domingo, 29 de julio de 2012

Scene City #15: The Dark Knight Rises (Nolan, 2012)


There are striking motifs in Christopher Nolan’s Batman series that demand thoughtful analysis and debate. After all, he’s basically creating a parable of a crumbling society whilst juggling with a mythology that sometimes flirts with camp and whimsy. Nolan’s “Batman Begins”, its first chapter, felt like a breath of fresh air after Joel Schumacher’s disastrous last installment (the infamous “Batman and Robin”). And while Schumacher went to the extreme of kitsch and goofy action, Nolan started from scratch taking the origin story and injecting it with deadly seriousness, giving gravitas and poignancy to Wayne’s transformation into the Caped Crusader. I thoroughly enjoyed Begins as an introduction to the dark and gritty crime fiction that the series, masquerading as a super hero movie, really was. 
“The Dark Knight” however, upped the ante and focused on madness through its antagonist. The joker, self proclaimed agent of chaos, is deliciously perverse and uninterested in money or power. His only goal is to poison the moral stance of Gotham’s citizens. In many ways he succeeds by transforming society’s one decent politician, through vengeance and hate, into a monster. Harvey Dent becomes the villainous Two-Face. 
There are four essential characters to the Dark Knight myth that have strong arcs in both films. One is Alfred, Wayne’s faithful butler and sometimes conscience. He reminds Wayne of his limits and even gives insight into the Joker when he only sees him as a petty criminal.  Then there’s Lucius Fox, hard working and honest, and a brilliant inventor (think about him as this series’s Q). James Gordon is the only link to the Police Department and one of the few fighting against corruption within the system. And then there’s Rachel Dawes, Wayne’s childhood friend and love interest. Rachel’s death becomes a catalyst for Dent’s transformation and for Batman becoming an outcast.
After years of speculation Nolan finally announced the third chapter, in between a barrage of crazy casting rumors that included Leonardo DiCaprio as the Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin. 
I confess a rooting excitement for “The Dark Knight Rises”, the so-called epic conclusion to the trilogy. Hype ran as high as it gets from moviegoers but fandom hit an all new time low with the death threats sent to the critics who weren’t impressed with the movie. I avoided spoilers and focused on the praise. Surely this movie had to be awesome. 
But after watching the film twice, I am a bit confused as for some of the decisions made by Nolan. It basically concludes the series by shaking the very foundations established by the first two. 
“The Dark Knight Rises” starts out 8 years after the death of Harvey Dent, whose downfall led to an act that has locked out most of Gotham’s criminals and established peacetime. Wayne has become a recluse, depressed on his failure to save Rachel and share a normal life with her without the burden of the mask. Meanwhile, a new villain arrives by the name of Bane, a bulky and powerful adversary with an intimidating breathing mask (that apparently releases a substance thats keeps him from feeling any pain). He is continuing the task of the League of Shadows and its founder Ra’s Al Ghul.
My problem with this premise is that Nolan takes leaps of faith with the established characters, sacrificing their importance in favor of introducing an array of new characters. Wayne walks around with a beard and a cane (with the speculation of a Howard Hughes-like behavior), Alfred senses a suicidal pattern but decides to tell him the truth about Rachel’s letter and leaves him. James Gordon remains in a hospital bed for a large chunk of the movie, after an encounter with Bane. And Fox isn’t as much an ally as a chaperone for Miranda Tate, the new director of the board for Wayne Enterprises.
Bane’s motivation remain a little shaky but lets just say he’s a torturer, with the intention of giving people control of their city for about 5 months before launching an atomic bomb on them. At the same time he destroys Batman’s body (including a shot of the iconic back breaker) and takes him to a prison on the other side of the world. 
One of the film’s flaws is with the visualization of the passage of time. Nolan doesn’t get a sense of dread within the months of anarchy y Wayne’s recovery feels oversimplified and contrived. Large plot holes overshadow the more interesting ideas and the film feels bloated. 
Among the new characters I liked was Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Blake, an honest cop who recognizes almost immediately Batman’s identity. Of course, he becomes one of the heroes of the movie and its clear from very early on who he is bound to become (hint: it starts with an R). 
I didn’t find Catwoman especially necessary although Anne Hathaway plays the part straight, respecting her story from the comics. I can’t say the same about Miranda Tate, whose gimmick adds surprise but also softens Bane’s ferocity and panache. 
At the end of the day, “The Dark Knight Rises” isn’t a bombastic failure but it is a disappointment that happens when expectations run so high. And while it may remain the lesser movie in the trilogy, it has some good moments (especially with its exciting climactic sequence).  It’s admirable what Nolan has created with his series, a three-act story that doesn’t strive for perpetuating sequel after sequel and remains the most powerful adaptation of the Caped Crusader to date.