Judging by the first six minutes of Christopher Nolan's upcoming Batman finale The Dark Knight Rises I am reluctant to say that many bat fans will be disappointed. It is still early and Nolan has said that the film is not yet complete, but Lord knows that something must be done to make Tom Hardy's Bane more audible.
The preview gives us our first shots of Bane in action, and he proves to be a truly menacing and intimidating presence. His visual appeal is much more so than the Joker ever could have been and I give full credit to Nolan for choosing Hardy as the film's major villain.
The action sequence was typical Nolan-style as he opts for an incredibly complex shot of Bane and his cronies successfully pulling off a daring escape from the clutches of a CIA officer. The catch? The entire heist is done by plane.
Afterwards you get shots from the film including Bane and Batman's initial meeting, the Batcopter in motion, and more importantly, Anne Hathaway's Catwoman in what can best be described as a cheap Halloween costume version of Julie Newmar's infamous suit.
I am cautiously optimistic that Nolan will work out any kinks that could otherwise prevent this conclusion to his Batman Trilogy from being anything other than stellar; however, I was not nearly as impressed this go around as I was in 2008 when we were all introduced to Heath Ledger's Oscar winning performance.
The prologue is currently playing in front of select IMAX showings of Paramount's Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. In Austin, it can be seen exclusively at The Bob Bullock Museum IMAX Theater. For tickets click here.
