Director Christopher Nolan's epic Batman saga is going to conclude, and I'm psyched for the final installment, The Dark Knight Rises. If you know me, this comes as no surprise, seeing as I've been more than vocal about Bane being one of my favorite characters, as well as praising Nolan's efforts as a director.
I'll begin with the obvious elephant in the room---Bane's costume. This has generated a massive outcry, and an equally loud voice saying "well, I like Nolan so we'll see." Before instantly labeling that voice of cautious support as the mindset of a fanboy, realize Nolan has received such a large amount of faith due to his ability to impress time and time again when directing not only the Batman franchise, but also his numerous other films (The Prestige, Inception, Memento, etc). So far, Nolan has done an excellent job translating everything and everyone to the silver screen for a gritty and realistic take on the Batman universe. Yes, this costume is completely different than Bane's comic book look, but is a man running around in tights and a luchador wrestling mask what a modern villain would wear in that Universe? It doesn't seem too likely to me. The kevlar and basic attire is nothing worth ranting or raving over, but the very end of the teaser trailer revealed his shoulders and massive arms will be bare, so that's likely the closest we're going to get to Bane's comic book costume. But the trench coat? It matches the kevlar attire, but having that giant collar popped up-wards just looks off-putting to me. Thankfully, the rest of the on set pictures and footage reveal he isn't wearing it, so I doubt it'll be regular attire, like Joker's legendary purple trench coat. But, we also need to take into account these pictures don't have any of the elements of post production movie magic applied. Will cgi be used to touch up Bane a bit and make him appear to have a little more mass?
Another matter on everyone's mind is definitely Bane's mask. As far as I can tell, the mask (which reminds me of Scorpion's mouth plate) is used to inhale venom, the drug which enhances his strength and pain tolerance. As you can see in the picture above, he appears to have numerous valves and tubes attached. If you take a closer look, you'll also notice the scarred looking spine. Did he perhaps undergo an operation at a younger age and the mask is in fact connected to his head for use of venom? Was he raised by the League of Assassins (Liam Neeson has been spotted on set...perhaps a flashback origin for Bane) and they experimented on the man with venom to become their ultimate soldier? After all, Ra's al Ghul held a great deal of respect for Bane in the comics, and believed he was second to only Batman.
On set footage has also revealed a jail break scene. An explosion rips open a prison wall, allowing swarms of prisoners to escape, later fighting with police as Wayne and Bane battle in the hectic crowd. Are we looking at a plot that is somewhat inspire by Bane's highlight story, Knightfall? The second film built up Batman's reputation as an iconic figure that watches over and rules Gotham, forcing criminals to remain indoors at night. Has Bane come to defeat Batman and clutch control over Gotham, just like he wanted to in the comics? And this prison break is a ruse to wear the legendary hero down, before eventually attempting to break Batman, physically and emotionally?
And where does Catwoman fit into the mix? I assume as Gotham crumbles into chaos during the conflict, this gives Catwoman free reign to steal as she pleases. Naturally, she'll cross paths with Batman, conflict and eventually kissing in a tree (or in this case, a rooftop) shall ensue. I can't say I'm thrilled for her appearance, but we'll see how it turns out.
But this is merely my opinion and speculation on the upcoming blockbuster. How do you feel about the released information on The Dark Knight rises?
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