Okay, back to the realism debate that was being raged a little while ago.
I was reading this article on What Culture!, a reasonably respectable pop culturally website, on why The Dark Knight Rises, to them, will be the best film of the year. They cite the usual things, the acting, the action, the score, direction, etc. However, it gets to the point where they mention that TDKR has social commentary in it. My interest was piqued because, hey, I didn't catch any of this social commentary in the trailers or anything I read. Will TDKR really tackle issues such as maybe prison over population or economic issues or even class warfare? Nope. Here's what apparently passes for social commentary:
This could stand to be criticized as a self-righteous ego trip that only a real stuffy old film-goer will appreciate, however from the rife social/political/economic comments and implications throughout the films many trailers it does make the rather bold statement that this is not just a film about Batman, it’s a film taking in to account the realism’s of the day and make it more real for us because of it.
‘There’s a storm coming Mr. Wayne, and when it does you will wonder how you managed to live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.’ – Haunting. As well as metaphors such as an American Football stadium being blown up after a young American boy sings the American national anthem, whilst images of mansions being destroyed makes this film every bit as communist as an evening spent sipping Red Wine with Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev and Castro in the Kremlin.
The realness and compatibility with these issues and the world at the moment will make this a more relevant Batman film, and something more than just your average summer blockbuster.
Again, people seem to be unable to pull any sort of meaning out of these Batman films outside of how "real" they are. Despite some half-baked attempt at saying that TDKR is a pro-communist film, the author is unable to really make a point on how TDKR really provides any sort of commentary or statement on society. Instead, we get the same, "Look Bane blew up a football field, isn't that really realistic guys? I've seen a football field before. This must be grounded in reality."