The Dark Knight Rises

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!



Today's review is The Dark Knight Rises.



Directed by Christopher Nolan.



Written by Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan.



Screen Story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer

Batman created by Bob Kane.

Review #166

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language.

Runtime: 164 min


Cast


Tom Hardy ... Bane

Christian Bale ... Bruce Wayne / Batman

Liam Neeson ... Ra's Al Ghul

Joseph Gordon-Levitt ... John Blake

Anne Hathaway ... Selina Kyle / Catwoman

Gary Oldman ... Jim Gordon

Morgan Freeman ... Lucius Fox

Marion Cotillard ... Miranda Tate

Michael Caine ... Alfred

Aidan Gillen ... CIA Agent

Joey King ... Young Talia Al Ghul

Matthew Modine ... Deputy Commissioner Foley

Nestor Carbonell ... Mayor Anthony Garcia

Josh Pence ... Young Ra's Al Ghul


Trilogy.

In my opinion it's one of the scariest word in the motion picture industry. You know what's more terrifying about trilogies? It's when the second chapter is so memorable that the only thing to follow is massive anticipation for the final installment. Historically, trilogies that have this formula seem to go one of two ways and neither of them are good.

1) The final film is substandard regardless of the expectations the public have.

2) The final film isn't final at all. It instead acts as a springboard for future sequels. Thus creating a franchise. Where the subsequent chapters get worse as more films are made.

Here are some of cinema's most popular trilogies/franchises.

Star Wars: Episodes IV, V & VI


The Godfather I, II & III


Superman, Superman II, Superman III & Superman IV: The Quest For Peace

Alien, Aliens, Alien III & Alien: Resurrection


The Terminator, Terminator II: Judgement Day & Terminator III: Rise of The Machines


Spiderman, Spiderman II & Spiderman III


What do all of these groups of films have in common? They all had dynamic, game changing sequels that were followed up by less than stellar final installments.

Does the The Dark Knight Rises allow Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy to join this list? Of course it does. It's a trilogy. But it also brings something different to the table. Something that hasn't been seen in a while when it comes to a series of films.

Closure.

And it's this factor that makes this film AWESOME!

Plot

Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.  

While in production of this final chapter. Nolan made it clear to everyone listening that this was going to be the last Batman film he was going be a part of. In any capacity. Writing, Directing, Producing.

So how does he close out the story of arguably the worlds most popular comic book character?

By taking Batman back to the beginning.

This in my opinion was a brilliant way to go. The Dark Knight Rises comes full circle from the roots Batman Begins laid down. By doing this we are reminded in as many ways possible that this is the final film of Nolan's chapter. He also makes The Dark Knight Rises the most ambitious film of the three. While attempting to finish his story arc he introduces new characters that end up becoming dynamic parts to the mythology. A risky move to say the least but unlike Sam Raimi in Spiderman 3. Nolan finds a way to create a sense of balance without sacrificing the integrity of the main plot. How does he do this? By tweaking the back story and origins of these characters.

Before I sat down to write this review I did two things.

The first was see it a second time. There was no way I could review this one until I had a chance to let my feelings from my first viewing subside.

Secondly I read other reviews. Particularly the negative ones along with Facebook posts and comments. The majority of disdain for this movie stems from unsatisfied expectations coming off The Dark Knight.

I completely understand where they are coming from. The Dark Knight was an amazing film. It broke all the rules when it comes to comic book sequels. It had everything you could ask for. It was bigger, smarter and deified comics most iconic villain. To expect The Dark Knight Rises to supplant the overwhelming impact it's predecessor had is just impossible and unfair. Warner Bros. did not help the films cause by hyping it to death. Everywhere you looked there were posters, banners. movie stands, trailers, TV spots, advance ticket sale announcements.

This film couldn't get out of it's own way and it hadn't even been released yet.

That combined with the firestorm of rumors and theories of what we were expected to see. Will Batman die? Is Robin in it? The excitement was palpable. Then the end credits roll and people didn't get what they wanted or expected and thus to those people it sucked. Well I have a message to those haters.

YOU'RE NUTS!

Those people clearly failed to realize that this film was a FINAL installment of a trilogy. The Nolan Batman universe was not going to continue after this film. So what did you expect? Again, I say all of this fully understanding that the expectations for this movie were set so high that Superman couldn't fly over the bar. If you can find a way to temper those expectations and watch this film for what it really is. Then maybe you'll have a much better appreciation for what Nolan and his team accomplished. That's why I had to see it twice. I had very lukewarm feelings walking out of the theater, wondering what exactly what I just saw. I took a step back and saw it again and realized that it was so much better the second time around.

The story is covered now it's time to get into one of the three biggest elements in The Dark Knight Rises. 

Bane.

