The Dark Knight Rises: Review

To those who thought I had shamefully left this blog to the inevitable decay of time, never you fear. I'm now back to firmly re-access my priorities which is to get this back on the rails once again and start providing new content to those who will read, only now hopefully on a more...consistent basis. I would also like to personally thank those who have taken the time and patience to check out my blog, it really means a lot. But anyways, let's get right down to the nitty-gritty here with my first official film review on the blog. I've written film reviews in the past for sites like IMDB and review aggregate site Metacritic but nothing quite on this scale before. It's no surprise really that I have chosen arguably the most anticipated film of the year by far which is of course The Dark Knight Rises, the epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. For me personally I can't ever recall a time that I have been this excited for a film, and those torturous four years were almost agonizing for me without sounding overly dramatic. It's predecessor The Dark Knight had set the bar incredibly high and expectations for the climax of this franchise were equally towering to the point of being nigh impossible to exceed. The Dark Knight for me was a phenomenal film, with an utterly sublime and masterclass performance from the late, great Heath Ledger and it completely surpassed the original on almost every level. It set the standard for what a superhero film should be. The biggest question however is: does The Dark Knight Rises accomplish the rarest of feats in traditional movie trilogies and surpass BOTH of it's predecessors? This my friends is what we will find out.

     

"And here we go," once said the Joker, now I will desperately try to keep this review in spoiler-free territory, but that isn't carved in stone. They will be minimal at best, but I will still urge you to read the following paragraphs judiciously folks. So it's been approximately eight years since the events of The Dark Knight in which The Caped Crusader literally took 'the fall' for Harvey Dent's crimes. They are deceptively preserving his image as a staunch defender of justice, a symbol of valor and essentially putting him up on a pedestal which has consequently ushered in a new crime-free era for Gotham City due to the Dent Act. This legislation inspired by Dent's putative heroism, primarily facilitated by Commissioner Gordon of all people, has led to the abrogation of crime in Gotham altogether. Bruce Wayne has become something of a recluse, cooping up in his manor and keeping very firmly out of the public eye. It's fair to say hes let himself go a bit, sporting a rather fetching beard even, reminiscent of the one when he first encountered the League of Shadows in Begins. He has hung up his cape and cowl indefinitely it seems, but like the line by Selina Kyle in the recent trailers suggests...a storm is indeed coming. Not just any storm however, but a category six hurricane by the name of Bane, ah how poetic. In stark contrast to The Joker's psychotic, maniacal, self-styled breed of destructive chaos with anarchic sentiments, Bane is peddling this more militant nihilistic, seditious agenda. 

The opening sequence which serves as Bane's introduction is nothing short of impressive, featuring some breathtaking aerial shots, can't say I've seen a scene like it in a movie before. It establishes Bane as a man not to be trifled with, and his physical presence alone is menacing enough. Right off the get-go, this film really does reel you in and what surprised me more is Tom Hardy's performance throughout the film. Now I only really know Tom Hardy as Eames from Inception and thought he was great in that. Here he demonstrates not only how minacious Bane is physically but also in how he speaks. Many have complained that the mask he wears makes it hard to understand him sometimes and even though I had one or two issues where I had to listen a little more closely, for the most part I understood him perfectly. It gives his character this distinct quality and found some of his dialogue truly forbidding and Hardy delivered it with equal venom. In terms of sheer villainy, I don't think he quite reaches the heights of Heath Ledger's Joker, which was a hard act to follow anyway but Hardy does Bane more than justice and is one of the standout performances in the film. He genuinely looks like he could Break the Bat, that scene alone, the details of which I won't spoil here remains one of the best scenes in the entire film and arguably of the trilogy.

Tom Hardy is truly mesmerizing and equally terrifying as Bane. Looking at him here you can see he means more than business.

The beginning of film also introduces us to the sultry Selina Kyle, a feisty and sassy thief who crosses paths with Bruce Wayne early on. Funnily enough, her alter-ego Catwoman is not mentioned once in the film since Nolan made a conscious effort to strictly ground her in his interpretation of the character and it works really well. When Anne Hathaway was initially cast in the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman, many were doubtful that she would be able to pull it off, as was I. Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal in Tim Burton's Batman Returns was the definitive Catwoman in many peoples eyes and minds. However, after watching this film that skepticism was completely unjustified in my opinion cause Anne Hathaway completely steals every scene she is in. She's sexy, fierce, confident and shrewd and she completely blew me away, she was puurfect (had to be done, sorry...) as Selina Kyle. It's the best performance of the film hands down and the dynamic between her and Bruce Wayne/Batman works so well and makes for some great action sequences as well as providing a few good laughs along the way. She's utterly captivating as Catwoman, so step aside gracefully Michelle Pfeiffer, Anne Hathaway is now the definitive Selina Kyle and I wouldn't be surprised if they did a spin-off film. Now I'd pay to see that if done properly of course, let's not forget what happened when she had her own film last time...wait you have forgotten? That's good.

The Bat and The Cat, Anne Hathaway completely steals the show as Selina Kyle. Que the inevitable spin-off Catwoman film ho yes!

