The Dark Knight Rises finally arrives on DVD Tuesday in the midst of heavy Oscar debate.
Four years ago, The Dark Knight was considered a heavy contender for being nominated among the top five best films of the year at the 2009 Oscars. While the film did obtain eight nominations (and won two), Christopher Nolan's comic book film was unable to secure the illusive Best Picture nomination. Nolan was also denied a nod for best director in the process. A year later, the Academy seemed to regret its decision and expanded the Best Picture category to include 10 nominees. Members actually sited the Dark Knight as a major reason for the category's expansion and a number of blockbuster films saw nominations in the last few years, including Nolan's Inception.
Four years later, Nolan's Batman sequel is once again one of the major films at the center of Best Picture controversy. Fans have been clamoring for justice to be served for Nolan's popular and artful approach to the Batman saga, but it seems that the third film in the saga made also end like its predecessor.
While The Dark Knight was a major contender for the nomination, The Dark Knight Rises has essentially been ignored on most pundits' lists. The Academy seemed to have had a rather negative reaction to the film as reported by the Hollywood Reporter. After a screening, one female member stated "There was nothing remarkable about the acting. I don't think it can be nominated as best picture." Another member chimed in with "People were kind of disappointed. It wasn't because of [Colorado]. I just don't think that this picture will get any nominations [beyond technical nods]."
While this should not factor into the decisions, it is impossible to overlook the Colorado tragedy that happened at one of the film's screenings. The event marked the film and while a tragedy did a lot for The Dark Knight's buzz back in 2008 (Heath Ledger's death), this tragedy created more negative buzz and hurt the film's box office. It could also make Academy members wary of honoring it in order to avoid bringing back memories of the fatal shootings.
Technical categories are a likely bet for Rises, but Best Picture looks like a long shot with a number of other major blockbusters and studio films on the rise in Awards Season.
Fans will at least be able to watch the film on Tuesday when it releases for DVD and Blu-Ray. Read Latinospost's review of the film HERE.