The Dark Knight Rises Brings Out the Worst in Streamers!

What is it about The Dark Knight Rises that turns some streamers into whiny babies?

I have to be honest here. When I say that “some streamers” are whining, I’m really talking about our resident blog master, Stuart Sweet. His big plan was to stream every Batman film made in 1989 or later, all in order. He succeeded in this rather ambitious goal… well, until he finished watching The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight Rises was the next show on Stuart’s list, but it’s no longer available on HBO Max. He called me about this and to say that he’s “spitting mad” is an understatement. I imagined him looking like this:

It’s too bad Stuart was so upset that he couldn’t see the solution right in front of his face!

Stuart is Right About One Thing…

The Dark Knight Rises is no longer available on HBO Max. In January, it was though. That’s right! The Dark Knight trilogy was available to everyone who had an HBO Max subscription. The Dark Knight Rises was suddenly removed from the service while the first two movies – Batman Begins and The Dark Knight – stayed put. This left many streamers, including Stuart, saying “What the heck!” Something like that anyway. (I can’t tell you what Stuart really said because we’re not that kind of blog.)

I’ve searched high and low to find the reason HBO Max ditched The Dark Knight Rises. I’m sorry to report that I don’t have any answers. This doesn’t upset me, even though I wanted to see the movie, too. I certainly understand that HBO Max is a fairly new service, and these contracts are made years in advance. I have every confidence that situations like this one won’t happen again in the future. (I don’t have any “insider knowledge;” it’s just a gut feeling.)

To be fair, Netflix doesn’t have The Dark Knight Rises either. Yes, it has the first two films in the trilogy, but the third is unexplainably unavailable. You won’t find it on Hulu or Disney+ either. (Don’t ask me why because I don’t know.) You won’t even see the film on Amazon Prime… not for the cost of your subscription anyway. And that brings me to my point…

…You Can Rent/Buy The Dark Knight Rises

Do you want to stream this movie? If so, Amazon Prime has it. I know you’re thinking, “But you said I couldn’t watch it on Amazon Prime!” Not exactly. I said you couldn’t watch it with just a Prime subscription. You can see this movie as a video-on-demand purchase from the online retail giant. That’s the difference.

If you want to stream The Dark Knight Rises, you can rent the film in SD or HD for $3.99. You also have the option of buying it in SD or HD for $14.99. Technically, I suppose you could also buy it on DVD, but this is a streaming post. Besides, who has DVD players anymore?

Before You Freak Out, Don’t!

You’ll sound like Stuart if you do, and you don’t want to do that. (Trust me on this one!) Having to rent The Dark Knight Rises truly is a “First-World Problem.” Is it an inconvenience? Sure, but it’s not the end of the world. The $3.99 rental fee isn’t going to break the bank for most people, and it really is the best film in Nolan’s trilogy. (My opinion, of course.) Instead of whining about what is or isn’t fair, Mrs. Buckler and I paid the fee and streamed this show at home. You should, too!

About the Author

Jake Buckler
Jake Buckler is a cord-cutter, consumer electronics geek, and Celtic folk music fan. Those qualities, and his writing experience, helped him land a copywriting gig at Signal Group, LLC. He also contributes to The Solid Signal Blog.