was enough for many to decide that The Dark Knight Rises just isn’t that good, but now, 13 years after the film’s release, it’s time to abandon that misconception. While The Dark Knight Rises does have its flaws, the film remains an incredible portrayal of the man beneath Batman and in giving us a Bruce Wayne story is a masterpiece all its own.
The Dark Knight Trilogy Was Always About Bruce Wayne — Especially The Dark Knight Rises
There are those who like to debate which is the mask, Bruce Wayne or Batman and, more often than not, most people decide that Bruce Wayne is the costume that Batman wears. It would be easy to see why people feel that way. The majority of Batman stories center around the vigilante’s crusade and, while the events in his life that lead him to the cape and cowl are clearly a part of it, we’re always presented with a Batman who chooses his masked identity and Gotham City over any personal happiness. This is not the case in Nolan’s films, especially The Dark Knight Rises. While Batman Begins gives us the origin story and we see Bruce train up and become Batman and The Dark Knight gives us a more seasoned hero as we see Bruce choose Batman in the face of another personal tragedy, by the time we get to The Dark Knight we’re left with a man who can no longer outrun his pain.
There are consequences to this. Not only is Bruce a recluse and Wayne Enterprises in rough shape when we meet them again in The Dark Knight Rises, but Bruce has largely given up. By the time he’s moved to suit up again to take on Bane, the situation is already dire and the plan to destroy Gotham City already well in motion. By the time Bane breaks Batman’s back, we’re not in a situation that Batman can solve anymore. This is now a story about what Bruce Wayne is going to do, not only to save himself, but to save Gotham one more time. That is, in a sense, the point of the part of the film where we see Bruce struggling to recover and escape from the prison Bane has left him in. It is also the point of what we see with the people of Gotham using the Bat symbol as their own symbol of resistance — Batman isn’t Bruce Wayne anymore. He’s something larger that belongs to the city and, now that he’s healed, Bruce no longer needs the symbol himself.
The Dark Knight Rises Is The Ultimate Batman Story Because of Closure
I won’t disagree that The Dark Knight Rises is flawed. There are some valid points when it comes to some of the movie’s issues, specifically exactly how Bruce manages to pull off his disposal of the bomb and manage to escape the explosion with all of the injuries he’d already suffered leading up to it and Bane really does feel like a cartoon character most of the movie rather than a serious threat. However, these flaws don’t take away from the fact that The Dark Knight Rises is the culmination of Bruce Wayne’s entire emotional journey and, in being that, ends up being the ultimate Batman story because it offers up something no other Batman movie does: closure. One of the biggest general issues with Batman has a character no matter what form of media he’s in is that he is very much stuck. While his technology and resources may constantly be shifting and changing and updating, Batman (or rather the man under the mask) himself is never growing. He’s just stuck, never really dealing with or sitting with his own trauma and pain and continuing to throw the same efforts at the issues of Gotham City with no real progress or change. This arguably works in comics because it keeps the stories going, but it’s not something you can endlessly do on screen.
The Dark Knight Rises recognizes that and gives us a Batman who actually achieves his end goal of saving Gotham by inspiring its people to fight back for themselves, healing himself in the process. With Ra’s indirectly responsible for the death of Bruce’s parents — it was revealed in Batman Begins that the League of Shadows had previously tried an economic attack on Gotham that led to the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne — defeating Talia who was trying to finish what her father started closes the story. The Gotham he saves is no longer merely a victim of the crime within it as we see the citizens stand up for themselves in the final battles and those responsible for the death of his parents have been held to account. Bruce has had to face all of his fears, has had to fall down to the deepest depths, and has stood back up. There’s nothing left for Batman to do. The story belongs to Bruce Wayne now. It’s a brilliant piece of storytelling, allowing for a complete portrayal of every aspect of the hero.
Ultimately, The Dark Knight Rises is a great movie. It completes Nolan’s trilogy perfectly and offers Batman fans a full story, one that is insightful and unique when it comes to the way we see Batman broadly. While there may be some rough spots, no movie — not even Batman Begins or The Dark Knight — is perfect and in the end, the so-called plot holes don’t matter. It’s time to stop letting them overshadow a truly great Batman story.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
