In anticipation of 'The Dark Knight Rises'

One of the most anticipated films of the year, The Dark Knight Rises, will open July 20 in both the United States and United Kingdom (July 19 in Malaysia). Co-writer and director Christopher Nolan will deliver the final piece of his Batman trilogy which will have spanned over a seven year period starting from 2005. The second installment, The Dark Knight, was especially well received both critically and commercially, grossing slightly over $1 billion worldwide.

Warner Bros. surely intends to surpass that mark but comparisons will inevitably be cast with rival studio Disney's mega release of the year, The Avengers. The Avengers is the third highest grossing movie of all time at $1.45bn and holds the record for highest opening weekend gross (measure of a film's hype) at $200m. The average viewer probably won't bother comparing the two since their tone and themes are rather different, but business is business for comic book publishers DC and Marvel (sister companies of WB and Disney respectively).

I enjoyed Marvel's X-Men franchise (distributed by 20th Century Fox), but Nolan's Batman series is really the best comic superhero adaptation of this era, in my humble opinion. (Not that I am an expert on comic books.)

While Batman Begins was a normal story about the character's origins, Dark Knight really took the series to the next level by exploring – with far greater weight than any Marvel movie – the effect of the character's heroism on a society frightened by the evil he is meant to fight. Batman's eventual victory over the Joker was not just personal, nor to save the world from a contrived alien invasion or a crazy plan to destroy the world hatched by an out-of-control villain, etc. The catharsis at the end showed that good vs evil is not simply a physical battle between hero vs villain, but a war of ideas where loved ones and ordinary people get caught in between. The ordinary masses have agency (as in the real world); how they respond to this war have consequences too.

Which is why whatever happens at the box office, I am certain that Dark Knight Rises will be artistically superior to its perceived rival films this year. It may not reach the light-hearted entertainment levels of The Avengers, but it is certain to spark a lot more serious debate. Early buzz already seems overwhelmingly positive.

I'm also glad that it will be the definitive end to this Batman series. It has been made clear several times in trailers and promotional material that Batman is simply not what he used to be physically and that his time is almost up. I am confident Dark Knight Rises (despite its title) will tell us how it all ends for Bruce Wayne as Gotham's hero and signs are it will be an epic conclusion.