The announcement of this character being the villain sent chills down my "spine". You comic geeks should know why I put the quote marks around spine. I instantly thought that he was a perfect choice to follow The Joker. It was a different approach to the same kind of villain. The Joker needed to use psychology to beat his opponents because he couldn't compete physically. Bane is the exact opposite. He punches first then asks questions later. Nolan did something different with Bane. He gave him a brain. Don't get me wrong, he's no brain surgeon here. But he does more than intimidate with his physical presence. A lot of this comes from his changed back story. Another point of contention with the fan boys. This Bane is nothing like the one from the comics and that pissed people off.

Get over it!

It's a ridiculous detail that prohibits you from enjoying a wonderful performance by Tom Hardy. Because Bane wears the mask on his face. Hardy has to say more facially and he does this masterfully. There is so much behind Hardy's  eyes that the mask doesn't hinder his execution. You know exactly what Bane is feeling by looking deep into his peepers. They convey the right amount of emotion and tone of his feelings at the moment. There was one particular part of his character that I wished was adjusted or not actually.

His voice.

There were several stories posted about the "issue" with the clarity of Bane's voice. This is a minor spoiler so consider yourself warned. Bane wears the mask in order to breathe. It muffles his speech making it hard at times to understand what he's saying. At least that was the case when the studio released the first 6 minutes of the film before Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. I saw that opening sequence and the fall out from Bane's incoherent mumblings went all the way to Nolan. Despite pressure from the studio he vowed not to clean up the mess. Well it appeared the studio won this battle because Bane was much more audible this time out.

This was a change I didn't agree with.

I would have preferred Bane to be more gruff. It might have been a pain to discern his lines but it would have given his character more power. The mask was meant as a tool to sustain his life but if you look at him, it doesn't look comfortable to wear. In that case why should his ability to speak be any more comfortable. It's a minor nitpick that doesn't take anything away from his performance. His first fight with Batman was pretty intense and accurately captures one of their most memorable moments from the comics.

The beast is taken care of. Now let's look at the beauty.

Catwoman.

Just like all of the characters Nolan has used in the films, he changed more than just their look. Selina Kyle's story is quite different from what we are used to seeing. For purists it will raise all kinds of hell. However, for this film and Nolan's interpretation of the caped crusader's universe. This Catwoman fits like a glove. Anne Hathaway was a peculiar choice for the role but Nolan gets every bit out of her. The character is not as campy as Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman from Batman Returns and I have two words to say about that.

THANK GOD!

This was not a revival of the Catwoman from the Adam West TV Batman. Nolan takes these characters seriously and gives them the respect they deserve. This version of Catwoman is not really Catwoman at all if you think about it. She's more like a skilled thief that has her own motive and aspirations for living in and around Gotham. Of course the relationship between Catwoman and Batman is properly maintained here and ties off nicely at the end. That's two down.

We have reached the final character that quite possibly overtakes both Bane and Catwoman in this movie.

John Blake.

Who is John Blake? There was major speculation that he was actually Robin. Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn't. In reality, he was a regular cop that ends up becoming one of the driving forces of the film. I can't really get into why because it gives away a TON of plot info throughout the entire film. What I can say is that he plays a major role in the effort to stop Bane and save the city. Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives Blake a humanity that goes beyond the cop he plays. This is in large part to his back story that's extremely familiar to a certain person that is well known in the Batman world. I want to say more but I can't.

It's a shame because I feel like I'm short changing how good Levitt was.

The action sequences were well done here as well. They were no different than any of the other action set pieces in the other two films. The opening scene was incredible to watch. I wonder how long it took to pull that off. That sequence was highlighted by the amazing photography. Nolan shot that scene and a lot of the film in IMAX and it was ridiculous. The photography overall was typical of the other Batman films.

First rate. Wally Pfister needs to get nominated for an Oscar here.

All that being said. The film isn't perfect. There are some plot holes that come up. Nothing too major. We're not talking about Prometheus here but they were noticeable. There were also a couple of  subplots that were employed to give the main plot some depth. They make sense in the grand scheme of things. The side effect was pushing the run time to it's absolute limit. This is the final spot to bring up. At 2 hrs and 45 min strap in for a journey. It was important to lengthen the run time to properly support the new characters and the return of Batman. It wasn't necessary to make the film almost three hours though. There is one specific spot where a trim or two could be done that still gets the point across while maintaining the story's integrity.

These are little quibbles. Compared to the other bitches and gripes people had with this movie. They're getting off light with me. Some may say that I'm just being too fan boy towards this film. I might be overpraising it. It may come off like that.

That's because I am.

I'm not praising this film not because it's worth it. I'm praising it because of what it accomplished. Christopher Nolan set out to tell a story about a man who became a symbol for justice in a world that was without it. He did just that.

Completely and absolutely.

Will we see other Batman films? That's a question that requires no answer. The question to ask is will we see Batman films on Nolan's level? Anything's possible but until that day comes, if ever. Let's just sit back and enjoy the wonder that is Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.


On the 5 star scale. The Dark Knight Rises gets 4.5 stars with a "Worth Every Penny" recommendation.


That's a wrap for today. Up next is The Watch.


Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"


"D"