Some familiar faces return as well all delivering great performances. Michael Caine as Bruce Wayne's lovable Cockney confidant Alfred who is undoubtedly the emotional heart of the whole film as he has been throughout the trilogy but definitely more so this time. The stakes are even higher now than they've ever been and for once in the trilogy Bruce and Alfred's relationship will come under considerable strain. Without going in too deep, these scenes are heart-wrenching for sure and I certainly felt water develop in my eyes at one point in the film. Alfred is Bruce's conflicted conscience and we are essentially seeing it unfold through his eyes almost. Michael gives a particularly emotional performance overall, it's a pity we didn't see more of him though in this film but what is there of him is fantastic. Morgan Freeman also reprises his role as the smooth Lucius Fox and again it's a great performance from Morgan but you already knew that right? However, there is considerably less of him in this film as well, but I guess that's understandable with literally everything going on when the film really does pick up. Gary Oldman is back as Commissioner Gordon of course and he is as good as ever, no surprises there. Thankfully he wasn't reduced to a minor character and plays a key role in the film like he should as Commissioner of Gotham City.

The other main newcomers to the franchise besides Hardy and Hathaway are Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard. Joseph plays a young and endearing cop John Blake who suspects that there is trouble on the horizon. Like with Tom Hardy, I've only ever seen Joseph in Inception but in The Dark Knight Rises he has demonstrated that he is a very versatile actor and plays Blake with great conviction. He is this idealist who is soon promoted by Commissioner Gordon who sees something of himself in Blake. To say more about Blake would potentially spoil where his character may be going, but know that he will certainly become more than he is by the time the film wraps up. Marion Cotillard plays Miranda Tate who is a member of the Wayne Enterprises executive board and the one who actually convinces a damaged Bruce to rejoin society and to follow in his father's footsteps. She becomes a key character in the film and Marion played her well overall. Cillian Murphy makes a brief appearance as Dr. Jonathan Crane and even though he had very little screen time in this one, his appearance was nonetheless welcome as always cause Murphy really nails the character.   

Now of course let's not forget our principal billionaire playboy/caped crusader with Christian Bale at the helm once more and for what may be the last time. Here he plays a more conflicted and impaired Bruce Wayne not just physically but mentally. Like in the previous films, Christian was born for this role and he blows it out of the park once again. Much like his character throughout the trilogy, Christian has evolved dramatically and matured to really dig deep into the facets of Bruce Wayne's character. Many may complain as Batman he sounds like he has some form of laryngeal cancer, but it has never really bothered me. I mean immortal lines such as: "I'm not wearing hockey pads!" In that trademark husky voice has been the subject of countless tongue-in-cheek memes but he needs to distinguish himself from Bruce Wayne after all, and he seems to play them both almost effortlessly. The chemistry between him and Selina Kyle works so well because they come from two completely polar backgrounds. If this is truly his last Batman film then he will no doubt be missed, because he has become the definitive Bruce Wayne/Batman for our time. Keaton, Kilmer and to a very, very, lesser extent Clooney (why George why?!) stand aside cause Bale IS The Dark Knight.               

Christian Bale continues to demonstrate his commitment to the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman in his most testing role yet. 

Now to discuss the core of the film which is what is most important and what I have been building up to, hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. Well, like an aging steam train the film does take a little while to get moving at first but once it picks up steam let me tell you it is one hell of a ride full of twists and turns that you probably won't see coming. Once it gets going it will rarely give you time to catch your breath and showcases some truly awe-inspiring action set-pieces that are high on spectacle and sheer unnerving intensity. In a post-9/11 world, it is hard not to notice that some of these scenes hit home seeing as Gotham is very reminiscent of New York here. The Dark Knight Rises stands heads and shoulders above it's predecessors in terms of sheer spectacle which Nolan deftly conveys here and rarely without a hitch. He's really pulled out all the stops this time and truly pushed the boundaries. This is nothing short of ambitious and he pulls it off in breathtaking fashion. The epic soundtrack by the one and only Hans Zimmer really does take the film up a couple of gears for me. He has done it again, delivering a score that truly compliments the intensity and grandiosity of it all. While the film does take a while to get going, it makes up for it in an insanely satisfying second-half that barely gives you respite. Clocking in at a staggering 165 minutes, the film is Christopher Nolan's longest to date but for me it went by so fast cause I was so absorbed in the film and it eventually builds to a sensational climax. 
     

Bane and The Bat have at it.

   

The Dark Knight Trilogy will go down as undoubtedly the finest superhero trilogy of all time and conceivably one of the best ever. It is notoriously difficult to make each film stand on it's own and even rise above it's predecessors the way The Dark Knight Rises often does. However, as incredible as this film is The Dark Knight will always be in the my mind the definitive superhero film for me. It did to superhero films what The Godfather did to the gangster genre, and Christopher Nolan has brought the Batman franchise which had been left for dead back to life in incredible fashion and that is an accomplishment that should not be overlooked. I cannot praise Nolan enough for achieving a truly rare feat in film-making and has done The Caped Crusader more than justice. The Dark Knight Rises truly rises above Begins without a doubt but stands proudly just below The Dark Knight which still remains in a league of it's own. It is no shame at all to come second place in a trilogy this good. I take my hat off to you Mr Nolan, bring on the reboot!               

The Verdict

The Dark Knight Rises is a fitting and epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan's incredible Batman trilogy. It's big on spectacle, big on emotion and is at times aesthetically astounding. Featuring some knockout performances from Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway and an amazing ensemble, this is the sendoff that we wanted and a whole lot more. While it doesn't quite rise above The Dark Knight, Rises can still be considered one of the finest and most satisfying conclusions to a franchise in recent times. This is the blockbuster of the year!