The Dark Knight Rises: Five Favorite Moments

Director Christopher Nolan has packed his bags and he’s ready to leave Gotham behind, and this week has been one where a lot of us in the entertainment press wonder what could be, what should be, how and whether his stories can continue without him and, of course, quite a lot of “thanks for the memories.”It seemed, with a little bit of distance from the film, to be as good a time as any to think about where The Dark Knight Rises—a skillful but imperfect film on Nolan’s part—hit its highest highs, and what the moments were that made us stand up and cheer.The EndingThe ending could, honestly, account for more than one of the “best moments” if we weren’t considering it on its own strength.Bruce and Selina’s “happy ending” was great for them, but better for Alfred. As the heart of the series and the most human element in a grand, sweeping Shakespeare play of a final film, Alfred needed a happy ending more than anybody else. His Good Will Hunting-inspired “all I wanted was to see you get out of here” monologue was the perfect opportunity to give him one, but it was more than that. Not a cheap play in the script, that felt organic and honest Alfred’s character.Was the “Robin” reveal a little bit hokey? Sure, but it brought a smile to our faces. And what came after—John Blake discovering the batcave, with visual callbacks to Bruce Wayne’s discovery of the same—was a great moment, both from a character standpoint (“I still believe in Batman,” he said, before he ever knew what really happened with Harvey Dent), but from a thematic one as well. Batman is truly more than a man.Batman is a symbol, and can be embodied by someone who isn’t Bruce Wayne. That’s an intrinsic part of the character’s mythology, but in the ongoing style of comic book storytelling, you can never do it. Flirt with it, sure. You can have Azrael take over for a while and drop the ball so that we all know what makes Bruce Wayne special, or we can have Dick Grayson take over for a while, just to say good-bye to the old DC Universe for us. The idea of Bruce Wayne being replaced, though? Is it even possible in the comics?Of course not. Just ask Wally West.