The Overview: The Dark Knight Rises

Overthinking It presents an alternative commentary on The Dark Knight Rises, the final film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

Today is the official release of The Dark Knight Rises today on DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming (buying it through one of those affiliate links will help Overthinking It), and we didn’t want to let the date go by without subjecting it to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn’t deserve.

So we’re very happy to bring you a The Dark Knight Rises episode of The Overview, our series of alternative commentaries to your favorite movies. You can buy and download the track easily, and when you play it alongside your own copy of the film, you’ll have the experience of watching a movie with your pals from the Internet, the Overthinking It writers.

The discussion focuses on the film’s plot and visual storytelling, the relationship between order and authority, symbols of water and light shining from above, and what it truly means to rise in the context of the film.

GET THE OVERVIEW NOW

# # #

The Overview is a series of alternative commentary tracks from Overthinking It, where the Overthinkers watch and discuss your favorite movies for your edutainment. The commentary is meant to be played while watching the movie, which means you’ll need your own copy of the movie and a way to both watch and listen to a MP3 track in order to take full advantage of what you’re buying. Find out more in the Overthinking It Store.

9 Comments on “The Overview: The Dark Knight Rises”

  1. andre the chemist #

    So how did you make this Overview before the movie was available? I assume you didn’t just all get together at midnight and instantly stream the movie and crap out an alternative commentary (you’re much too thoughtful for that). Is this some Hollywood-insider magic from Wrather? Or did you just record it in a theater showing of the movie?

    Reply

    • laurent #

      it’s been available on the undernet for the better part of a week

      Reply

  2. Matthew Belinkie OTI Staff #

    Haven’t listened to the commentary yet. Honestly, I didn’t enjoy the movie and I’m not looking forward to not enjoying it all over again. But I wanted to know what you guys thought about the part TDKR I like the least: the idea that Bruce Wayne can give up Batman and live a normal life once he meets the right woman.

    I don’t like it. In my book, Batman does not get to “make peace with the past” or “move on.” I think Rachel Dawes had it exactly right in The Dark Knight: “When I told you that if Gotham no longer needed Batman we could be together, I meant it. But now I’m sure the day won’t come when *you* no longer need Batman.”

    I don’t think the movie even tried to explain why Bruce Wayne is able to find peace. He just does. Maybe it’s the Bane Outward Bound program.

    Reply

    • fenzel OTI Staff #

      Perhaps the biggest difference between consensus Batman and Nolan Batman is Nolan Batman is only Batman for about a year or two. About 9 months pass between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises, then he’s on the run until the Dent Act manages to clean up the streets, then he retires, and only comes out of retirement for one brief adventure 8 years later.

      That makes him having a “normal” life thereafter quite a bit more plausible than if he has been fighting crime for 20 years.

      Reply

      • Matthew Belinkie OTI Staff #

        It also makes his extensive renovation of the Batcave a goddamned waste. I mean, he had to have all those construction workers assassinated for NOTHING.

        Reply

        • fenzel OTI Staff #

          There should really still be considerable portions of the elevated train still visibly under construction in The Dark Knight Rises. It probably takes a city like Gotham more than nine years for that kind of construction project.

          Reply

    • Gab #

      Did that link go through the OTI kickback-button-thingydo?

      Reply

  3. Lee OTI Staff #

    Sure did. If you buy it through that link, we get the kickback.

    Reply

Add a Comment