In 2005, Chris Nolan brought the caped crusader back with a bang in Batman Begins. 6 years later, the conclusion to the trilogy is almost upon us. But what should they include in order to finish the series in satisfying, epic fashion?
1. The Bat-cave
In Batman Begins, the bat-cave was very basic, with only a few tools available. After the destruction of Wayne Manor at the end of Batman Begins, it was teased that Bruce was going to ‘improve the foundations on the south-east corner’. Yet, in The Dark Knight, we were given the Bat-bunker as Wayne Manor had not been fully rebuilt. With pictures surfacing a while back of the new Wayne Manor, Wollaton Hall, I am hopeful that we will finally witness a fully realised bat-cave, with workstations, laboratory equipment and everything else needed for Batman to wage his war on crime.
2. New Bat-vehicle
In both Batman films thus far, Nolan has given us two great bat vehicles. In Batman Begins, we had the Batmobile, aka The Tumbler. Unfortunately, in the The Dark Knight, the Batmobile suffered a painful demise. However, much to my surprise at the time, this paved the way for the birth of the Batpod, which survived the rest of the film. With the passing of the Tumbler, I had hoped that Nolan & co would come up with a more ‘traditional’ Batmobile, with a slicker design. However, the recent pictures that have surfaced online seem to point towards the resurrection of the Tumbler. Regardless of what vehicles are used, I look forward to watching another great chase sequence in the final installment.
3. Epic battle sequences
It can be argued that one aspect Nolan & co have not nailed down yet is impressive fight sequences. In Batman Begins, we did not get a great view of the action; Nolan utilised many close-up shots of Batman resulting in a lot of blurry shadows appearing on screen. That said this style of shooting leant itself to the film, underlining one of Batman’s primary tactics; stalking and attacking unsuspecting criminals. The climactic battle with Ra’s Al Ghul was very good, but not amazing. In The Dark Knight, whilst we got some better looks of Batman in action, again there are no fantastic fight sequences to speak of. The concluding battle with Joker was particularly disappointing. With Tom Hardy cast as the villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, I am hopeful of at least one throw-down that will finally deliver what has been sorely lacking – a massive, jaw-dropping, masterful fight sequence that I’ll be talking about long after I walk out of the theater.
4. Bruce Wayne accepting the mantle of Batman
During The Dark Knight, Bruce was willing to give up being Batman so he could pursue a relationship with his childhood friend, Rachel Dawes. This made sense in the context of the film, but with The Dark Knight Rises being the final part of the trilogy, there can be no more dreams of a normal life. Bruce must now fully accept the mantle of Batman, and this has to be clearly conveyed during the course of the film.
Anything else you want to see happen in The Dark Knight Rises? Let me know in the comments section below.