The Big Dirty Article

“The Dark Knight Rises: Special Features”

by Tim Appelbaum

Everyone wants to critique the film, nobody pays attention to the details. I’m sure you can find some sorry pun involving Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but here you’re going to get all the goodness that is the special features of The Dark Knight Rises.

Obviously, the first thing you look for are the deleted scenes involving Bane. Let me save you some time; there aren’t any. There aren’t any deleted scenes at all. Now before you eject the disc, there is some high quality viewing material, so tough it out.

The Batmobile:

Here you learn that Christopher Nolan is always dressed to the nines. And he pronounces “idea” as “idear.” It’s very distracting.

In the 1960s, Adam West consistently almost murdered everyone on set with his driving, “because the kid’s loved it.” Mr. West is correct and was correct for putting everyone’s lives at risk. He also went trick or treating in costume with the batmobile.

Tim Burton’s “Batman” started the trend of phallic batmobiles. Torpedo shape? Sorry guys, you made a mobile penis. The fact that it goes fast and has guns doesn’t help your argument. Which started a revolution of batmobiles. For example, the one in “Batman Forever” is an ugly mess of metal pipes and fins.

The tumbler changed the trend of awkward vehicles. A tank with race car qualities? Yeah, give me a run down on this thing. Lamborghini and Humvee base with stealth fighter panels, 44 inch monster truck tires, and a Chevy v8. The creators tested it to make it indestructible, by trying to break the car. Smashing through walls, monster crushing other cars, taking it up and down stairs… oh, and launching the thing off a 40 to 50 foot jump. Nolan then understands the car’s capability and also learns that it can “jump” from building to building or off ramps. Said knowledge leads to the Joker firing an RPG at the car, which is essentially a contained explosion while jumping the car. George Cottle is the stunt driver, and his gravestone is going to read something awesome.

I also learned that Jeff Dunham owns a batmobile. Remember the phallic ones? He also wants to buy the space shuttle. Say whatever you want about that man’s comedy or ego, he is living the American Dream.

The Prologue: High-Altitude Hijacking:

Here’s something surprising about the opening scene of Rises; a lot of this scene involves real people and planes. Such as four people hanging outside of the fuselage of the plane while it’s in the air. Nolan used trained skydivers to stage the attack, so those were actual people standing on the wings of a plane and swinging in the air while tethered to a cargo plane. Oh, and that plane they dropped? That was a real plane.

Batman v. Bane:

Batman’s physical abilities are created in Begins, unquestioned in Dark Knight, and tested in Rises. Bane was the character to test him.

Batman used Keysi in the first two films, but due to Bane being a beast, Batman had to mix in a bit of Jeet Kune Do (Bruce Lee’s fighting style) just to compete. In the first fight, Batman’s style is hard to defend against, so Bane just has to sit there and take it. No music, the only sound is coming from the water and the fighting. Clearly, we know who’s winning the fight, as Batman yells like a crazy man, because he can’t break through.

Gameday Destruction:

This part tugged at my heart a bit as they made the Gotham City Rogues black and gold in honor of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Heinz Field. Heinz Ward receives the kick-off from the mayor of Pittsburgh, who played the kicker of the Rapid City Monuments, and runs it back for a touchdown. Bane takes the collective emotional experience of 30,000 fans and turns it into a dark reality. Asshole.

Batcave:

They made it for real..

The Pit:

Ummm, they built this too. The prison was 70+ feet high, and the pit tube was 120+ feet high. So the stuntmen that were falling, were “falling for 120 feet.” Christian Bale, standing at the top of the pit tube, starts pounding his foot on the set asking if it was “firm.” That’s a hell of a way to test it.

Hans Zimmer needed to create something that wasn’t pretty, but was as raw as Bane’s character. The “chant” turned an orchestra into a primeval drum circle. Zimmer even encourages the musicians to “stop using [their] bows and just hit [the] instruments.”

The War on Wall Street:

Do you think it would have been easier to have a bunch of CG people battling in the streets? Well Nolan doesn’t ask if it would be easier, but if it would be better. They had 1,000 people trained by their stunt department, walk in a building, come out dressed as a cop or thug, with makeup, and fed, before brawling each other in 95 degree heat. The snow was fake, but the dudes falling down before the 500 man stampede was real. Not only are you falling onto concrete, but you can’t move while 500 people potentially stomp you to death.

Race to the Reactor:

If you’ve ever driven in downtown LA near the Disney Concert Hall, then you’ve driven near where Nolan smashes a truck from the street tops to the underpass.

A Girl’s Gotta Eat:

Selena Kyle is always playing a part, playing different people, and not being one of the miserable people of the film. Streetwise in fighting style, her demeanor, and her appearance, she can show up anywhere and look like she belongs. One black dress that she can throw a blazer over, take off parts of a maid’s outfit, also effective for combat. Everywhere she goes she’s a “classic chameleon.” Her attitude shows that she doesn’t give a damn that he’s Bruce Wayne, and she’s not intimidated if he’s Batman. Nolan creates a character that allows Wayne to be himself in front of someone besides Alfred.

The Journey of Bruce Wayne:

Nolan’s goal was to make someone care about Bruce Wayne, whether or not he’s in costume. To care about the man, and not just the times he’s Batman. The commentary gives an in-depth analysis of what Bruce Wayne goes through and why he can’t move on. Essentially, Gotham is the living embodiment of his father’s legacy, and he wants to defend that. At what point does he leave and can say “what I’ve done is enough, my dad would have been proud;” a heart-wrenching statement to fellow nerds.

In Closing:

The special features have a lot more information and fun facts, like a third of the film was shot in IMAX, including all the major action sequences, Tom Hardy’s reasoning to why he chose to use the voice of an old-English villain with Latin flair, and many other things easily forgotten. If you want some serious nerd cred, commit some of these facts to memory.

If you already enjoy Rises, I suggest spending an evening watching the special features to gain a greater appreciation for Nolan’s trilogy.