I suggest that break for a couple reasons. Firstly, I think film fatigue is likely to set in after The Dark Knight, and you shouldn’t go into The Dark Knight Rises worn out. It’s a 2 hour and 40 minute movie and I probably bought some sort of director’s cut special collector’s limited edition on bluray, meaning The Dark Knight Rises that you have available to you is probably right at three hours. The third movie isn’t as well paced or edited as the first two, so while practically each scene is worth your full attention, it’s hard to give it for the entire length of the film, especially if you're a little tired of watching TV.
Secondly, Batman disappears in the eight years that pass
between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. I think part of the TDKR
experience is the emotional response to seeing Batman after a long absence, and sharing that reaction with the cops, civilians, and even Batman himself.
During Batman’s eight-year leave, Bruce Wayne locks himself
up in Wayne Manor, mostly staying out of the public eye. I was initially
surprised by this, but after giving it some thought, it made some sense. At the
end of Batman Begins, Rachel Dawes essentially tells Wayne that Batman is real
while Bruce Wayne is a façade. That is certainly the case in Nolan’s movies:
Wayne’s outgoing and outrageous billionaire lifestyle is used mostly to hide
the fact that he is Batman. His self-imposed ostracization between the second
and third films suggests he is not much more than that.
The deaths of Rachel and Harvey Dent surely weigh on Bruce’s
shoulders and likely contribute to his isolation. But consider how alive he
becomes after John Blake tells him Batman is needed; his life suddenly has
purpose again. This goes back to what Rachel tells Bruce at the end of the
first film: Bruce Wayne finds his identity in Batman. He takes the “I’m Batman”
line and turns it into a proclamation of who he is, not just a name. Once
Batman is forced into hiding, Wayne is lost. He doesn’t know what to do with
himself.
But I think Batman is what Bruce does, not who he is. Wayne’s identity is, generically, a citizen of Gotham who deeply cares
for his city. The city’s rampant crime and broken judicial system elicited a
response from him in the form of the Dark Knight – much like his father, who responded
to Gotham’s economic decline with various philanthropic efforts. Bruce’s backstory suggests his impetus to clean
the streets of Gotham is a consequence of being a victim of the violence, not an
intrinsic desire to fight crime. To me, it makes more sense to identify him not by how he reacts but by the type of person it takes to react in that manner.
So let this be a warning, Rodger. Bruce Wayne loses sight of
who he is. His sense of self lies solely in Batman, in what he does, and when
that is taken away from him, he fails to see how he can help the city that he
loves. Just because he can’t be Batman doesn’t mean that he – billionaire Bruce
Wayne – can’t help Gotham. But losing Batman affects his whole life: depression
sets in, he shuts out the world, Wayne Enterprises slowly goes down the drain,
and the charities he supports suffer. By placing his identity in Batman, he
loses his sense of purpose and fulfillment in serving Gotham as Bruce Wayne.
I don’t know yet who you are, Rodger, or who you will grow
up to be. But I do know that your identity lies in God. It is through Him that
you will discover who you are. And through accepting that identity, you will
find fulfillment. So do not seek your identity through hobbies or jobs: they
are not who you are, just what you do. A person whose identity lies in God can
maintain that identity regardless of what he or she does in life. But a person
whose identity lies in what they do loses that identity once what they do is
taken away from them.
Your mother and I love you very much, Rodger. We love you
very much now and in the future, no matter what you do, no matter who you grow
up to be.
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