The Dark Knight Riseth pt. 1: James Gordon and a City Built on Sand

I saw the Dark Knight Rises after most had seen it but managed to avoid hearing reviews good or bad and so went in with my own expectations of awesomeness because hey, it’s Batman Chris Nolan style and he hadn’t let us down before.  It was great!  I went with a good friend and my dad (who I believe I went to Dark Knight with as well) in a mostly full theater and when I came out, I was satisfied.

On a side note. I find myself more and more not liking theaters that are full.  I would rather go to a matinee with only a few people and avoid the high probability of some joker who can’t keep his mouth shut with soem stupid comment or reaction.  I want to be the only joker making snide comments at previews because that’s funny. 

I hope to write a few posts about this movie after I see it again hopefully next week at the Clova; a cozy little theater in Cloverdale family run and cost conscious with their popcorn and drinks (bring your own bowl).  For each post I want to focus on one part of the movie, good or bad.  The movie as a whole was good, not excellent, but good in a 4 out of 5 stars kind of way, which means there are still parts about it that I want to rip.  Like the green theme, I mean come on, can we have a movie without this slipping in?  Anyway, to the good.

I am partial to the superhero past his prime, retired, mothballed, what have you, who is called back to help a society that needs him or her.  The Watchmen is like this with a group of almost superheroes who were banned from superheroing and came back to stop a megalomaniac when conventional law enforcement had no clue. Classic.  DKR sets itself in a society built on a false icon that has enjoyed peace for the past 8 years at the expense of its soul.  Commissioner Gorden bears the burden of knowing the truth about Harvey Dent and Batman, and it shows on his face as he drifts around at a black tie gala, in obvious discomfort, with a “tell all” speech in his pocket he is to cowardly to give.  Wait, did I just call Gordon a coward?  Yup, I did.  It’s a flaw in his character only because he is one of the few noble characters and this lie he has perpetuated has cost him dearly.  Ironically, his message of truth gets out through the bad guy Bane as Gordon valiantly escapes to get word of the dark plot unfolding below the city.

The city built on a house of cards and a vigilanti hero in retirement is the breeding ground for evil.  It is the classic tale of an Icarus flying high on hubris or a bunch of generals patting each other on the back for a job well done as their conquered city burns around them.  Gordon’s intuition tells him something is dreadfully wrong but his warnings, like so many wise men’s before him, go unheeded.  Bruce Wayne hears bits and pieces and when a pretty lady lifts his fingerprints and mommies pearls, his bat sense start to tingle.  But we’ll get to him next time.

So the first thing I liked about Dark Knight Rises is the setting and the idea that we may may feel like we’re special and living in a golden age only to have darkness eating away at the ground beneath our feet.