I love Christopher Nolan’s work, particularly Batman Begins and The Dark Knight; I have been excited for the finale to this
amazing trilogy for about two years, when it was first announced. The day
finally came when I could watch it and I was so impressed that I paid to see it
again later that same day. The question that was at the forefront of my mind
was whether Nolan would manage to top The
Dark Knight, which is generally agreed to be one of the greatest superhero
movies of all time. Unfortunately The
Dark Knight Rises doesn’t quite manage to trump the exceedingly high
standards set by its predecessor, but it comes oh so tantalisingly close.
Set eight years on from The Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne has become a recluse and even walks
with a stick, claiming to have retired from Batman. When the formidable villain
Bane threatens Gotham with his brutish terrorism however, Bruce decides to face
the world and resume the role of Batman once more.
Bane (Tom Hardy) is a great villain, and I’m glad that
Nolan chose such a different type of foe from the Joker. Bane is not interested
in chaos like the Joker was - he has a plan, and what’s more he is giant, extremely
built and proves to be more than a match for Batman physically - as a distinct contrast
to Batman’s match of wits with the Joker, in Rises Batman faces a match of strength. Tom Hardy is undoubtedly
a phenomenal actor - he does so much with his eyes alone due to the limitations
of his mask. Hardy succeeds in portraying Bane as a terrifying terrorist and
the character has immense presence in every scene he appears in.
Like most Batman fans, I was initially sceptical about
Nolan’s choice of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, considering her previous girly
roles. She was brilliant however; she was serious and sultry, portraying Selina
Kyle as someone with more depth than I have seen previously, and I think she’s
the best Catwoman yet. I really like the distinct variation from the
traditional ‘Catwoman’ image that was projected in Rises; there are no cats, no cheesy Michelle Pfeiffer style ‘miaow’,
and she is always called Selina, never ‘Catwoman’. Even her ‘costume’ is not
overtly feline either - Selina Kyle is a cat burglar, not a superhero, and she
dresses as such. Her burglars goggles cleverly sit upon her head to resemble
cat ears, and her suit befits what a stealthy thief would wear - all in all her
costume design was very imaginatively thought up. These changes to Catwoman/Selina
Kyle suit the more realistic trend that runs through the Dark Knight trilogy
and makes the distinction between reality and the comic book world which older
Batman movies have adhered to much more closely than Nolan.
Despite the film being close to 3 hours in length, it
really does not feel that long at
all; the pace was quick and there was constant action to keep things moving.
The plot also required a little suspension of disbelief, as all of the events
were not as grounded in realism as the first two films. As in the Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, the music was sensational. There is a scene that
completely lacked music and it was really effective and demonstrates Nolan’s
brilliant creativity.
The plot is good and involves a few twists, although if
you know the comics at all you might be able to predict them easily enough. The
last 10-15 minutes took me on such a rollercoaster of emotions that I felt
drained afterwards; the ending was very intense and emotional and I defy anyone
not to be on the edge of their seat!
In conclusion, although The Dark Knight Rises doesn’t quite have the same ‘wow’ factor as
The Dark Knight, it’s an amazing film
and is so close to being perfect. Bane is not as exciting a villain as the
Joker, but I don’t think any villain could have topped the sheer charisma of
the Joker, so I think this slight inferiority was to be expected - plus the
sheer contrast between the two gives each film a very different feel which is a positive thing. The acting is
great, the music is great and the story is great. An excellent film and I am
already eagerly awaiting Nolan’s next project.
Rating: 9/10
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