The Dark Knight Rises Trailer #3 Thoughts:
1. I know there is a lot of speculation regarding Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character John Blake. This is the first trailer where he gets prominent screen time. I think he will act as the connection between Gordon & Batman, especially since Gordon has taken the position to go against “the Batman” in the public’s eye. Considering we saw Gordon in bad shape with the teaser trailer, my assumption is that Blake will be Batman’s go to friend. I still doubt that Blake will either be Azrael or the next Batman, but I think he will have a bigger role than people may think.
2. At some point, Bane has Bruce Wayne under lock down. So this would lead us all to believe that Bane does in fact beat the Batman at some point. My lingering question though is this; Bane is a genius and on the same level as Batman, so why would he leave him to live. One would think Bane’s brutality would not allow him to spare Bruce’s life (I am going under the assumption that Bane knows Wayne=Batman), so there has to be an ulterior motive for Bane to keep him alive. Without getting too spoiler happy, I will just insinuate that there could possibly be a “mentor” to both Bane & Batman who has one final lesson to teach Bruce Wayne, which is why he is spared at first.
3. Catwoman looks like she will straddle the line between villan & hero in this film, very much like her character in the comics. From other trailers and this one, it looks like she helps both Bane & Batman. I eventually think she will side with Batman, but with her you never know.
4. To me the biggest mystery remains Marion Cotillard’s character Miranda Tate and how she fits into this story. I have my suspicions that she is who most everyone thinks she is, and that would go perfectly with point number 2 I made. However, the one thing that I think could happen in that scenario is that she is there to protect as opposed to assist against the downfall of Bruce Wayne.
5. One far out theory that everyone is secretly afraid of is the appearance of Robin or JGL being Robin. I think that would be preposterous, however, I did notice the kid that Blake is talking to, is also on the bus in a different shot. Perhaps this child, who obviously looks up to Batman, could be a little easter egg, or should I say Robin egg ;-).
6. I am very excited for this movie. I am a huge Batman nerd and I have loved the previous two installments from Christopher Nolan. I would be lying if I didn’t say I was still very nervous that Batman could die at the end to give his trilogy true closure. However, I know that he has treated the Batman/Bruce Wayne character very well and I know whatever the end is, it will be appropriate for the overall story. I would just like to remind everyone (because the comparisons will be there) that The Dark Knight Rises & The Avengers are not the same type of movie. I notice there tends to be a lot of “fanboy rage” trying to shit on one more than the other and that is just wrong. I am excited to see The Avengers this weekend, but I would be lying if I didn’t have a bias towards Batman. However, these two movies are nothing alike, aside from featuring comic book heroes. I consider The Avengers to be the perfect comic book movie that has a great balance of source material, humor, seriousness and action. It is a movie that plays to its strengths and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The Avengers is the best kind of summer popcorn movie. On the other hand, I would consider The Dark Knight Rises more along the lines of a dramatic action/thriller. Something more along the lines of a Heat or Saving Private Ryan. It is a movie that uses action to move along a very dramatic and intense story line. This wasn’t always the case with Batman, as Batman Begins was a great comic book movie. However, with The Dark Knight, the Batman series took a step away from that genre and moved itself into that dramatic category. I just assume that The Dark Knight Rises will take that another step further. So it is okay to like or love both of these films without endless comparisons.
- B-Bot
