Entertainment Magazine
So the most recent trailer for the new film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman series, The Dark Knight Rises, has been released after four years of waiting since Batman (Bruce Wayne) took the blame for the actions of the late Harvey Dent, A.K.A. Two-Face, in the 2008 film The Dark Knight. Many anticipated that the new villain to cross Batman’s path would be the Riddler or Harley Quinn, as long as it wasn’t Mr Freeze in the form of a certain Austrian Governor of California. Upon the confirmation that the villains would be Selina Kyle (Catwoman) and Bane, many fan boys were both ecstatic and mystified as to where Nolan was going to take the characters, particularly Bane who as many fans know was forever tainted in Joel Schumacher’s Batman and Robin as an illiterate moron, or as others have put it, Bigfoot in a mask. However Tom Hardy’s take on the character is promising to be brutal and truer to the comics that present Bane as Batman’s equal, matching him in intellect and surpassing him in strength. Fingers crossed that he lives up to the challenge and becomes the villain that just might break the bat.So the trailer began with a choir boy singing the American anthem at a football stadium which in fairness is unlike other examples of Nolan’s work. We then hear a teary Alfred (Michael Caine) telling Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) how he feels he has failed his parents and not looked after him, some unknown characters speaking about Commissioner Gordon being dumped by the Mayor of Gotham as it is peace time, and Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) saying that ‘a storm is coming’. Among other unexplained shots, we hear the chanting from the teaser trailer and the ‘Fire Rises’ marketing videos, which has caused much speculation among fans who believed it to be ‘BANE, BANE, MATALO, MATALO’, which translates to ‘BANE ,BANE ,KILL IT, KILL IT!!! However it is revealed to mean ‘rise’, very poignant considering the title, but who exactly will rise is another question, Bane or Batman. Then one of the most talked about shots in the trailer which features the football stadium where the boy was singing which, during a game, explodes and causes the pitch to collapse into a huge crater. This is unlike anything previously seen in the Nolan Batman universe and promises to be an exciting scene with high octane action and explosions, every geeks dream. Now the moment that many fans have been waiting for which is to hear Bane’s voice, which is a deep gargling sounding voice which has, as you may have heard from reviews, caused divided opinions. Although he is nothing like the inarticulate oath that we have seen before, he is difficult to understand, however I love it and think it is very powerful, controlled and unlike anything we have seen before in the Joker and Ra's al Ghul. Proclaiming to Bruce Wayne that ‘when Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die’, we get the impression that Bane and has a plan for the city that just may be to destructive for Batman to overcome. Conclusion, Bane means Business. The remainder of the trailer flicks through images of Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, tumblers, Batman, wire work, street brawls, explosions and to top it all off, the Batwing. Oh yes the final shot shows a chase between several tumblers and the Batwing which undoubtedly will be an incredible scene. The theme music kicks in, the film title comes up, the music cuts out, and the audience go silent.Overall the trailer delivered a lot more than the teaser and showed Bane’s voice, the Batwing and visual tools that Nolan has never used in his Batman universe. The well paced trailer was exciting, bold and informative enough to propose new questions that will be answered when the film hits theatres next summer. I am sure that the audience will flock to see the film in their thousands when it is released in July 2012, but whether the film will satisfy the appetites of the geeks among us I am not sure, I do hope so, and in fact I want it to surpass the brilliance of The Dark Knight. Let me know what you think, but I can honestly say that the trailer lived up to what I expected and will keep me intrigued until next year. A great trailer for a potentially amazing film.
