Light in the Dark Knight | Meryl Amland | Catholic World Report
The most recent installment in the Batman franchise transcends the superhero genre.
Christopher Nolan’s superior genius has done it again. The Dark Knight Rises combines intellect with action to make a film that is certainly worth watching again and again. This is not your typical superhero movie—it reaches beyond the comic-book character and dives deep into the wounded human condition. While The Avengers was entertaining and certainly left me satisfied, The Dark Knight is much darker and goes a few steps further. With an impressive cast including Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Hardy, this is a film to be reckoned with. (However, it is definitely not kid-friendly; parents, you have been warned.) While there is not much gore, the violence ranks an eight out of ten, and the terrorist villain, Bane, is terrifying. But through the darkness, it is a movie about hope.
The Batman has not shown his face for nearly eight years after taking the blame for Harvey Dent’s actions in the previous movie, The Dark Knight. Incidentally, billionaire Bruce Wayne has also been in hiding. After Rachel Dawes’ death and saving Gotham City, Bruce doesn’t seem to have anything to live for anymore. That is, until a new terrorist, Bane, reportedly born and raised in a dreaded prison known only as The Pit, appears in Gotham. Much of the peace and control of organized crime has been due to the death of former District Attorney Harvey Dent, whom everyone believes to have died a hero. But Commissioner Gordon and Batman are the only people that know the truth. Harvey Dent died a corrupted man and a murderer—and Batman took the blame for his actions. Now Bane and his army must reveal the truth in order to sow discord among the people and set them against the corrupt aristocracy as well as the police force, which appears to be built on a lie.
Alfred, played by Michael Caine, is one of the most important characters in all three films; he delivers what I think is the best performance in the entire film. Alfred is the only person who truly understood the motivation behind the infamous Joker in The Dark Knight, and he’s the only one who truly understands Bane and what he stands for. Alfred also believes the truth is meant to be shared. But Bruce, as always, does not listen. So, Alfred does the unthinkable—he decides to leave Bruce. After explaining to Bruce that all he ever wanted was for him to be happy and continue living, he says, “Maybe it’s time we stop trying to avoid the truth and let it have its day.”
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