By Tony Billman

Fear, Chaos and Pain: these three words make up Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Saga. Three films over a six year period that really brought out the meaning of these words. Three little words that can describe what is found at the core of every person.

After taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimes at the end of The Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne hangs up his cape and cowl and retreats into seclusion. For eight years, Gotham City was free of organized crime and began to rise out of the ashes and become free. Eight years without needing a protector. Until Bain, determined to finish what Ra’s Al Ghul started, emerges to punish Gotham for their mistakes and misdeeds. Bruce Wayne must once again don his suit and take on an enemy whose power comes from a belief, an idea as powerful as mission as Batman. To take on this new enemy, Bruce has travel down a deeper road than ever before to realize his strength, to defeat Bain and finally give Gotham the salvation it needed.

The Dark Knight Rises is a fitting conclusion to The Dark Knight series. The film brings out its theme: Pain. In the last film, Chaos was seen throughout Gotham itself whereas Fear was seen through Bruce’s eyes as he rose to become Batman. In this film, however, Pain is seen through the eyes of everyone around Bruce as he jumps right back into the suit and begins what may be his last time as Batman. The film grabs you from beginning to end, not with the gadgets or visual effects, but from the mood of the film. It makes you see from the character’s eyes and feel what they feel right until the end. Christopher Nolan chose these themes because they are things are experienced by one person or even people in general and performed beautifully as one giant masterpiece; overcoming Fear, fighting back Chaos, and living with Pain.