I’m Confuesd – Is Joseph Gordon-Levitt Robin?

‘Before I begin, I want to congratulate Christian Bale, who, when writing this, visited the victims of the massacre at a midnight Batman screening in America (picture below). It shows he’s not only a hero on screen, but off it also.’

I didn’t want to write a review of the new Batman movie, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ or TDKR. I would most likely give away the plot or ruin the movie for someone who has not seen it yet. Instead I want to look at the movie from a perspective that has sent the blogging world and film critics into a frenzy of rumour and debate. 

**FROM HERE ON IN, SPOILERS MAY OCCUR**

Firstly, I must give credit where credit is due. The film is phenomenal. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece. Visually. Fire, guns and more fire make this movie a feast for the eyes, and coupled with Anne Hathaway in a leather catsuit, the film just about hits the spot. Despite this, I left the cinema last night feeling somewhat let-down. Nothing can take away from the brilliance and imagination of director Christopher Nolan, and the masterful soundtrack by legend Hans Zimmer, but (personally) the movie was a little bit of anti-climax. I am being terribly picky of course. Things like not being able to understand what villain Bane (Tom Hardy) was saying at times is what i’m getting at. But I think the reason I ultimately feel unfulfilled is because of what the movie was up against. Its predeceesor – The Dark Knight, was a motion-picture epic, undoubtedly one of the best comic movies of the noughties, bar Spiderman, and to a lesser extent, X-men and The Avengers. TDK, marking the return of Batman to the big screen, was a roller-coaster of emotion, action and fear all mixed into two hours of film genius. The Joker will go down as one of the best villains ever in a movie. Bane has all the qualities of a villain, but behind the muscles, he is not as interesting to watch as The Joker was. That is the reason why I was left slightly disappointed at the new movie. How can any movie compete with TDK? Nolan sure as hell made a good attempt at it, but I don’t believe he quite hit the mark. At times it does. Alfred the butler plays a blinder in this film, and Anne Hathaway adds an element of sexiness and sleekness that maybe TDK was lacking. Without giving too much away, the new ride Batman has is bloody brilliant! And the technology to bring it to life is amazing. I know I am being far to critical and should really praise the film for what it is, but then I would just be as boring and the same as every other critic. 

Now for the nitty-gritty. TDKR adopts a theme of uncertainty, with Gotham plagued by the death of ‘Two-Face’ Harvey Dent and Batman’s departure from the city for 8 years. When villain Bane threatens to cause havoc, Batman returns and kicks ass (sort of). Im being vague as I don’t want to ruin the plot of course. During the movie, we are introduced to John Blake, who appears to be an average cop who is thrust into the limelight. He sees the demise of Gothman and wants to work to restore pride in the failing city. Played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, 500 Days Of Summer, 3rd Rock From The Sun), it soon becomes apparent that the character Blake is more prominent than maybe first thought. Website Comic Book Movies writes that it is unusual to have such an unimportant character feature so heavily in a motion picture trailer. In the films various trailers, repeatedly clips of Gordon-Levitt appear. This hints at the possibility that Levitt has a more important role to play. His character was not heavily talked about prior to the movie release, making his shady character even more interesting as the movie goes on. We see Blake confront Batman as John Wayne, claiming he has know his double identity since he was a young orphan. His drive for peace and reconciliation do not go unheard, and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) promotes him to detective. His new-found role sees him take on the reins of a police force trapped beneath the city, and trying to battle with a stubborn police chief. He soon comes face-to-face with evil Bane and his men, when Batman comes and saves the day *woop woop’s around the cinema*. With all this in mind, it is the end of the movie which excited many people the most. 

I do not want to give that much away, but at the end, Blake comes into the hands of coordinates (I wont tell you how) which leads him to the Wayne estate and to the ‘Batcave’. We see him enter the cave – then the film ends. Just previous to this, Blake’s legal name is revealed as ‘Robin’. Coupled with his obvious prominent role in the movie, might this be a way of introducing us to a new main character in the Batman saga? There is links to both Blake’s character and the comic-book Robin. Tim Drake and John Blake (both names have a similarity to them) are both police officers and orphans, which Robin was in the old DC comics. They both unearth Bruce Wayne’s double life, and it is not uncommon to see the Robin character undeniably stand by Batman 100%, which Blake makes very clear in this movie.There is online bloggers who couple the chalk drawing of the Batman symbol by Blake in the movie to be an upside down Robin symbol, but I do not by this. It is hard to ignore that similarities in characters of both Blake and Drake in the movie/comic. There is also those out there that say PC Blake could be the new Batman, standing in for Wayne as he lives a new secluded life with Catwomen? This idea is not altogether ridiculous, as the idea of making a Robin film has been distanced at various points throughout the revival of Batman in 2005 with ‘Batman Begins’. It is worth noting that Nolan has never come out and said there will not be a Robin movie, and for such a high-profile concluding film to end on a cliff-hanger, it makes for an interesting few months to see whether Nolan comes out and says anything. 

*Remember. In TDK Nolan did do somewhat the same thing. Harvey Dent, loyal cop and good guy tormented by The Joker, was revealed to turn into Two-Face, and old enemy of Batman in DC comics.*

I don’t know much about the old DC comic books, but reading on the internet and doing my research has led me to believe that the characters differ A LOT from the movies. The basis of the characters may be the same, but as far as the films are concerned, they are loosely based. If Nolan has based the character Blake around Tim Drake/Dick Grayson Robin figure, then he has started the right way about it. Has he created a new identity for Robin, much like the way he created a whole new perspective for The Joker? If so, then his choice of actor is impeccable. Levitt is a rising star, with his new movie ‘Looper’ with Bruce Willis coming out later this year. Did Nolan help cast Levitt with the Robin character in mind? Truth is, nobody knows. The release of The Dark Knight Manual, a book by Nolan detailing the hidden world of Batman, maps of Gotham, Tools and Vehicles, does not give us any hints as to who John Blake might be, and, after scouring the internet, even the very best journalists and comic book geeks are stumped as to just what will come about of Levitt’s character. It has been all set up for another movie, but with Nolan declaring he will not direct another one, it might be up to another man at the helm to decide whether to continue the Batman legacy through John Blake. I am sure it is obvious which choice the fans want.

If you haven’t already seen it, go now. Shut of your laptop, grab your wallet and go. You wont be disappointed. The movie will probably be the best of the year, especially with no Harry Potter’s to contend with. In saying that, this year is a massive year for the box-office, with Spiderman, The Great Gatsby, The Bourne Legacy, Taken 2, James Bond and of course Twilight number 6 or something (Ive lost count) yet to be released to our big screens, so it will face stiff competition. But I think under the circumstances, as the movie franchise has come to an epic conclusion (possibly…) it will be up their as the best.

Thanks for reading and make sure you comment your views on the movie and John Blake’s role,
C.


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