The Rise (and disappearance) of my now favorite trilogy

People can talk all they want about Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings (though that one is magnificent too) but for me the sun rises and sets in regards to trilogies with Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy.

Now, I am writing this freshly out of the theater after watching The Dark Knight Rises so there is a bias that can be attributed to the freshness that comes with having just watched the movie, but frankly I don't care.

It actually touches on reality in an honest and aggressive way, dealing with real lose, love gained and lost, an anger that seems to be unquenchable, plus a whole lot more.  Star Wars in a sometimes impressive, more often than not, depressing attempts to do this but rather than touch on those issues it hits them with a wiffle bat.  Sometimes it stings but usually it just is an annoyance.

Sure, George Lucas told a good story.  A story that was unique and new and it made things possible that Christopher Nolan used in his telling of Batman.  The difference, to this humble writer, lies in the director's ability to tell a story, the actors ability to convey that story, and the writer's ability to capture the gritty realness of Bob Kane's Batman and mix that comic book story with an honesty that took that comic and made it a "true" story.

LOTR deals with a lot of these same issues and Jackson did a damn good job of telling a story that is one of the greatest story of all time.  A difference that only matters when comparing for this post's sake is that the characters are enduring a test of fortitude that is slightly outside the realm of normal.  That doesn't diminish the story but I struggle to place myself in Frodo or Aragorn's shoes on their journey to destroy a magical ring and retake the throne of my ancestors.  I can sympathize with a man who takes justice into his own hands.

The trilogy as a whole is an amazing story and each component does an admirable job of showing the growth (if that's the right word) of Bruce Wayne and the people that surround him.  There's twists and turns in both the story and the characters that fill out that story.

I loved the last movie and it sucks that I don't get to see anymore Christopher Nolan Batman stories.  I'll just have to get by with the Blu-Rays of the ones that we got.