Trailer for "Dark Knight Rises" Hits Web

By Mike Krumboltz:

The new trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises" is out and moviebuffs are all over the clip. We think even the most jaded fanboy or fangirl would agree that, all in all, the trailer is stunning. More importantly, it offers up new looks at key characters, amazing effects (watch a football field disappear!), and some timely character motivation.



Perhaps most telling is what Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman) whispers to Bruce Wayne while dancing.

"You think this can last," Kyle says, an apparent reference to Wayne's extreme wealth, and a nod to a much darker version of the real life 99% Occupy Movement. "There's a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches. Because when it hits you're all going to wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us."

The screen then fills with images of mansions being ransacked, the wealthy cowering under antique tables, and prisons exploding with newly freed convicts carrying automatic weapons (natch).

That chilling bit of dialogue is just one of many bits worth noting in a trailer that is chock full of 'em. Alfred, played by Michael Caine, appears to be at a crossroads. The political machine may be turning against the newly-crowned Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman). And Bane (played by Tom Hardy) looks like scariest dude this side of the Joker. "When Gotham is in ashes," he tells a seemingly defeated Bruce Wayne, "you have my permission to die."

Other A-list actors make appearances in the trailer, but they're there and gone so quickly you may not notice. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in there for about half a second, as is Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard. Fans of "Full Metal Jacket" may notice Mathew Modine. And, of course, the Batmobile (which isn't technically an actor, but still) makes an impressive appearance.

Commenters from around the Web are, of course, chiming in with their thoughts. Most are focusing on the movie's seemingly political message. One commenter on EW writes, "GOP fears Batman." Another speculates, "At one event, there are people at a football game. A stadium filled of the working class? At another event, a posh event full of the powerful elite. If that's so, why is Bane attacking the working man? Maybe Bane represents the powerful bully (corporations, 1%) disguised as a working man."

Over at IGN, a poster wrote that he was excited about the trailer but that Bane's voice was hard to understand. "I had to watch it a couple times before I got what he said." Another notes that Bane's dialogue makes him sound a bit like a James Bond villain. And another wrote, "Wow. I got the shivers watching that! This movie is going to be just as good as (if not better) than the Dark Knight!"