The Dark Knight Rises (2012): Bane Vs. The Joker

The Dark Knight Rises is Christopher Nolan's third and final Batman film, concluding The Dark Knight trilogy. The story takes place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight. An aging Bruce Wayne has retired from being Batman and has become a shut-in. But a new and mysterious man called Bane has come to Gotham to finish the work of Ra's Al Ghul, the leader of the League of Shadows and primary antagonist of the first film. Batman is forced out of retirement to confront Bane.

I know that I have the unpopular opinion that The Dark Knight is a disappointment. Its sequel is another matter. The storyline is more interesting. Although the length of the film is a concern and the story is somewhat slow to develop, it keeps you emotionally involved. Here you have a villain, Bane, bent on destroying Gotham by creating anarchy. The Joker, however, wanted to create anarchy just for the sake of doing it. He had a plan while The Joker was just, more or less, enjoying the ride.

Originally, studio executives wanted The Riddler to be Batman's nemesis is this film due to the success of The Joker in the previous one. But I believe this never would have worked given this plotline. We would essentially have to have the same kind of story as The Dark Knight, which wouldn't have been as successful with film audiences. Sequels were meant to be a continuity of events, not a remake with the only difference being different villains. The use of Bane and his physically demanding presence made it stand out from its predecessor.

To wrap, although The Joker has always been a personal favorite villain, Bane's presence in The Dark Knight Rises appears to me to be a vast improvement over The Joker in The Dark Knight.

Kevin T. Dillehay has written more than 100 movie reviews from all genres. He provides a unique perspective on the movies you see all the time but may not stop and think about in depth.