So I saw the Dark Knight Rises. And yeah, I liked it. I have a huge boner for The Dark Knight, so my liking Rises was pretty much a foregone conclusion. The only thing I didn't like was Miranda Tate. I understand why Nolan included her, but it still doesn't sit well with me. One other thing I will say is that Joseph Gordon Levitt gets WAY more screen time than the trailers would've had you believe. (Not complaining.)
I've heard some people complain about the ending being a cop-out. I myself felt this way until I read this on the IMDb FAQs (SERIOUS SPOILERS): The screenwriters had the option to end the Batman and give Bruce Wayne the happy ending he deserves. In the end, Batman can retire because his legacy of sacrificing everything for the city has been passed on. Every single cop running to their probable death against the mercenaries embraced the idea that Gotham is more important than themselves. In The Dark Knight, the cops are depicted as deathly afraid when it came to defending the city against the Joker. But at the end of the trilogy, the true crime-fighters run fearlessly into battle. Peter Foley, who was consumed by dreams of becoming a better commissioner than Gordon and a bigger hero, is inspired by Batman to lay aside his selfishness and cowardice and lead the charge, ultimately sacrificing his life. Selina Kyle, the apathetic burglar concerned only with getting a new life for herself, eventually follows this idea as well. John Blake, walking into gunfire to evacuate citizens, had little care for his life. Thus, because the defenders of the city no longer need a selfless hero, Bruce Wayne can retire. This trilogy is the story of a boy who had his family stolen from him, but with the help of loyal allies, manages to restore justice to the city that wronged him. In the end, Bruce has given Gotham everything that it needed. The day has come that neither Gotham nor Bruce Wayne needs Batman any longer. He can live the life that he was keeping from himself. This is a more optimistic view of Batman than I myself hold, but I definitely appreciate Nolan's interpretation.
Anyway, this got me thinking about how the trilogy has developed and the contrast between the themes of TDK versus the themes of TDKR, when I realized something. TDK is basically about a force of absolute evil (the Joker) working against a force of absolute good (Batman). Gotham City and its inhabitants are the playing field. The Joker uses other people in order to prove that all humans are corruptable, even the best ones. The Batman is the only person he can't corrupt, because no matter how much he baits the guy, he just WON'T kill him.
I could probably see this same basic plot line ten more times and still be happy. ^^;;
