13-Minute 'The Dark Knight Rises' Featurette Teases Story, Character And Practical Visual Effects

For the next two weeks, avoiding spoilers for The Dark Knight Rises might be as easy as tiptoeing through a minefield. Press screenings have begun, which means fan screenings will soon start, too, and all the secrets to Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated conclusion of his Batman trilogy will be out in the wild. Thankfully, this brand new 13-minute featurette has very little in the way of new spoilers.

The video takes us through the obvious story arc following The Dark Knight, as it talks about cast, characters and gives a great behind the scenes look at several of the big action scenes that have been revealed to date. We see the plane, the football field, Wall Street, and more. Acting as sort of a catch-all to the previously released images, posters, trailers and commercials, this featurette is an absolute perfect way to increase your excitement for the film without ruining too much of the story. Check it out below.

Thanks to TheMovieBox for this embed. Be warned, while 90% of what's in the video has been released before, there are a few new images, costumes, and lines of dialogue that haven't yet seen. Minor spoiler warning given.

I think what strikes me most about the above video is actually seeing Nolan shoot the action scenes. We know he does it with practical effects, but to actually see him directing the plane heist from the opening in a nearby helicopter is fantastic. Actually blowing up stuff at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and having thousands of people running down Wall Street are visuals that, even in this tiny YouTube window, look incredible. And when we see them in IMAX? I shudder to think of the impact.

Last thing. I was extremely encouraged not only by Nolan's insistence that this needed to be a great ending, but that he's obviously aware of the previous films and promises they made. An example being the rebuilding of Wayne Manor, with improvements to the foundation of the south-east corner. I hope there's a lot of payoff like that.

Thoughts on the featurette?