In ‘Batman’ series, the third’s not always a charm
By Daniel de la Rosa
In “Batman Begins,” the first in the trilogy, Batman loses his way after the murder of his parents. “Dark Knight,” which followed, was an incandescent elegy to good-versus-evil. “The Dark Knight Rises,” now the third in the series, is very much an echo of “Batman Begins.” Here, I tend to agree with the bloggers. In the first movie, the antagonist is out to destroy Gotham in a hallucinogenic haze; in the third through a neutron bomb.
“Rises” is predictable. For a movie that is one of the most eagerly awaited of the summer blockbusters, this one was a disappointment. It also had a seeming contradiction in the plot. If the real Batman can take the heat for a killing he did not commit, why would he turn into a recluse for eight years? I’m sorry, but the Batman I’ve read about in comic books and the watched in the first two movies was a lot more tough-minded than Batman 3. There was applause at the end but I wasn’t sure if it was relief that the nearly three-hour long movie was over and people were eager to rush over to the food court for lunch.
For me, the gold standard for well-made trilogies would still be “The Lord of the Rings” and the Harry Potter movies. The “Rings” trilogy by Peter Jackson was spectacular from first scene to the last. They were all three hours long, but I never got bored. There was an attention to detail, like the filmmakers were keenly aware they were working with a fantasy classic and were conscious about not diluting the brilliance of the book.
The Potter movies were also spectacular in concept and design. Its makers took the far-sighted step of casting characters who would play the same roles from the first movie up until they become middle-aged parents sending their own kids off to magic school.
“Rises” has the taste of stale soda after the fizz is gone. It felt like the filmmakers had run out of ideas so why not recycle some concepts from the first flick. And the way it ended, you would almost expect a fourth Batman movie to come down the pike in a few years’ time.
Oh well, better wait for another summer flick to fall in love with.
really? you enjoyed the last hour in the rings trilogy? lol