This closing installment of the Christopher Nolan trilogy has been hailed as the best of the Batman movies. The story is cinematic with a substantial amount of the film shot on the 70-millimeter IMAX format. This redemptive epic has Batman imprisoned and finding himself inspiring several key people including Catwoman, to turn to the good and help him stop the evil Bane who has taken control of Gotham.

This is one of the few movies that clearly states the differences between right and wrong, while giving the audience and explosive, entertaining and most riveting time. However, this comic book character becomes larger than life in this adventurous drama and the intense action violence might be too strong for children.

Filmmakers, fans and even the less interested will find this cinematic wonder transforming villains, bringing people to hope and faith, and lifting up good to be victorious. The story also puts communist tyranny and revolution into a proper perspective, or bad light, by contrasting it with self-sacrificing and loyal people.

Nolan’s crowning achievement in this trilogy deserves every dollar it makes at the box office, but might be greatly hindered by those fearful of attending due to the shooting in Aurora, Colorado at the opening last night. The count, as of this writing, was 14 dead and 50 wounded after tear gas was released into a packed theater during the midnight show when 50 – 60 shots were fired.

The hospitals have reported treating victims with an age range of 6 – 31. It was reported that one woman and her boyfriend “crawled and then ran for an exit.” A witness talked with her after the experience and then reported to KUSA, “When she turned around, all she saw was the guy slowly making his way up the stairs, just firing. … Just picking random people.”

Salina Jordan, 19, told the Denver Post she saw one girl struck in the cheek and others in the stomach, including a girl who looked to be around 9 years old.

It is my hope that theaters provide extra security in the coming weeks. Or better yet, that Warner Brothers pulls the film from distribution out of respect for the dead and re-release it later this fall. And when released, I hope that everyone attends this movie that makes a clear statement between good and evil. After all, those who hold to some level of faith and values will find the film to be an epic hit.

My condolences to the family’s of those who lost their lives and to the wounded, whose lives are forever changed. May you be comforted during the weeks ahead and may concerned people rise up for the good of our communities and make it clear that we will no longer stand for the destructive ways of others.

Copyright © 2012 By CJ Powers

Photos © Warner Bros. Pictures

Breaking $70MM in its first week wasn’t a problem for this artistic expression of Snow White. The real problem focused on the production company using tall actors to play the dwarfs. The decision to digitally shrink actors was ridiculed by the “Little People of America” organization, who blasted Universal Chairman Adam Fogelson, saying it’s “…the equivalent of Universal casting a white actor to play a role written for an African-American person and digitally changing the color of their skin.”

 Despite the use of special effects to resize the actors as dwarfs, the film has already made great inroads as a cultural phenomenon, causing animators to wonder how many more animated pictures will be redone as live action films. This instant popularity drove the announcement that the sequel “Snow White and the Huntsman 2” will begin development.

The film was made very well, but it’s not your child’s Snow White due to the dark production values. Still, aside from the dark forest, the film is rather tame with the exception of the CGI rendered battle scenes. Then again, the awesome mirror effect is a bit ominous and foreboding for younger viewers and down right cool for adults.

Kristen Stewart (Snow White), gave me a flashback when she was laid out in the sleep scene, because it was so similar to her “Twilight” death scene. She of course excelled at her pouty look and salted in several moments that made you believe she was Snow White, rather than a vampire.

Chris Hemsworth (The Huntsman), brought a very different performance to the screen compared to his Thor character from “Avengers” and his George Kirk character from “Star Trek.” I’m convinced this actor can play any role given the right direction and time to develop a character.

Charlize Theron (Ravenne), was the consummate actor she’s always lived up to with great excellence. And yes, the milk bath scene raised a few eyebrows, but never pushed the film’s rating. What I found remarkable was how well integrated her aging CGI was with her true skin. Add to it her great performance, and she was believable young, middle aged, and decrepitly old.

If you haven’t seen it yet, the film is worth your time, although you may be fighting your childhood memories with this artistic version taking significant liberties. And, what I found more fascinating than the rebooting of my thoughts about the story, was how stylistically this version fits this generation, just as much as Disney’s version fit the generation viewing his classic for the first time 75 years ago.