The Dark Knight Rises
9/10
The Dark Knight Rises starts 8 years after the events of The Dark Knight and Gotham City is in a sense of peace. From the lie that Commissioner Gordon has spread, The Harvey Dent Act has pretty much cleaned the streets and because of this, Batman is no longer needed by the people. However, when the fine people of Gotham are settled, a new villain emerges. Bane has come to give Gotham back to the people by separating it from the rest of the world and releasing all the prisoners of Black Gate Prison.
The reason why I am going to stop with the summary is because if I don't I will unfortunately give away a lot of major plot points and these are what make the film worth seeing. Before you see this movie please remember, this is NOT The Dark Knight. Please, oh please try and not compare these two films prior to seeing this one. The Dark Knight is an amazing film and is the best superhero film ever made, but this movie does stand on its own two feet. TDKR has a lot of great moments, action scenes, and characters. The story flows very well, even though the movie has a running time of 2 hours and 45 mins.
Christian Bale returns for a third and final time as the Caped Crusader and again he embodies both Bruce Wayne and Batman perfectly. I believe that these are two separate characters and need to be portrayed as such. Keaton was a good Batman, but a little lost as Wayne. Clooney was a good Wayne, however a little pansy as Batman. Lets face it folks, Kilmer was terrible as both. Kilmer's Batman/Bruce Wayne was way too whiny and never seemed like he fit. Bale has achieved the right balance of both characters in all three films. His Wayne is calm and collected to the outside world, but a mess of emotions on the inside. Because of this mask that Bale has created for Wayne, his Batman is able to express those emotions and intentions through his quest to rid the world of harm. Batman's passion to protect the city from destruction is more visible in this film. You can truly see that Gotham City is his city to protect from all that want to harm it.
Bane is portrayed in this movie by Tom Hardy. In previous films Bane has been nothing more than a thug in a mask. However, in this film Bane has a brain and an intelligent one at that. In the comics, Bane is a awesome strategist and physical fighter. Luckily that comes across in this film. I will fully admit that Bane wasn't my first choice from the huge Rogue Gallery. I thought at least Penguin or Hugo Strange would have been the main villain. Hardy, however, excels in every scene he is in. Hardy successfully takes this "mindless thug" and proves to the world that he is formidable foe for Batman. I really was please with Hardy's performance.
What I was most surprised with though was Catwoman. Ironically never mentioned by this name during the film. Anne Hathaway achieves the impossible, which is to project Selina Kyle as a true thief with a tiny conscience. This is the closest portrayal of the comic book version of Catwoman you are ever going to see. Kyle has always walked that thin line of good and bad. Hathaway gives Kyle an edge, yet also shows a little heart. I think that Hathaway's Catwoman should now be the bar that all other Catwoman's should aspire to be.
The other returning actors/characters play their parts very well as they did in the two previous films. Michael Caine's Alfred is filled with a little more emotion when it comes to Bruce and his "lifestyle", Gary Oldman's Gordon is a little tougher in this film compared to the previous two, and Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox is spot on as always. The one supporting actor that caught my attention the most is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Levitt does a wonderful job as John Blake. Levitt has definitely come a long way from 3rd Rock From The Sun.
Christopher Nolan... well what can I say really? He is my favorite director. He has taken a comic book character and created a set of films that shouldn't be classified as superhero movies. His Batman films have shown us that there is real character under that cowl and that this genre doesn't always have to be about the special effects or the action sequences. He has made these characters relatable and almost human. I am deeply saddened that this is the last of his Batman films.
Now comes the part where I explain what I felt was wrong with this film. The story is way to big. Nolan took inspiration from the comic books and more specifically major story arches "No Man's Land" and "Knightfall". If you are an avid Batman reader, such as myself, then you will know that these two arches are huge by themselves. I just think that drawing inspiration from one of these arches would have been sufficient enough, especially "No Man's Land". This story line is where Gotham is struck by a devastating earthquake, cut off from the outside world, and Batman must reclaim Gotham from gangs and villains one section at a time. I thought that "No Man's Land" would have be a perfect movie.
Except this only problem, I though TDKR was an amazing film and fits perfectly in the Gotham that Christopher Nolan has created. If you enjoyed the first two then please take the time and see this on the big screen.
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