Box office: Dark Knight Rises

As far as trailers go, the latest for “The Amazing Spider-Man” looked pretty impressive and daring. Impressive visually, but a daring tagline: “The most anticipated film of the summer.” While I might be pretty excited to see it, is it really “the most anticipated film of the summer?” Not a chance. That title goes to “The Dark Knight Rises.” Sorry Spidey. 

“The Dark Knight Rises” is set eight years after the final events of “The Dark Knight.” Taking responsibility for the crimes of Harvey Dent, Batman is forced to retire as the police continue to hunt him down. However, after the rise of a master criminal, Bane, Batman is forced to return and protect the city of Gotham once again. In what will be his final appearance as the caped crusader, Christian Bale returns as Batman, as do regulars Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. New additions to the cast are British actor Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman.

If “Batman Begins” broke the mold in terms of what a superhero film should be, “The Dark Knight” obliterated it. Serious, dark and edgy, it was a critical and commercial success, breaking all kinds of box-office records and earning a posthumous Academy Award for Heath Ledger.

The release of “Inception” cemented Christopher Nolan’s status as one of the most exciting directors of the modern era, fully capable of making large-scale blockbusters that challenged instead of pandered to its audience.  Excitement for “The Dark Knight Rises” is palpable.

But can “The Dark Knight Rises” really match or surpass the previous film? Die hard fans are going on blind faith, saying “yes,” but there have been mixed reactions to the footage and trailers shown thus far, with the bulk of complaints focusing on Bane’s dialogue. The super villain gets his strength from a constant “venom” source pumped in through his mask, which of course affects the way he speaks. By all accounts, the footage of Bane in action from Comic-con looked amazing.

One of the things I’m looking forward to seeing in “TDKR” is how the relationship between Batman and Bane pans out. 

In the comics, Bane is famously known as the only man to “break the bat,” crippling Bruce Wayne and forcing him to pass over the Batman identity. Certain shots in the trailer show Bruce Wayne older, skinnier and using a walking stick. Batman also tells Catwoman that he hasn’t given “everything ... not yet.” Ominous signs indeed, but surely they can’t kill off Batman. 

Or can they?