Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy is pop culture’s benchmark for superhero movies done right. This take on the Batman mythos was heavily grounded in reality, but it still kept the fundamental philosophies of bravery and ambition from many of the Bat’s classic characters.

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Analysis of The Dark Knight Trilogy

Of all three films, one villain sticks out like a sore thumb. Thankfully, this villain never really took centre stage, so criticism for their role hasn’t truly received mainstream attention yet. The Dark Knight was already considered to be an untouchable masterpiece, so for Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises seemed like a tall order. Rather than lean into the Joker’s villainous views on Gotham, he went for a different and ultimately rewarding approach. However, this approach came with a giant asterisk in the film’s third act. With that asterisk being Miranda Tate’s reveal as Talia al Ghul.

In a film that had shown us a brutal masked man with mysterious origins, the big drop of Talia as the mastermind kind of felt derailing. In theory, it’s understandable why she was the final boss of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. Going back to where it all began sounds like a nice way to tie things together. Not only from a film perspective but also with Batman as a character. There’s an understandable vulnerability that comes with Talia al Ghul since she comes from a family responsible for building a crime-fighting detective like Batman.

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Blurring the lines between Bruce Wayne and Batman was the goal for Talia’s character, especially thanks to the fact that she intended to break him in both identities. Unfortunately, though, selling Bruce and Miranda’s relationship was never done particularly well in this movie. The reveal was acceptable but not a strong pull. As an audience, we stayed along for the ride in fearful anticipation of what came next.

Cue her truck hijack, and we are back in action. Batman and Catwoman give chase as Talia attempts to transport the nuclear bomb intended to destroy Gotham City. Things go wrong for Talia, and she crashes the truck. The two catch up to her and find their final villain in a vulnerable state. At the brink of death and positioned awkwardly to emphasize the impact of the crash, Talia really doesn’t look like the grand figure we spent the last two hours building up to.

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With some benefit of the doubt, we brace for what her last moments will be. As expected, she gives a sinister speech of self-congratulation: “There is no way to stop this bomb. My father’s work is done.” That’s it? Sure, there’s not much else to expect, but this is a franchise that never lazily used literal intentions to explain its villains. Compared to Ra’s al Ghul, who graciously accepted his incoming death, Talia’s desperate attempt to give a figurative middle finger to Batman didn’t hit the notes it was intended to.

The worst part about this scene is that it kind of detracted from an already amazing dynamic between Bane and Batman. Thankfully, it quickly becomes forgettable once Batman is ready to save the day in an epic Hans Zimmer-powered scene.

What do you think about Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy?

The Biggest Flaw In Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy Written by Staff Writer for Fortress of Solitude