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The Dark Knight Rises: 10 Flaws With The Film

Let me start off by saying that I loved The Dark Knight Rises. It was brilliantly paced and written with extraordinary insight into the themes and symbols of the Batman mythos. It also gave viewers a profound portrayal of what Gotham and its residents are made of. All that being said, there were mistakes in the film.

christopher nolan's the dark knight rises

3. How Bruce got back to Gotham

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After climbing out of the pit, the ID-less, penniless and phone-less Bruce Wayne somehow snuck into the United States and better yet, the heavily guarded Gotham. I know he’s extremely wealthy and well connected but still, it does cause for quite a few plot holes.

In Batman Begins, Bruce was in a similar situation, except he had Alfred to bail him out. Plus, Gotham wasn’t under intensive scrutiny by Bane and his army.

Bruce’s return is also questionable when time duration is taken into consideration. He essentially had to leave a foreign country, enter America, and slink into Gotham undetected, within the span of a few hours. It’s a situation that can either be explained through an extensive array of failsafe entries into Gotham, or contacts around the world who had their own private means of hyper-speed transportation.

Knowing Batman, this does make sense. Prep time is his speciality and planning for worst-case scenarios had to have included a “stranded in a foreign country, enter Gotham discreetly” strategy. Conversely, knowing Batman, he isn’t one to team up with others.

Without the Bat-Jet, the fastest he could have gone solo would be by commercial flights – and we all know how long those take.

2. Bane’s Men vs. The Cops

The Gotham Police Department were trapped inside a closed off sewer for three months and given rations to survive. When they emerged, their weaponry was lacking. Bane’s terrorists had the advantage of heavy machinery, lethal training, and enough space and food to keep themselves in decent condition. Although the police emerging from their trap was a surprise, both sides were essentially on par with one another, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense given the circumstances.

The theme of beating overwhelming odds plays a role in this, but seeing tactics other than run into each other and shoot would have been more convincing. On Bane’s side, we could have seen snipers scoping officers. The police could have been seen using the pent-up frustration of being locked up manifesting itself in more aggressive blows, or being forced to make smarter strategies when faced with tanks and greatly armed men. Also, watching how common criminals might have taken advantage of the police department’s underwhelming forces to join Bane’s side would have added to the unpredictability.

Seeing the two forces just clash head-on didn’t make for a very engaging or believable battle.

1. The Ending

For a few days now fans have been arguing over how the ending seemed a tad bit ambiguous. Alfred seeing Bruce and Selina in Florence could be his imagination, but the general opinion is that Bruce survived.

How Bruce escaped at the end though is something we are unlikely to ever find out, and is yet another moment that can be chalked up to “Because he’s Batman.”

There are a number of different theories as to how he ditched the Bat at the end but the fact of the matter is, the chances of him actually being able to escape and get outside the blast radius, in that short amount of time, are very slim. If I recall correctly, we saw the countdown on the bomb enter into its final minute as Batman is still in the cockpit. Did we not?

It’s a feat that does seem impossible considering the time span, but if anyone can do it, Batman can. Right?

So there you have it, 10 flaws in The Dark Knight Rises. If you think the list is lacking or that the caped crusader’s film had no hitches, tell us down below in the comments section.