Dark Knight Rises trailer is not afraid

Warner Bros. has posted a new full-length trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Rises.

The previous Dark Knight Rises theatrical trailers have all three been fairly the same in scope and footage, just remixed a bit for different audiences. This one, however, has a number of new action-oriented clips.

Here we get to see what’s been only hinted at: that Batman is gone from the city, and the people long for his return. There is to be a battlefield in the streets between police and escaped conflicts, and the scene with Bane holding The Bat’s mask in the sewers wasn’t just for the posters.

There is a lot of attempt to be emotional, and even dramatic here. I just hope it doesn’t cross the line into melodrama. That would not do the story any justice.

The recent promotional material, including this trailer and the recent posters, seem to be leading us to believe that this film will depict an end of the Batman story, not just another case, but the last great case for the dark detective.

Here’s the extra-long, name-filled, plot-free synopsis:

Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter”) again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake. Returning to the main cast, Oscar winner Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules”) plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) reprises the role of Lucius Fox. The screenplay is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. The film is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane. 

Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 20, 2012.