"The Dark Knight Rises" Review

"The Dark Knight Rises"

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Starring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway

 

RATING

10/10

The hype is what breaks fanboys down to sweating, quivering morsels who have heart attacks with every little news leaked. Nobody knows this better than Christopher Nolan, who locked the script down for this film so tightly, people only speculated The Riddler and fan-made posters of Guy Pearce or Johnny Depp in the green suit until only 8 months before the film was released. What was expected was a film that would triumphantly topple the status of its already solid predecessor and deliver something we've never seen before in comic book films. And it did.

 

"The Dark Knight Rises" picks up 8 years after the previous film, with Gotham still recovering in the wake of the Joker's diabolical schemes. Bruce Wayne, now donning a walking cane, is a recluse who refuses to show his face to the media after Batman was consequently shunned as a vigilante. Comissioner Gordon is still wrestling with his inner demons on the truth of Harvey Dent's death, and it seems everything is running on a very melancholic and sombre tone, until Bane shows up. Bane, a mastermind terrorist with an intimidatingly menacing appearance, carries out grand plans that will push Bruce Wayne into picking up the mantle of Batman and protecting Gotham once again.

 

So, the big question on everyone's minds: Did it exceed expectations? I don't know about you, it's all in personal preference, but for me, this film was exceeded and went very far beyond. In the entire trilogy, this is possibly the darkest film despite it being a sort of redemption tale. It seemed Nolan assembled the cast of "Inception" for this one, as we see returning faces Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, and Cillian Murphy all deliver solid performances, particularly from Joseph Gordon-Levitt as orphaned city cop John Blake, whose presence in the film hints at something much greater which ultimately builds the entire climax of the film, but I won't spoil anything further. Christian Bale is Bruce Wayne again, and he does a phenomenal job playing the tortured billionaire/superhero with moral ambiguity, raspy voice and all. What really stands out in the film are the performances from Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway, playing Bane and Catwoman, respectively. I didn't think too fondly of either of them when I first heard they were the new villains, but they were surprisingly great, Anne Hathaway especially, bringing a sexy and smart but lethal take on Catwoman. Tom Hardy... wow. This guy was a supernatural force as Bane, and gave Batman a good challenge physically as well as mentally. It was the perfect package of evil. Michael Caine as the ever loyal Alfred Pennyworth is present too, although not for much, which is kind of sad as you miss him for a majority of the film.

 

What's great about "The Dark Knight Rises" is not only the characters who are coming to grips with the rapidly elevating madness around them, but the scope and scale in which this madness is executed. The film becomes the definition of "Epic" when you truly see how large-scaled and gigantic Bane's plans really are. It's simply breathtaking and will leave you awe-struck. However, once the film deflates a bit after the huge downfall, it becomes somewhat of a war film. It's not only Batman rising up to the challenge of Bane, but the entire city who has to take Gotham back for themselves, thus the supporting cast become more than just support and end up on many occasions stealing the spotlight. It's something that separates this from your regular comic book movie as it showcases a terrific amount of depth, layers and several humanizing moments that hit home with the general theme of the entire film. The Nolan brothers wrote it with so many big ideas in mind that, in the hands of another director, would be done very poorly and convoluted, but Chris Nolan manages to find that perfect balance with juggling around them and that's a true testament to a filmmaker who not only has no boundaries, but transcends conventional storytelling. It's quite a sight to see a director at the peak of his power still deliver something extraordinary and not wither away with a bad movie.

 

For anyone who had doubts in the past about Nolan's ability to shoot action and fight scenes, if they weren't shut up by "Inception" then they surely will with this. The fight choreography is downright badass and awesome when Bane and Batman exchange fists. It's so brutal and gritty, the whole time in your mind you may be screaming out "MORTAL KOMBAT!". It's definitely not something adults can stomach, let alone kids. Word of warning, it's pretty intense. Bones cracking, face stomping, cries of anguish... basically stuff that will leave you cringing in pain too. Nolan really pushes that PG-13 rating to its max. There's also plenty of air battles involving Batman's new flying contraption, The Bat. They're visually stunning and exhilirating to watch.

 

I do only have one complaint: Bane's voice. It's almost incomprehensible at moments and you feel like you're listening to Sean Connery tripping acid. Make no mistake, some of the best lines in the film come from Bane, but for the lesser dialogue, you kind of have to fine-tune your ears to catch all his details. I guess Nolan has a thing in his films for giving the guy with the thickest accent the most crucial plot points to explain (I'm looking at you, Ken Watanabe).

 

"The Dark Knight Rises" exceeds expectations and Nolan delivers possibly his best directed film to date. With a solid cast, memorable characters, exceptionally well-crafted action sequences, jaw-dropping scope, a keen observation at the psychology of heroes, and a variety of ready-made movie quotes, the film nearly levels with "The Dark Knight" and closes the trilogy in spectacular fashion. It's a sure runner for the best film of 2012.