I can’t believe DC just pulled off the first arc that the Dark Knight trilogy struggled with 12 years later

Direct currentThe latest 2024 release has just brought forth the one element of The Dark Knight trilogy that the story seemed to struggle with the most, and I certainly wasn’t expecting it more than a decade after the series ended. The Dark Knight film trilogy is rightly considered one of the best film series of all time, and this reputation has naturally earned it a high profile. Unfortunately, with great appreciation comes high expectations and many criticisms of the series reflect the incredibly high standards it sets for itself due to its quality.

As someone whose experience watching The Dark Knight trilogy helped develop a lifelong obsession with superhero films, it’s hard to say any of this is bad. However, some parts are stronger than others, and the fact that The Dark Knight trilogy’s best moments are so astronomically good means that less strong moments can fare worse than elsewhere. Still, I was happy to see a 2024 DC release address a story aspect of the series that had some significant weaknesses, and sidestep some of the issues that seemed to have led to that initial response.

The Dark Knight Rises’ “Talia Al Ghul Twist” was a weak point in a phenomenal film trilogy

While the idea of ​​using Talia Al Ghul for this The Dark Knight rises makes sense – tying the last installment to it Batman beginsin which her father appeared as a prominent villain – the character’s turn remains one of the most criticized parts of the highly regarded Dark Knight trilogy. With The Dark Knight rises Because we had to adapt the extensive Knightfall story – which included Christian Bale’s Batman breaking his back, having it restored, and ultimately defeating Bane – and involving a significant number of other characters, there was limited time to give Talia the to take full blame.

Bane is the main villain of The Dark Knight risesThrough the revelation that Bane was Talia’s protector when she was growing up in The Pit, she became intertwined with the Al Ghuls. While it’s a clever way to connect the two stories, it means that – since Talia Al Ghul’s identity isn’t revealed until near the end of the film – her origin story is essentially taken over by Bane, in a way that’s based on it suggests the character may not have done it. This doesn’t even have to be in the movie, as Bane could have simply been a follower of Ra’s Al Ghul, carrying on his legacy.

Although there are strong moments like the masquerade ball scene, Talia’s story arguably falls victim to the film’s entirely understandable decision to focus on setting up Batman’s conflict with Baneand then the hero’s eventual retirement. It doesn’t help that perhaps the biggest scene in her personal arc – that of her death – is seen as one of the film’s clunkier moments and supposedly one of the more dramatic parts takes over and undermines the film.

Although Marion Cotillard’s performance as both “Miranda Tate” and Talia is still solid, her acting is unable to overcome the complications that limit the character. In fact, even Cotillard himself has expressed some disappointment with Talia Al Ghul’s story The Dark Knight riseswith Far Out’s translation of an interview about her death scene, in which she sees her condition: “Sometimes there are mistakes, and when you see that on the screen you think, ‘Why?’ Why did they keep that setting?’ …But I thought people overreacted because it was difficult to identify with just that scene.“

How Batman Unburied: Fallen City pulls off the Talia Al Ghul twist

Batman Unburied: Fallen City brings its own version of the Talia Al Ghul variant to DC, this time by introducing Harvey Dent’s romantic partner Allie for the first time in the first episode. After Harvey Dent’s alleged death, Allie and Bruce work together to investigate the suspicious circumstances that led to his death. Allie’s grief and compassion make her an immediately likeable character. However, it is hinted that there is more to Allie from the start, as she alludes to having a complicated relationship with her father and hastily retreats after receiving a mysterious call from him.

Since Batman unburied is a mystery series. At the end of Episode 6, it is revealed that Allie is Talia Al Ghul – and her father is Ra’s Al Ghul, the main villain pulling the strings Batman Unburied: Fallen City – is inherently designed to be more satisfyingas it harmonizes with the intent of the genre and appeals more. Similarly, Talia is offered a bit more in the way of a completely independent storyline here, as she redeems herself somewhat when she realizes that her father actually doesn’t care what happens to Gotham, kills him, and then sacrifices himself in order to do so to save the city.

Why Batman Unburied: Fallen City’s Talia Al Ghul Twist Feels Better Than The Dark Knight Rises

Where Miranda is rather peripherally involved in the events for a good portion of the film – she becomes CEO of Wayne Enterprise and forms a relationship with Bruce that is more of a justification for why he decides to re-enter the world – Allie is an integral part of Batman Unburied: Fallen Cityis the story from the beginning. In the first conversation of the series, Harvey Dent talks to Bruce about how much he is in love with her, which reinforces the Dark Knight’s suspicions that Harvey’s supposed suicide is a set-up by whoever tried to kill her at the very beginning of the story .

While Batman is understandably frustrated by Allie’s insistence on joining the investigation into Harvey’s apparent death and has previously tried to kill him and Bruce – as it forces him to be Bruce while they investigate together – this also binds her closer to depicting the central events of the narrative in a way that feels justified. It seems completely natural that Harvey’s partner would want answers to why her world was turned upside down overnight, and the resulting complications add another interesting dimension to the story as Bruce tries to better balance his two lives bring.

On a narrative level Batman Unburied: Fallen City It also helps give Talia Al Ghul a heroic twist at the end of her story. While Talia is best known as a villain, it can be limiting that she only looks like she’s doing her father’s job, which likely presented some challenges The Dark Knight rises as well as. While Talia doesn’t get to stab Ra’s in every story to show her characterization as separate from him, it certainly doesn’t hurt things and helps make the twist on her identity feel less like an obligatory villain reveal twist.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is the final chapter of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, in which Christian Bale once again dons the cape and cowl to save Gotham City from certain destruction. Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Batman has disappeared from public view after being blamed for the crimes of the perverted Harvey Dent. However, he is called back into action when a mysterious villain named Bane emerges to wreak havoc on Gotham, forcing him to confront deeper, darker depths of his past in order to face a challenge he may not be up to is ready.

Release date

July 16, 2012

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