The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises releases today. So with the stakes raised higher than ever, what makes this one different? Chris Nolan returns to finish what he started back in 2005 with his version of Batman. Treating the topic as stark and realistic, Chris has “raised” the bar, again.

Chris Nolan and His Version:

Gary and Christian share a joke
Gary and Christian share a joke

Chris Nolan was initial hesitant to return to the 3rd installment. When the studios pressed him into doing it, he said he would return only when confident that there was a good story to tell. In a press interview, Gary Oldman who plays Commissioner Gordon mentioned that he knew Chris would return to complete the trilogy.

Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur was one of the location in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur was one of the location in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

In every Chris Nolan Film one can guarantee that he will use a new, interesting location and present it in a unique way. In the past two Batman flicks he presented, Iceland and Hong Kong. In The Dark Knight Rises he started the schedule at the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India. The historic fort is already known internationally as where Elizabeth Hurley married (now ex) husband, Arun Nayar. The marriage didn’t last but the fort is as majestic as ever!

The Tumbler Rises:

The Tumbler chassis on the set (top), The Tumbler  (bottom)
The Tumbler chassis on the set (top), The Tumbler (bottom)

After it was destroyed brutally in The Dark Knight, The Tumbler aka The Batmobile makes its appearance once again in this film. Also the new Lamborghini Aventador is featured in the film!

The SuperVillains Rise

Chris Nolan directing Tom Hardy, who plays "The Bane"
Chris Nolan directing Tom Hardy, who plays “The Bane”
(top) The Bane with Posion Ivy from "Batman and Robin", (bottom) The Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises"
(top) The Bane with Posion Ivy from “Batman and Robin”, (bottom) The Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises”

When Nolan decided to start working on The Dark Knight, he was sure that he needed characters that have the strength to stand up to his version and Heath Ledger‘s portrayal of The Joker. Rumours stated that there were talks of Leonardo DiCaprio playing The Riddler, Chris surprised everyone by getting Tom Hardy beefed up to play Bane. Chris describes Bane as a “terrorist both in thought and action”. Pictures and reports reveal that Bane in this film is much crazier than that in the campy Batman and Robin. Also compared to The Joker, Bane is the “classical evil monster”.

the Various characters played by Anne
the Various characters played by Anne

When Anne Hathaway learnt from Nolan that she would be playing Selina Kyle and Catwoman, it surprised her as much as the rest of the world. But seeing her character-graph in her career till date, she sure can pull this one off. The true test will be if she can outdo Michelle Pfeiffer (Halle Berry didn’t stand a chance). Apart from all that, Anne has trained hard for the part and claims that this film was the most difficult one to train for… yet!

So The Dark Knight Rises Releases today… I’m excited to see it, besides it has a crazy cast with the Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Micahel Caine and an addition to the list with Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy and Marion Cotillard.

Read Juhi Pande’s Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises.