A place to put my musings on art, community, and life because if I keep it in my head, well it hasn't worked out for me so far...why don't you hold it for a spell?
Today, let us discuss A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
This book is...interesting.
It is about story. And Life.
It is about story as life.
Or is it life as story?
I cannot tell.
The premise goes:
So Donald Miller wrote a book about his early life.
A couple of film guys read and loved it, called him up to make a film about his life
They started adapting the book for film
Changes had to be made
Donald asked why and they answered:
"Your story is a great book, but a terrible film"
The biggest problem that Mr. Miller had with their critique of his book?
It was his life they were talking about.
Mr. Miller's life was going to make a boring film.
So they rewrote it.
So here are the basic guiding principles of story that Mr. Miller learned while adapting his life:
Character is someone who overcomes adversity to get what they want.
They have to do something good/nice (like save the cat) in the first twenty minutes of the film
Characters always need an inciting incident
You see, Mr. Miller realized as they started adapting his book for the screen, he could adapt his life for story purposes.
Think about that.
Thoreau has a wonderful quote that I always associated with this, but never thought it had actual practical application:
My life is the poem I would have writ/But, I could not both live and utter it.
Our lives are stories that we are all writing while we live them.
So, why are we writing the stories that we are?
Mr. Miller contends comfort.
We are "comfortable" in the lives that we lead.
But, that isn't terribly interesting when it comes to story.
How interesting is it to see people binge watch Netflix for nine hours?
Not very.
But, to see characters overcome adversity repeatedly in the face of overwhelming odds is the stuff of great story.
And so, as they worked to adapt Mr. Miller's book, the writers threw all kinds of obstacles in their character's way.
So Mr. Miller tried it in his own life by introducing our third point: Inciting Incidents
Characters are comfortable at the beginning of stories.
They don't want to travel or do anything too hard (think Bilbo in the Hobbit)
They have their creature comforts.
They are essentially islands.
But, something or someone appears who gives them little or no choice in the matter.
This can be displacement or a disaster or just plain Gandalf:
So what makes for an inciting incident?
Anything that forces a character into difficult circumstances.
Why difficult circumstances?
Because that is the only way characters change.
If it wasn't for Gandalf and the trip to the Lonely Mountain, Bilbo would live his days in Hobbiton smoking his pipe and eating his bread.
But, would it be a good story?
Not in the least.
So he signs the contract and is held accountable to its many sections for the rest of the book (stealing, saving dwarfs, and being a certified badass)
So we come to our first point for writing a better story:
1. Introduce Inciting Incidents into your own Life
How does one do that?
By creating situations you cannot avoid.
Writing your own contracts that other people can hold you accountable for:
Want to write a book?
Introduce a dead line that other people know about
Want to learn a language?
Date someone with a different primary language. (think Love, Actually Colin Firth)
(Why yes I do speak...what was it again? *sips*)
The most important thing about introducing inciting incidents is to tie them to something that matters. Make it a dream.
Why does Bilbo sign the contract?
Because there is a chance for thrill, adventure, comradery, and treasure!
Don't sign your contracts without something equally as amazing.
Make sure you get something out of your adventure.
But, remember, it will not be easy.
The next part of writing a better story:
2. Embrace antagonism
Antagonism/antagonist has a negative connotation in our culture.
Nip that one right in the bud.
Antagonists are antithetical to the protagonist.
They come in a variety of colors and flavors: man, machine, nature, mind, self, etc.
But, what makes excellent story is always the conflict, the antagonistic forces in the universe that we live in.
It wouldn't mean anything if it weren't hard.
It wouldn't be any different from the beginning of the story.
So if you want to write better stories, be ready for a lot of hardship.
By embracing the hardship as a fact of good story, you will be able to face it with the kind of courage that we love in characters like Bilbo.
This next one I am not sure about
3. Be nice
This one may not be necessary.
But, it is true in almost every story and every movie.
Within the first act/part of a story, we witness the protagonist do something like save the cat.
This is so common that it is referred to as just that: saving the cat.
Why?
It is important for the audience to sympathize with the character.
So writers come up with all sorts of ways to implement this including, but not limited to:
saving a cat from a tree
defending the nerd from bullies
killing Hitler
rescuing orphans from the incinerator (I may be misremembering Annie)
Point is, the stories we love best usually involve a likable protagonist that is able to demonstrate on a fundamental level that they are a good person and have a clear moral stance.
Goku from Dragonball
Superman from Everything
Characters like Aang from Avater: The Last Airbender
This kid is so good he makes the others look like bad guys
Don't believe me yet?
Harry Potter:
Tony Stark:
Rocky:
Now, this isn't absolutely necessary, there are other examples of phenomenal stories with protagonists commonly labelled anti-heroes:
But, uh...
Those don't end well
So, it is probably best to just stick with what you know:
Being a decent all around human being and leave the murder to the sociopaths.
Now, all of this is true for writing story.
These are some of the simplest ways to help characters in your work:
Identify what they want/need
Throw obstacles in their way in order to get it
Watch them struggle
See how they do at the end and how they are different
But, Donald Miller maintains, and I believe as well, that it is possible to apply some of this process to living a better story.
Now, we are not the authors of our lives (much as we all may like to be).
There are absolutely things outside of our control.
We are characters in our own story...not authors
That is a very crucial distinction.
For Mr. Miller, the author is God Almighty.
For me, it is trickier; my atheism prevents me from pointing to a single source, but I acknowledge that there may be a Dungeon Master out there beyond my understanding scratching her head over my actions.
Point is, we are not authors.
We are not all powerful.
We cannot just write a new life for ourselves.
But, we can help it along.
Set yourself up for success by identifying what you want (make it a dream)
Sign a contract/introduce an inciting incident in order to get it.
Work towards your goal.
See how you did/changed
Whether you succeed or fail, you are now a protagonist in your very own story.
Today, let us talk about marathons.
And discipline.
But, mostly marathons.
(Hint: it is a metaphor)
So I have taken up long distance running.
Again.
No accounting for it.
Mostly because I hate running.
Absolutely despise it.
With every fiber of my being.
Thing is, I am pretty good at it.
I wake up, I walk outside, start jogging, and a couple miles later I am back at my house.
Feeling great.
What happened?
Does this make me a runner?
Not exactly.
(Refer back to the hatred).
The real crux of the matter is I need something to do.
And running never seemed like something to do.
Barney Stinson said it the best:
"How to run a marathon. Step one you start running...there is no step two."
-Barney Stinson
And in all his glorious suit glory he is right.
You put on your running shoes and you just frigging do it.
Thing is there are actual steps to progress.
Barney pays for his hubris later in the episode with spontaneous muscle death:
Okay he doesn't, but it is a real thing: Crossfit's Dirty Little Secret is the name of this blog post where apparently Rhabdomyolysis results from extreme physical exertion.
(not the subject of this post, just a fun tidbit/find on the interwebs)
So why did Barney fail?
Because he didn't train.
And that is a huge part of anything: receiving specialized/adequate training in order to accomplish your goals.
Now, here is my problem with running:
Running is training, it is not the end goal.
Why do we run?
As a species it is more effective to chase our food than walk slowly behind it
As a culture, it is one of the most common and easiest forms of exercise
As a person, I run because reasons
And that was it for years...I had no guiding reason to run.
I ran because it was something to do.
I would have weeks, even months of consistent work outs.
And suddenly I would stop.
I think the biggest thing about it is because I saw it as the end result.
I confused the training with the marathon.
In truth, I have always dreamed of running marathons.
But, I couldn't see a clear way to do it.
So I just ran, instead of setting up a clear and easy training regimen to follow.
I think I picked it up in school.
I find schools/training vocations tend to start with the third point and sometimes get to the second.
So they will start by training learning artists and then give them reasonable expectations.
But, what about the big stuff?
Opening a theatre? Publishing like Neil Gaiman? Being happy?
Whatever happened to mentors and trainers?
Like Mr. Miyagi? King Kai? Obi-Wan?
As an artist I have searched for a mentor like them for most of my career and often came up short.
So here is a simple way to get started on kicking your ass the way Miyagi does:
Set a goal. Any goal. It doesn't even have to be a good one, just make it tangible. Run a marathon. Write a book. Paint a portrait. Illustrate a children's book. Whatever
Set realistic guide posts. That daunting marathon is really big when you try to tackle it at once, so work towards it by setting simple, minor increases over a length of time. The best part? You get to decide how quickly you achieve your goal.
Start running. This is the training bit. This is often where people start and then try to work towards points one and two. If you are like me, starting here is the easiest and fastest way to burn out on a goal.
Why does this work?
Because it is every single fight film you have ever seen:
Runt gets beat up by big bad guy and wants revenge. Sets goal to beat big bad guy.
Meets mentor willing to train him, who tells him he has a finite time in which to do it and it will be really, really, super, duper hard
Runt works really, really, really super duper hard and gets promoted to badass level by kicking bad guy in the teeth. (grudging respect/lifetime vendetta ensues)
Only through training are you able to reach a seemingly unattainable goal.
It is in every movie.
We all love training montages:
So why do we work so hard against them in real life?
I think that has to do with the fact that we don't set up something to train for.
And that makes a world of difference.
Having a goal/dream to fight for is the most essential key to starting your training.
If you have that, your Miyagi will show up.
It may just be you.
But, then again, it is always the protagonist who struggles.
You don't see Miyagi jumping in the ring when it gets tough, do you?
Okay.
I get chills thinking about it.
Today, we talk Arkham Knight.
Are you ready?
No, you're not.
Let us start with this:
This is the launch trailer.
It starts with Thomas Wayne's Last Will & Testament to his beloved son, Bruce.
Here is the full transcript:
In the event of my death, I hereby declare that all my
worldly possessions pass to my son, Bruce Wayne. Bruce: I ask that you honour
the Wayne family legacy, and commit yourself to the improvement of Gotham City,
its institutions and its citizens. Please, be strong. You are young, but
destined for great things. Make the most of your opportunities; use them to
give back to a city that has given us so much, to change the lives of millions
of people. Do not be frivolous with this wealth; please do not waste it all on
fast cars and outrageous clothes, and the pursuit of a destructive lifestyle.
Invest in Gotham. Treat its people like family; watch over them, and use this
money to safeguard them from forces beyond their control. My deepest regret is
I will not see you grow into the good man I know you will become. And finally,
my son, I ask that you never abandon this city to fate. We have lived through
dark days; there's no doubt there are more to come. But it is the good and
great men who stand up for Gotham when others turn and run. In death, I will
love you for ever. Your father, Thomas.
Holy shit.
So right from the start of this game's merchandising campaign they established this as legacy.
Thomas Wayne gave Bruce a directive, not just a trauma, but a freaking mission!
Help people.
Save Gotham.
You are privileged.
Use these gifts and make the world better!
I get chills. This story is about family.
Now, the next bit of the campaign was a little weird...
So the campaign highlights regular schmucks.
You, me, anybody.
Right?
And through determination, courage, fortitude, fear, they go on to win the little battles we all face
bullies
championship games
fires
that sort of thing
But, the last line is a little bit terrifying:
BE THE BATMAN
Suggesting that it is possible for you to be Batman. The reason that this is a perfectly told story is because everything about the game makes you the Batman.
Not just feel like Batman.
Actually Be Batman.
In order to get the full sense of this you need, need, need to play the game.
But, I will try to convey in words what you may have missed in the playing:
Okay.
Let us start with the opening:
(I will try to keep up a running narrative so switch back and forth if you can)
So we start with Joker already dead (spoilers).
How do you know?
Because he is on a slab waiting for cremation.
They start with destroying a symbol! That is just good, clean storytelling.
What next?
Well, to be honest, I wonder if I will ever get to play.
Most games and I won't name names (Order 1886, Assassin's Creed, Witcher, etc.) will have you watch movie after movie, but never let you actually play the game.
This is what we call AGENCY; every good game has it, every movie doesn't.
If all you can do is move a character from point A to point B, it is a movie.
As I sat there and wondered if I will ever get to play something strange happens.
We just keep staring at Joker's corpse.
Nothing happens.
For almost a full minute nothing happens!
And then something pops up on screen:
INCINERATE "X"
What?
They want me to press a button?
So I do.
For a moment.
The fire starts, but stops.
And I thought, "I HAVE TO BURN THE JOKER!"
Instantly Rocksteady made me complicit.
In the first minute of game, I have to murder a symbol....
So I do.
I burn him up good.
And it takes a while....
But, I do it, because it is necessary for story.
And I cried.
Replaced by the opening shot of the logo and the quote that will forever haunt me and this review:
This is how it happened. This is how the Batman died.
What? How? Why? How? Why?
And the narration is off.
We play as some off duty cop named Owens handling some smoking complaint in the "corner booth".
He orders the pie and don't tell his wife crap.
The whole nine yards.
We walk over to the corner booth to politely ask the dick to stop smoking (this is 2015 for crying outloud)
Suddenly, it is a horror show.
Demons are everywhere, chasing, choking, and beating each other
But, you are a cop!
So what is your immediate solution?
You grab your gun!
And what happens next?
Well, depending you either:
shoot the harmless demons (patrons) and get your head smashed in or
you wait and get your head smashed in.
Either way you get your head smashed in.
And why?
Some people might maintain because this is purely exposition that you are a no name cop and it is done for dramatic effect.
And they may be right.
It is traumatic.
But, what did we see?
The cop drew his gun. By drawing a gun in this world, you fail.
That is taught to us in the first interaction in the game.
Come to find out that it is Scarecrow doing all of this mess and the gravelly voice belongs to Jim Gordan who says we only have one man who can save us:
BATMAN!
Oh, I get chills.
Because Batman is a hero.
He is at the top of his game, he has never been stronger, but that doesn't matter because this is the night that Batman dies.
How do we know?
Jim frigging Gordan told us!
He is reliable.
He is in every iteration of the Batman story.
He has seen it all!
And he is using the past tense!
It has already happened. Batman is dead.
Did you get the memo?
Do you know what that means?
The game designers can do...anything!
1) THE BATSUIT
So we start with freaking flight!
Why?
Because why not?
See, in previous games Rocksteady was concerned about limiting where Batman could roam and what abilities he had at certain moments.
In this, you start with basically everything you need to complete the game.
Everything else is icing.
So you start with a fully fledged flight mechanic and you swoop to see Commissioner Gordan at GCPD Headquarters.
You get your first mission: save the police officer and you do.
Some things to notice in the trailer
It is the same suit/technology from Arkham City you are wearing
The screen on his comms is in black and white
The grapnel boost from Arkham City is still there and you can see it on your gauge as you fly
The fact that time slows down and Batman grapples away before the car attempts to ram him
Why are those things important?
You start with the same suit in Arkham City.
That means same color, same look, same tech.
Eventually though, you are introduced to this:
So Bruce gets a shiny new suit with a whole lot of new toys and stuff. Great. Same old same old
NOPE!
Not even close.
Bruce gets a new suit that is so fluid (literally), so smooth...it gets out of his way.
That is right ladies and gentlemen.
The Batman of the Rocksteady games, the one that literally cracks skulls and sounds like gravel hitting pavement...was slow! The Batsuit was slowing Batman down.
Now, they introduce a new mechanic called the Fear Multi Takedown that lets you take down multiple assailants almost instantly.
And in this we are taught something: Batman is not his suit.
By introducing that little detail, they establish that Batman is greater than his tech, more powerful than his gadgets.
But, the new gadgets are sweet.
The comms are in color!
The grapnel boosts farther!
It is the biggest, baddest upgrade, but it also stems from Batman's innate ability.
But, let us talk about the last bullet point.
Time slowing down and grappling out of the way.
That is a game mechanic!
At first I thought that was just cinematic license taken by the game designers.
oh no.
That is a legitimate mechanic in game.
Anytime something is about to hit you: cars, bullet fire, time slows, you get a moment to decide how to respond and then you do.
Why? Because you are Batman!
2) THE BATMOBILE
So once you have rescued the poor, ungrateful sap, he asks you what you are doing
You tell him
Evening the odds
And Batman totally does.
Batman goes from his brilliant flight mechanic to the Batmobile.
This thing is beyond surreal.
It has impenetrable wheels that grips the road perfectly, so no blow outs
It has a virtually impenetrable armor casing (which we will get to in just a moment)
It has an afterburner that can accelerate it to the fastest thing in the game
It has tracking/homing missiles
It has GPS
And why? Because you're Batman!
Walking is now for plebeians and I never did it again in the game if I could avoid it.
So where to next?
Well they send you to find Ivy.
Who is somewhere.
So you travel in the vehicle, discover she is in the penthouse so you have to fly up there.
They equip you with the tools to succeed and put you in immediate story situations to use them to advantage.
And if you do it well enough, you look cool too.
So you pick up Ivy and bring her out.
Immediately you are surrounded by men with guns.
So what do you do?
Call up your Batmobile.
Oh, you thought that was all it does?
It can be remotely operated
It can seamlessly transform into a tank with
Armor piercing rounds and
Nonlethal projectiles for crowd control
It has omnidirectional movement and a variety of secondary weapons
This review could just gush about the Batmobile.
But, I am just getting started.
You drop off Ivy in the backseat because that is where bitches go
You then engage in brutal tank warfare, rush back to GCPD and...
She's fine!
Completely non plussed.
But, totally, totally fine.
She leaves the Batmobile in the exact same condition as she entered it.
What you didn't realize was that something happened.
Something unspoken, but very much present: The Batmobile is the safest place in the universe.
You don't think so?
Everywhere else people become maimed, bullied, and muscled around.
But, the Batmobile is the perfect place to keep things precious and safe.
For the rest of the game you fight in the Batmobile, locomote in the Batmobile, make love to the Batmobile (add on content).
Finally, there comes a time where the unthinkable happens:
You are cornered.
Alone.
Save for your precious Batmobile.
And there it is.
The death of a symbol.
The Batmobile is gone.
I felt for this death more than almost any other in the game.
Because it was supposed to be safe!
And then it wasn't.
And the Batmobile paid the price.
It was a hard, hard loss.
Fast forward and we are surrounded by tanks, no way out.
You need a Batmobile!
There is no other way to fight tanks in the whole game.
Nothing has prepared you for this.
You feel weak.
Powerless.
When Lucius Fox delivers like a beast:
The MKII Batmobile!
That is right, THERE ARE TWO BATMOBILES! Plural
And she is badder than ever!
SHE LIVES!
Because it doesn't matter that it is one of a kind.
Batman would plan to lose a Batmobile or two.
Why? Becaue you are Batman!
3) The Villain(s)
This deserves its own little subcategory of amaze sauce.
The villains in Rocksteady's games are notorious for being related to the theme of that game
Arkham Asylum it is the inmates, the insane, the dangerous
Joker
Viktor Zsasz
Killer Croc
Scarecrow
Riddler
Ivy
Arkham City it is the ones chasing immortality or some sense of grandeur
Joker
Twoface
Penguin
Solomon Grundy
Hugo Strange
Ra's al Ghul
Arkham City is no different, with an impressive roster that puts the emphasis on family/mutation
Scarecrow
Arkham Knight
Pig
Manbat
Scarecrow
Consumed and interested in fear.
Scarecrow is poised as the main villain of the game (though to be honest he comes up scant).
Not for lack of trying.
He is terrifying having been scarred by his time at the Asylum.
The final confrontation even happens at Arkham Asylum:
Batman is even in the same prone position as his worst nightmare from Arkham Asylum.
Scarecrow is even responsible for bringing together the other two villains in the game:
Arkham Knight
This is the red herring.
The big question mark throughout the game.
You suspect his true identity and it is definitely hinted at, but really why give away all the surprises?
The point is he is the dark mirror to Batman:
The Joker
Oh, you thought he was dead?
You thought that would stop the main villain?
The big bad of the Rocksteady games?
NOPE!
So at first, Joker is a manifestation of Scarecrow's fear toxin.
(Sup?)
So he is a manifestation of Batman's fear.
Makes sense.
Then, come to find out there are other...victims:
Infected with Joker blood, they are mutating into Joker knock offs.
They are mean, psychotic, and equipped to deal.
So you take care of all of them.
Come to find out they are murdered by a sleeper:
Henry Adams.
The supposed "cure".
He murders everyone else, takes out Bats by threatening to murder Harley.
He is unstoppable until he sees this:
Oh, didn't you remember?
Batman was infected by Joker blood too.
In Arkham City.
We are going to see Joker in Batman's body and suit.
And don't forget, this is how the Batman died.
So Joker is the devil on Batman's shoulders.
Tempting him to do...things.
Yes. This really happens in game.
You remember why Batman hates guns?
Guns are the weapons of the enemy.
The weapons of criminals and the fearful.
They are what Joker loves and what Batman hates.
The whole show is about tempting Batman to kill:
Yeah.
Because if he does.
It will unleash the Joker.
And you know what?
He kind of does...
We get to play as the lethal Joker:
And yes.
Those lethal rounds he has been joking about this whole game?
He uses them.
So that is it.
That is how Batman goes out...
4) THE BATMAN
I have mentioned pretty much everything before.
Batman's resilience
His devotion to family
His natural abilities overcoming his gadgets/tech
He is a master strategist
But, we will talk about his most impressive trait: Batman's perseverence.
Batman is unstoppable.
He is a force of nature.
And nowhere is that better felt than at the end.
If you have time watch the whole vide.
If not.
We see the world through Joker's eyes with Batman's abilities/resources at his disposal
We see a Batman who is murderous, psychotic, vicious. Batman's worst fear: Becoming what he fights against.
But, then, we see what Joker is afraid of:
Being forgotten.
And he will be.
And why?
Because:
"I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!"
Because Batman will always stop Joker.
Even the Joker inside his head.
And in that moment Batman proves he is greater than the Joker.
He is stronger than even his worst fears.
That is what makes him Batman.
Because that is the Joker's ending finale.
This is Batman's:
Unmasked.
Known to all.
Saving the city one last time from all its baddest enemies.
And bidding it the sweetest farewell.
That is how the Batman dies.
All right.
Here we go.
I have posted about some of my problems with Nolan's universe up till now, but most have been relatively minor.
Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are well made films and in their own right, splendid.
Now, we come to the close...
The Dark Knight Rises.
(We who are about to die salute you!)
What a steaming pile!
It was...not good.
I cannot do better than most every other satire out there, but really.
Something went horribly, horribly wrong in this one.
1) The Villain
The main villain is not Bane, who right off the cuff, could have been really great!
Bane is a master tactician who also happens to have super human levels of strength and endurance.
He is a phenomenal villain for Batman.
But, he is not the villain
(I know Tom Hardy!)
Instead it is Talia al Ghul, come back to avenge her father.
And how does she do this?
It is really, really unclear!
At first she sets Bane loose on the city.
He amasses a mercenary army and overtakes the whole thing.
Batman comes out of retirement to go toe to toe with Bane only to have his back broken.
He declares martial law and releases all of the criminals that Batman has put away.
Batman is dropped into a prison without a roof (poor planning)
Then, they hold the whole of Gotham hostage with a ticking nuclear explosive that could detonate at any time, but also has a detonator.
Once Batman comes back and we can feel good about his coming back, a high speed chase with the LIFE NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVE ensues and Talia dies with it and it is going to explode anyway because it was GOING TO EXPLODE ANYWAY.
Was the plan to detonate the bomb in the city?
Was the plan to die with the bomb in the city?
Also. Why does Ra's al Ghul show up in a "dream" sequence in the prison and outline Talia's plan and her relationship to Ra's to a semi-conscious Bruce Wayne?
Is Liam Neeson just that good at delivering exposition?
Is Bruce Wayne that good at putting circumstantial evidence together that he can do it in his sleep?
Yup.
2) Batman.
*head shakes*
This is probably the absolute worst thing about this movie.
It was actively painful to watch for the first few minutes and thereafter.
We start with a retired and reclusive Bruce Wayne.
It has been eight years since anyone has seen the Batman or Bruce (coincidence?) and life has been unkind:
Bruce Wayne is broken.
Quite literally, the litany of injuries his doctor rattles off is staggering.
He is physically and emotionally broken at the start of the film.
He is meant to be an aging and decrepit Batman a la Frank Miller's run at Batman in The Dark Knight Returns:
(Except I'm not a pansy)
He is in mourning for his dead girlfriend and the fact that there are no supervillains to fight.
At least until the masked menace Bane shows up!
So Bruce puts on a magic knee brace
a cop talks nostalgia and suddenly we are back!
With new toys from Lucius Fox, everybody is on board to stop the new hulking threat of Bane!
The thing is, this is a very fun scene.
I really love it.
They managed to actively mess with our expectations by saying Batman is washed up and we, as audience, believed it based on the performance and editing.
Good on you!
But, Batman is back and...
Bane breaks Batman's back....so....
Then drops him down a whole, we get a shady prison doctor, some implied rehab, a training montage, and suddenly he is climbing out of prison, walking across a desert and is back to his old tricks
(Are you wearing your knee brace?)
Point is that we have very few moments in this film to really root for Batman and the reason is because we keep having to dismantle him and his legend at every turn.
Nolan set Batman up as a has been to build him back up to legend status to have him crushed by Bane in order to overcome adversity and scrape by as a hero and cooling at room temperature, not living the high life with Selina Kyle in freaking France the way Alfred dreams
(Like the end of Inception: This didn't happen!)
So what are we left with?
A Batman who looks like this:
Ugh.
I don't know if anyone was confused, but this was a terrible film.
Like, really, really bad.
One of my friends though maintains (I'm looking at you David Moan) that this movie perfectly follows a trilogy structure.
The main villain from the first is hearkened back to.
The central conflict of the character is resolved (where do they go from here)
The crusade ends
The character achieves a kind of apotheosis
In this series that would be Ra's al Ghul, his legacy as Talia, the attempt to destroy Gotham, and to corrupt Batman into taking human life.
I think this is an interesting point and one that I would like to explore.
Because I think he is right.
It follows this structure almost perfectly.
Looking at another example: Return of the Jedi
Vader is brought back to the light side of the force, kills the Emperor in Luke's stead
Luke becomes a Jedi in his own right and leaves
The Empire is overthrown
Luke is seen conversing with all of the characters, including his father in their force selves
Okay.
Here it is...
You know what?
It needs its own post.
I am going to use a trick I learned from the makers of Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hobbit, Hunger Games, and I can only assume Divergent...
Two parts!
