The Dark Knight Rises is now playing at the Somerville Theater in Davis Square. – Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Sanjeev Selvarajah

The Dark Knight Rises is more in line with Star Wars’ Return of the Jedi than it is an offspring of Spiderman 3 or X-Men 3, typical comic book fare. This movie removes the third installment curse of the genre and presides over a terrific denouement to the tale of the Caped Crusader.

A local Boston institute security officer, Sakhonh Kheuamun, goes as far as to say that it is “the best in the trilogy, a satisfying ending to the saga which brings the story full circle.” Sakhonh barely made it in time for the movie over the weekend as seats filled up fast, eventually selling out.

Unlike Return of the Jedi, a pack of ravenous teddy bears does not kidnap the princess. Instead the reveal of the princess’ true identity is the first of a series of special twists that close the film in vignettes of a beat-by-beat montage. At the start of the film, Nolan assumes that the avid viewer has already been initiated into the life and times of Bruce Wayne, vigilante by night, the Batman. For further reading of the secret princess’ origins, check out the graphic novel Batman: Son of the Demon, only after having seen this movie, which is at the height of the comic book movie genre game.

This chapter plays out like a third act to Dark Knight’s soulful Empire Strikes Back and Batman Begins’ hopeful New Hope. Ironically, that first film contains the mirrored brilliant mise en scene of beat-by-beat introductions to this comic book opera. Begins foretells with its own montage the satisfying book end that plays out in Dark Knight Rises’ closing minutes. The very ending propels the movie into the top 100 movie endings.

With respect to a movie more in tune with flights of fantasy—the Man of Steel trailer went up before The Dark Knight Rises prints—the audience sat silent as the high end yield of depth
of field Terrence Malick-esque footage of the young Superman whetted appetites for Nolan’s return to graphic novel filmmaking; this time his role is producer, but a watchful eye nonetheless over the usual kaleidoscope of cinematography that is normally a part of director Zach Snyder’s work. The trailer features Lord of the Rings music, and comes in a pair of Kevin Costner/ Pa Kent and Russell Crowe/Jor-El voice-overs.

If Nolan’s one hindrance to Rises must be mentioned, it is that this chapter’s second act doesn’t hold a candle to the previous installment’s operatic flourish. Rather than Gotham’s mob receiving direction from a loon—the director resides on simplicity to note the developments of the mid point, which enter into a sequential art counterpart to the Batman: No Man’s Land series that is brought on by Rises’ first act parallel to the 90s serialized Knightfall, at the hands of a Frankenstein like Bane. Forgive the spoilers if you haven’t delved into the Batman issues referenced, but in Knightfall, Batman goes head to head with the beastly Bane and No Man’s Land tells of the United States cutting off Gotham from any aid when they are in dire need. The simplicity of the second act’s scripting may be off putting but it serves to provide gestation for the serialized roots.

All the performances are superbly directed. But if anyone has improved since his Oscar win in The Fighter, it is Bale who reigns in his gruff, pit bull voice as Batman and inverts it into an aging, wounded animal, a corollary to the silent right hooks of Bane which Nolan feels better left unheard, like deafening blows to the spirit of the Caped Crusader. But is the role of the vigilante up for grabs? Is this journeyman’s plight truly over? The Somerville Theater in Davis Square will be playing the film all day during this landmark’s run.