If there was any problem with The Dark Knight Rises, it has no doubt been expounded to death by comic book fans in comment threads online. A grandiose epic by a director more used to directing lean thrillers, it requires very little explanation as to why it isn't considered as complete a success as its predecessors. One thing that the story does recall to some success however, is that Batman is a quintessentially operatic character. He was created in a comic book world of characters drawn in broad strokes with dark pasts and a penchant for showiness. While his antics have produced more than a few musical parodies - the latest being "Holy Musical Batman!" by Starkids - an irony-free musical drama based on The Dark Knight Rises could be just what the character needs. Dialling back the spectacle to stage level and putting more emphasis on the disillusioned Batman as a character could also solve many of the film's narrative flaws. Not convinced? Listen to this Dark Knight Rises-inspired song composed by The Escapist's Musician Gavin Dunne here. Show-Stopping Number: "Knightfall" - massive Chorus number ending Act I, featuring Batman, Selina Kyle, and Bane.
Self-evidently a man who writes for the Internet, Robert also writes films, plays, teleplays, and short stories when he's not working on a movie set somewhere. He lives somewhere behind the Hollywood sign.
