Last night Warner Bros. debuted the third official trailer for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises starring Christian Bale as Batman, Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. The trailer came online shortly after a clever viral campaign revealed a small, rough and soundless version by sleuths around the world in just a few hours.
There’s lot of new footage to behold in The Dark Knight Rises trailer including the “Bat” flying vehicle taking to the sky with Catwoman as a passenger, yet also a feeling that Warner and Nolan are keeping the best stuff behind closed doors for the time being.
The trailer paints an ominous picture for Gotham. Bane has apparently broken the bat and is terrorizing the city, destroying a football stadium and at least two bridges while terrified children look on. The citizens need Batman but he’s either out of commission or Bane’s prisoner; it’s hard to place the exact order of events depicted, but crystal clear that Gotham needs Batman more than ever before.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt gets a couple lines as officer John Blake, the most mysterious character in the film thus far. He appears to be clearly on Gotham’s side in telling someone that Batman will return. He also appears to be talking to Selina Kyle aka Catwoman in another scene which presents more questions than answers.
Despite the spectacle of a stadium and two bridges crumbling, as well as a feisty and sassy Catwoman working alongside Batman, The Dark Knight Rises trailer plays much smaller than the film we’re all anticipating. The way the shots are framed and the emotion conveyed throws off an indie vibe more than that of a summer blockbuster.
I wouldn’t put it past Christopher Nolan to buck the Hollywood trend and keep the best scenes under wraps. Part of what makes Nolan’s Batman films click is the emotional investment, so it’s in our best interest that he nail those and the spectacle naturally falls into place where the story requires it to.
The Avengers debut this upcoming Friday will set a high bar for The Dark Knight Rises to reach when it opens in theaters and IMAX on July 20. Rather than play favorites, enjoy what should be two excellent – albeit quite different – superhero movies this summer.
