Skip to main content
Games Radar
  • Newsarama
  • Total Film
  • Edge
  • Retro Gamer
  • SFX
Total Film The smarter take on movies
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best Netflix Shows
Recommended reading
David Corenswet as Superman saving a citizen
Superhero Movies One blink and you'll miss it moment in the new Superman trailer has DC fans wondering if the James Gunn movie is linked to The Batman after all
David Corenswet as Superman
DC Movies New Superman trailer sees Lex Luthor's hatred burn bright while the Man of Steel is at odds with the Justice League
Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman
Movies The 32 greatest DC Comics movies of all time
The best DC movies: Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne and Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle in The Batman.
Action RPGs The 10 best DC movies of all time, ranked
Superman
DC Movies Clark Kent and Lois Lane are at odds in new Superman trailer that features tons of city-shaking action and some super cameos
Christian Bale as Batman riding into action on the Batpod in The Dark Knight.
Superhero Movies The highest-rated Batman film on Rotten Tomatoes is leaving Netflix later this month
Robert Pattinson in The Batman
DC Movies The Batman 2 gets a promising update from DC chief James Gunn following delays, says the sequel is "still really important"
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Action Movies
  4. DC Movies

10 Things We Now Know About The Dark Knight Rises

Features
By Matt Chapman published 10 December 2011

What we learned from the Dark Knight Rises promo footage

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

It Starts With A Bang

It Starts With A Bang

What we know: Batman Begins had Christian Bale darkly dreaming before battling hardened prisoners, The Dark Knight had its insane bank robbery. Like a Bond film before the credits roll, The Dark Knight Rises similarly aims to grab your attention from the off.

What we saw/heard: In an upping of antes, director Christopher Nolan kicks off the end of his trilogy with an impossible mid-air heist that excites even as it informs us about his characters.

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Dent Is Undented

Dent Is Undented

What we know: The opening piece of footage from the promo suggests that District Attorney Harvey Dent, who became Two Face in The Dark Knight , remains clear of the crimes he committed. Not good news for Batman who took the fall in his place.

What we saw/heard: “I knew Harvey Dent. I was his friend. And it will be a very long time before someone inspires us the way he did,” says Commissioner Gordon in a rerun of Dent's funeral eulogy.

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Bane Is Reborn

Bane Is Reborn

What we know: In Batman & Robin Bane is nothing more than muscle for Poison Ivy and Mr Freeze. The Dark Knight Rises ' Bane adds a whole bunch of smarts, while still retaining his strength. The last time Bane was defeated on film it was by Batgirl and Robin. We don't envision such an easy takedown this time around.

What we saw/heard: “Congratulations, you got yourself caught. Now what's the next step of your masterplan?” says a CIA agent. “Crashing this plane,” replies Bane, being entirely serious.

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Bane Isn't The Usual Suspect

Bane Isn't The Usual Suspect

What we know: Or is he? He's certainly got the mystery of Keyser Söze given that the intelligence agencies seem to know very little about him. He's also pretty keen to hunt down the one man who might betray him.

What we saw/heard: “If I pull that off will you die?” asks the CIA operative, suggesting not much is known even about Bane's mask. “It would be extremely painful,” Bane replies.

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Fanatics Are Hard To Beat

Fanatics Are Hard To Beat

What we know: Brains and brawn will get you a long way but when you have the fanatical support of your men you are truly dangerous.

What we saw/heard: “Have we started the fire?” asks one of Bane's henchman when he is asked to sacrifice his life. “The fire rages,” replies the crafty criminal.

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Catwoman Looks Cool

Catwoman Looks Cool

What we know: If shock waves could actually travel across the Internet then that's exactly what happened when the first image of Anne Hathaway's Catwoman was released. First impressions on seeing it on the big screen suggest that was an overreaction.

What we saw/heard: OK, so Hathaway only breezes across the screen for a second in her cowl but in a superhero series that edges towards realism she looks the part. She also gets a more sombre moment with a moody, troubled stare from the back of a moving car. Dare we say it's a bit Girl With A Cat Tattoo ...

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
It Was Never Going To Be In 3D

It Was Never Going To Be In 3D

What we know: Warner Bros. may have banked an enormous amount of cash thanks to Harry Potter's 3D spellcasting but Nolan says there was never going to be an extra visual dimension for his trilogy closer.

What we saw/heard: “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. So we went to the studio and said we'd really like to push that forward,” Nolan told TF.com after the screening.

