The Dark Knight Returns

The Dark Knight has risen! The storm came, roared thunderously and blew everything away! Watching the film evokes the same kind of ecstasy as that of making love. It starts with an extended foreplay, builds up slowly, escalates wildly and culminates into an explosive, intense and unrelenting orgasm. In fact, it's a thousand times better than an orgasm. It's as close as having that romanticized elevated sense of being numb close on the heels of death. When you go numb and your senses fail you, and you are transported into a world that is beautiful, heart-wrenching, dark, compelling, unreal and majestic - you know that the storm has hit you, the fire that rose has engulfed you. The best part of Nolan's Batman trilogy is that all the 3 films are distinctly different from each other. It would be unfair to compare The Dark Knight Rises with the previous two installments. Batman Begins was a Renaissance-moment, a triumphant interpretation of the caped crusader. His damaged psyche torn apart by guilt and fear - Nolan nails it with precision. And, the original treatment was so refreshing when Rachel points out that Bruce Wayne was the mask that Batman wore, not the other way round. The Dark Knight was edgier, darker, representing a world where chaos and order co-exist and complete each other; the sadistic sinisternerness of the Joker, blurring the boundaries between being amoral and being diabolical, is evidently portrayed - "What am I without you? To them, you are just a freak, like me. You complete me." It dealt more with the psychological, a duel between the Agent of Chaos and the Fallen Knight, whereas The Dark Knight Rises is much more physical. Nolan wanted it to be a spectacle, an extravagant and dazzling finale on epic proportions, and he did achieve it. It's no-holds-barred, outrageous and heart-pounding, gut-wrenching, raw action on one hand and on the other, it captures Batman's emotional vulnerabilities like never before. For the self-appointed critics - please stop comparing. Applaud and acknowledge the genius of Christoper Nolan.