This is one of the few fan films I’ve seen that doesn’t take place prior or subsequent a film, but during the film. Unofficially considered a part of the Nolan Batman mythos, director Tito Guillen’s short is set during the time where Bane has defeated Batman and now sets every criminal in Arkham free to do whatever their hearts desire. With a thick sense of tension and dread, along with a wonderful score that channels Nolan’s films, “Arkham Rising” is a simple and short look at madness being unleashed.
The lack of budget to give fans the real money shots is more than made up for with fantastic foreshadowing and hints as to the characters we’re seeing on-screen. One criminal is doodling question marks on a notebook obsessively, while another hears Bane’s declarations overhead with months tattooed along his forehead. In a distant cell, a familiar smile looms, prepared to do his own work as Bane saunters out of Arkham leaving the terrorists to their own devices.
With a nice cameo from a key Batman nemesis, and some very crafty editing, “Arkham Rising” really makes good use of its limited scenery, offering fan service that Batman buffs will love. I’d really love to see more of what Tito Guillen can do with the Batman Universe and provide more interesting snippets from the Nolan Batman mythos we haven’t seen yet. “Arkham Rising” is a great vignette in to a fantastic film.