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Politics Wasn't An Issue

Politics Wasn't An Issue

What we know: Some claimed The Dark Knight was a commentary on the George W Bush years in American politics and having a CIA agent take hooded prisoners onto a plane could be seen as a continuation of that. However, Nolan says modern culture only influences the Batman films on an unconscious level.

What we saw/heard: “We try not to sit down and write commentary on the world we live in but we do try and write from an honest place and in doing that you do naturally write about the world we live in. But I think you've got to do that unconsciously. These films are not meant to be providing specific social commentary, I think that would be alienating and I think it would take the fun out of it,” Nolan said.

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Size Matters

Size Matters

What we know: There's no getting around it, 70mm IMAX is the only way to see this film. IMAX has two formats – digital and film – and Nolan wants fans to track down their 70mm IMAX film theatres to get the best from The Dark Knight Rises . Having seen the early footage fill our field of vision, we agree.

What we saw/heard: “We've shot quite a bit of the film using IMAX film cameras... to this date it's far and away the best imaging format that's ever been created and there's nothing to touch it. The best way to see that for the benefit of the action sequences is on a screen this size using one of the film projectors. It will be on around 100 screens worldwide when the film comes out in July so we want to get it out there for the fans to let them know what this experience is going to be and why it's worth them seeking it out,” Nolan said at the start of his presentation.

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
The Dark Knight Rises Hits Hard

The Dark Knight Rises Hits Hard

What we know: Nolan's previous films delivered plenty of heart wrenching moments including character deaths and despair for the citizens of Gotham. The defining moment from this preview footage comes at the end.

What we saw/heard: Bane creates an iconic image as he drops Batman's broken mask onto the ground.

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
PRODUCTS
dark knight The Dark Knight Rises
Matt Chapman
See more Movies Features
Read more
David Corenswet as Superman saving a citizen
One blink and you'll miss it moment in the new Superman trailer has DC fans wondering if the James Gunn movie is linked to The Batman after all
David Corenswet as Superman
New Superman trailer sees Lex Luthor's hatred burn bright while the Man of Steel is at odds with the Justice League
Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman
The 32 greatest DC Comics movies of all time
The best DC movies: Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne and Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle in The Batman.
The 10 best DC movies of all time, ranked
Superman
Clark Kent and Lois Lane are at odds in new Superman trailer that features tons of city-shaking action and some super cameos
Christian Bale as Batman riding into action on the Batpod in The Dark Knight.
The highest-rated Batman film on Rotten Tomatoes is leaving Netflix later this month
Latest in DC Movies
María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer
James Gunn's Superman may be setting up The Authority movie with its enigmatic villain The Engineer
David Corenswet as Superman
Superman star David Corenswet isn't sure if his character "knows of" the "existence" of the DCU's Batman yet
Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mister Miracle as the Justice Gang in Superman
The Justice Gang explained - The non-Justice League in James Gunn's Superman may be influenced by team of classic DC supervillains
James Gunn
James Gunn shares the most important Superman review yet - from the grandchildren of comic creator Jerry Siegel "This is the Superman movie we've been waiting to see"
James Gunn
James Gunn addresses a DC rumor that won't go away, saying one fan frontrunner would make a "great" Wonder Woman
Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord in Peacemaker season 2 trailer
Maxwell Lord - The comic history of the villain who mind-controlled Superman and almost destroyed the Justice League
Latest in Features
María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer
James Gunn's Superman may be setting up The Authority movie with its enigmatic villain The Engineer
Sam sits in a bike looking across at a city in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
70 hours in, Death Stranding 2 is one of few open world games that justifies having such a huge map
Nintendo Switch 2
I can't use the Switch 2's handheld mode, so I'm hoping a Lite is on the horizon
Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mister Miracle as the Justice Gang in Superman
The Justice Gang explained - The non-Justice League in James Gunn's Superman may be influenced by team of classic DC supervillains
Team Fortress 2 characters looking at a map
I have 464 games on my Steam wishlist, 23 games in my Steam Summer Sale shopping cart, and I can feel my already overstuffed library giving me the side-eye
Heavy Metal Death Can demo screenshot
I got a nicotine rush and set zombies on fire in this PS1-style survival horror demo, and it's basically Resident Evil on a submarine
  1. Sam fires at the ghost mech squid boss in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    1
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  2. 2
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  3. 3
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  4. 4
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  5. 5
    Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
  1. A T-rex in Jurassic World Rebirth
    1
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  2. 2
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  3. 3
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  4. 4
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  5. 5
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...