Gallery: 9 Unintentional Dark Knight Rises Lessons
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures01alfred-is-kind-of-a-hipster
Like the previous two Batman films created by Christopher Nolan, *The Dark Knight Rises* is a densely structured narrative filled with morally fluctuating characters. It's even got some thinly veiled messages about the state of our world. See also:[](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2012/07/review-dark-knight-rises/) [Review: *The Dark Knight Rises* Breaks the Bat-Mold, Whether You Like It or Not](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2012/07/review-dark-knight-rises/) [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2012/07/dark-knight-talent-talks/) [Nolan Vision: Making the Masterful *Dark Knight Rises*](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2012/07/dark-knight-talent-talks/) [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2012/07/pl_batmobiles/) [Batman's Wild Rides: How the Batmobile Went From Slick Car to 'Sports Tank'](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2012/07/pl_batmobiles/) But because there's so much *there* there, the movie also generates some insights that Nolan and his writing partner brother [Jonathan Nolan](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0634300/) most likely didn't intend. Some of these latent messages give a glimpse into life in their fictional Gotham, while others are merely plot holes. And nearly all are unintentionally funny. That said, here are the 9 things we learned while watching [*The Dark Knight Rises*](http://www.thedarkknightrises.com/home.php) – about Batman, about Bane, about filmmaking and about ourselves. __Above:__ Alfred Is Kind of a Hipster --------------------------- On more than one occasion in *The Dark Knight Rises,* Alfred drinks [Fernet Branca](http://www.fernetbranca.com/), which heretofore has never happened in any movie ever (OK, that's probably not true). It can only mean one thing: Alfred secretly [hangs out in San Francisco dive bars](http://www.sfweekly.com/2005-12-07/news/the-myth-of-fernet/). *Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures*
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Bane Is Probably a Republican ----------------------------- Admittedly, this one is a bit of a stretch – Bane is an anarchist, if anything. But if thinking his name is a [stab at Mitt Romney's ties](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/limbaugh-bane-dark-knight-rises_n_1681716.html) with Bain Capital, then Bane saying, "There is no true despair without hope" can be read as a stab at President Barack Obama's "Hope" rallying cry. *Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures*
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Occupy Gotham Is Probably a Bad Idea ------------------------------------ Occupy as a worldwide movement has been fascinating to watch, but should Gotham ever become a real place, let's just agree not to Occupy it, OK? The city is home to far too many psychopaths, and before you know it, some dude with a crazy past will be overseeing your sentencing by an anarcho-military tribunal. *Image courtesy Anjin Anhut*
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Wayne Enterprises Should Run Health Care ---------------------------------------- Typically the only arm of the federal government that Wayne Enterprises has worked with is the Department of Defense, but after seeing how Bruce Wayne's magic leg brace enables him to completely fix a blown knee in a matter of minutes, it's possible Wayne (the company and the man) should be put in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services. Surely the Wayne-Affordable Care Act – BatCare – would be a hit with the uninsured. *Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures*
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If Selina Kyle Comes to Your Prison, Do Not Catcall Her ------------------------------------------------------- A piece of advice for Gotham's dude criminals: Should you find yourself in the clink and – despite the fact that she's female – Selina Kyle walks in, do *not* catcall her. It might seem funny, ironic even, to whistle at a woman so feline in nature. Don't do it. She'll do some sort of weird gymnastics move (above) and break your hand. It'll suck. *Screengrab: Wired*
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One-Liners Should Be Used Sparingly ----------------------------------- First off, Anne Hathaway does a perfectly wonderful Catwoman/Selina Kyle. Second off, thank goodness she can purr with the best of them, because otherwise some of the lines she's given would be a bit too much. The character is supposed to be sassy, but in a film as brooding and dark as Nolan's, having her comeback quips – "Where's the fun in that?!" she says when Batman professes his distaste for guns and killing – just feels off. Leave cracking wise to Joss Whedon, and when in doubt, go Dickens. Appropriating "*It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done / It is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known*" from *A Tale of Two Cities* is far more apropos here than half of Catwoman's dialog. *Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures*
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Money Really Ain't a Thang -------------------------- In *The Dark Knight Rises*, Bane tries to break every aspect of Bruce Wayne: his back, his spirit, and his bank. But even when the billionaire vigilante is broke in every possible way, new things and cash magically materialize in his world. The takeaway (we guess): Even if Wall Street crashes tomorrow, um, things will be OK? Bruce Wayne has much money squirreled away in many mattresses? Nothing about Wayne's finances makes any sense? All of the above. *Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures*
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Prison Design in Gotham Blows ----------------------------- We're no experts, but as a rule, no group of liberators should be able to evacuate an entire correctional facility by blowing a hole in one wall. And if they can, that wall should be surrounded by some death-inducing fences and a couple of guards in towers. *Screengrab: Wired*
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Thomas Tull Wants to Be Stan Lee -------------------------------- Looks like Thomas Tull (above left) is taking a page from the Stan Lee (above right, duh) playbook. The Legendary Pictures honcho – and *Dark Knight Rises* executive producer – gets a sleek little cameo in the final Nolan bat-film (we won't say where, because it's more fun to spot for yourself). Could it be that he learned a little something while working with The Man on *[Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2012/04/comic-con-spurlock-documentary/)*? If Tull shows up in *Man of Steel*, it's officially a thing. http://www.youtube.com/embed/sQaCsegj\_WA *Photo courtesy* Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope *filmmakers*
