When Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins premiered in 2005, I got to watch a movie that combined two of my childhood loves: Christian Bale, of Newsies and Swing Kids fame, and Batman, a franchise I'd fallen in love with when Tim Burton's Batman Returns premiered and introduced me to the awesomeness that was Batman, Gotham City, and of course, Catwoman. But my real love for the franchise developed while watching Batman: The Animated Series on Fox. Believe me when I say, you didn't dare disturb me when I was watching one of those episodes. I was so devoted that I watched despite the craptastic signal: I grew up in the country and we didn't have cable or satellite, and the antenna barely got Fox on the best of days. But I watched, and slowly but surely, Batman became my hero.
My husband and I woke up early on Saturday to trek to the movie theater and catch the day's first showing of The Dark Knight Rises. Afterward, while waiting for our meal at the Olive Garden and still digesting the epic-ness of the trilogy's conclusion, I said, "Joel Schumacher single-handedly destroyed the Batman franchise. But Christopher Nolan single-handedly resurrected it."
Of course, I'm referring to film franchises. The comics have been chugging along for a long time, long before I was ever born.
But this post isn't about the comics. It's not about those previous film incarnations or even previous television incarnations. It's about Christopher Nolan's trilogy.
When July started, the hubby and I sat down and re-watched Batman Begins and The Dark Knight in preparation of The Dark Knight Rises. It was a good idea, not just because I love the franchise and love the films, but because it was really smart to reacquaint myself with the themes and symbols and ideas tying these movies together. I knew The Dark Knight Rises was always meant to be the FINAL film, that neither Nolan nor Bale had any interest in making the franchise nothing BUT a cash cow. Sure, it IS a cash cow, but one concerned with telling a good story. A story with a beginning, middle, and an end.
I won't say the story is perfect. But I will say that of all the superhero franchises out there, none resonate with me the way Nolan's Dark Knight films has. And now that I've seen the final installment, the trilogy ranks up there, for me, with my favorite trilogies of all time: The Lord of the Rings and the original Star Wars trilogy. It's rare to see trilogies (in any medium) told with the same level of consistency and intensity as The Dark Knight trilogy has been told. There were twists in this movie that had me giddy with fannish delight, and frankly, I can't wait to watch it again. It made me laugh a little. It made me hold back tears a lot.
But one of the things it does that I so admire is bring closure. The trouble with superhero stories, particularly those that have been around for decades upon decades, is there is no end in sight. No conclusion, no chance to sit back and reflect. When it comes to these stories, an arc might wrap up, but then it's on to the next arc or even a reboot. You don't get the closure for Batman that you do for, say, Morpheus in Sandman, and in a way, that lack of closure can cheapen and muddle the franchise.
Which is probably why I'm so in awe of the decisions made in this final installment, in this story.
No, it's not perfect. When you hear Bane speak, you need to pay attention and pray to God someone's not trying to unwrap candy at that exact moment. There are little things in the plot that made me tilt my head and go, "Wait…" but those little things were nothing compared to the overall story and the emotional resolution it provides. It's the kind of story that makes you reflect back on the trilogy as a whole and think, "They've been planning this from the beginning, haven't they?"
Right now, I'm still in awe. I'm sure that when I get to see it a second time, I'll have more things to say, maybe more nitpicks or criticisms. But as a whole (and I do mean whole), I could not be happier with this film, this trilogy, nor the direction. And I can't be sorry that it's over, because I can always go back and re-watch them. I can always dig up my animated series and pop it in the dvd player. I can always, always go back to the comics.
But it's going to take a long time before another Batman (in comics, television, or film) knocks Christian Bale's Batman off the top of my list.
By far, The Dark Knight Rises is my favorite film of the year. Of course, there really was never any question that it wouldn't be. And if you're like me, if you're a total and unabashed Batman fangirl who's absolutely adored the first two films, I'd be shocked if the conclusion disappointed you. That's not to say that some people aren't disappointed: there are, and I'm sure there will be more. But I'm most definitely not one of them.