To The IMAX!
The Fact: A whopping 50 minutes of the new film has been shot using IMAX cameras, around twice as much as was filmed for The Dark Knight . “It's a film format that was invented the year before I was born, but it is to this day, far and away the best format that has ever been created,” says Nolan. “There's nothing to touch it.”
The Glorious Implication: If you thought the bank heist looked spectacular on the IMAX screen, just imagine what the technology will do for The Dark Knight Rises ’ manifold set-pieces.
2D Or Not 2D
The Fact: Nolan was never going to bow to studio pressure to present the third film in 3D.
The Glorious Implication: Refreshingly, a major studio production puts the fans and the art of storytelling above the opportunity to make a few extra quid. “We always wanted to be consistent with the other two films and we're very happy with what we did on The Dark Knight wth the IMAX format,” Nolan told Total Film . “So we went to the studio and said we'd really like to push that forward.”
Crash Bang Wallop
The Fact: Some of Nolan’s more intense action sequences are costing Warner a quid or two…
The Glorious Implication: According to The Hollywood Reporter , Anne Hathaway’s stunt double destroyed one of the (extremely expensive) IMAX cameras during a scene with the Batpod. It could however be taken as a good omen: an IMAX camera was also demolished during the filming of The Dark Knight ’s truck chase!
Brute Force
The Fact: Tom Hardy’s Bane is going to be a total force of nature. Mind your spine, Batman…
The Glorious Implication: “He’s a smashing machine,” says Hardy. “He’s a wrecking ball. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it’s nasty. Anything from small joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns.” Could this see the big-screen realisation of the comic-book arc in which Bane leaves Batman a paraplegic?
Batman Broken
The Fact: Bruce doesn’t look in the best of shape for much of the trailer, walking with a cane in several scenes and appearing a broken man as Bane looms over him. And then of course, there’s that poster with the broken cowl…
The Glorious Implication: Is Batman up to the task? Perhaps Bane has broken Bruce’s back in the aforementioned scene and the eight year gap is how long it takes him to recover. And then there’s the question of whether Nolan could kill him off? “The Legend Ends,” after all…
Catlike Agility
The Fact: Anne Hathaway trained rigorously for her role as Selina Kyle, working out five days a week on a regime that included stunt training, intensive exercise and dancing. She described it as her most physically taxing role to date.
The Glorious Implication: Ms Kyle is going to be heavily involved in the film’s action. Whether or not she becomes an out and out antagonist remains to be seen…
Lovely Day For It
The Fact: Much of the trailer’s action takes place in broad daylight, continuing the series' journey from darkness into light.
The Glorious Implication: It looks as though the final film will deliver on Nolan’s promise to bring the Batman into the cold light of day. Whilst the Bat’s scare-tactics work best under the cover of darkness (see Batman Begins for details), Bane looks to have succeeded in bringing him out of his comfort zone.
I Believed In Harvey Dent
The Fact: Official stills show Bane brandishing an image of Harvey Dent as he rallies an army within Gotham. Presumably, Gordon’s lie is about to be exposed, and Dent’s status as Gotham’s White Knight won’t last much longer…
The Glorious Implication: If Bane is looking to tear down Gotham’s veneer of civilisation, revealing the lie upon which its reinvention has been built upon would be a good place to start…
New Tricks
The Fact: Having pushed his boundaries on the technically brilliant Inception , Nolan has brought some new visual techniques along with him to The Dark Knight Rises …
The Glorious Implication: Without giving too much away, if you liked Inception ’s rotating corridor sequence, you’re going to love what happens when Bane hijacks a plane…
This Charming Man
The Fact: The Joker might be Nolan’s seminal Bat-villain, but Bane looks set to enjoy some crackling dialogue as well breaking things. “When Gotham is ashes,” he growls at Bruce, “you have my permission to die.”
The Glorious Implication: Some have suggested that Tom Hardy’s delivery is a little indistinct, but we’re liking his guttural, accented tones. Sure, you might have to listen carefully, but to us, the end result sounds mesmerising.
