Plot
Performances
Direction
Visual Effects
Musical Score
“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.”
- IMDB
Plot:
Lets start off with the truth. Some of the elements of this film are not what the standard Batman fan would expect from the given cast of characters. Some story lines become twisted and blended together but all with an effective craftsmanship you come to expect from a Christopher Nolan film. The film takes place 8 years after The Dark Knight. Gotham has settled and the crime rate is at an all time low. The Batman is no longer needed and the city is at peace. Secluded to his mansion Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) no longer dawns the cape and cowl but now sports a lose fitting robe and cane. Hired by Bane (Tom Hardy), Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) sets off the film by stealing the finger prints of Bruce off of a safe in the Wayne manor. This begins a string of carefully stitched events that ultimately brings the city of Gotham under control of Bane and his group of mercenaries.
Direction:
The Dark Knight Rises created a twisted, convoluted, and at times confusing plot. Much like Inception, The Dark Knight Rises managed to build this ever evolving state of “what the hell just happen”. This managed to differentiate the film with a crisp elegance, but also managed to exude some clumsy pacing and development. Moments of comedy felt a bit forced and contrived but untimely did not ruin scenes. The score of the film was always on cue and never intrusive or out of place. This is something that most comic book related films manage to destroy multiple times during a film.
Never have I been so captivated by the conclusion of a trilogy
Outside of a strange and non-intuitive way of progression the plot of The Dark Knight Rises the film fulfilled my hopes and dreams for the conclusion of the epic trilogy. The last ten to fifteen minutes of the film had the audience cheering and applauding for more. Never have I been so captivated by the conclusion of a trilogy, never have I been so satisfied with the end of series that will be much missed. My only complaint is that, unless things change, Nolan and his cast will not return for the next series of Batman films.
Performances:
Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anne Hathaway stole the show. With such a stellar cast Nolan hardly left much to be desired. I laughed, I cried, I sank into my seat, and I begged for more. Michael Caine made me cry… honestly if I would have been watching The Dark Knight Rises alone at home I would have paused the film gotten off the couch walked to the nearest tissue box, grabbed a trashcan, and returned to my throne ready for the water works. Gary Oldman and Anne Hataway deliver outstanding performances breathing new life into the two iconic characters.
Levitt brought the bad ass to his role in The Dark Knight Rises, and only managed to raise the bar yet again in the final 30 minutes of the film.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been the apple of my eye since the rotating hotel scene in Inception. I wanted to see Levitt as the next James Bond, that is how much I believed in his badassery. Let me tell you Levitt brought the bad ass to his role in The Dark Knight Rises, and only managed to raise the bar yet again in the final 30 minutes of the film. Now you must be wondering “what about Tom Hardy as Bane?” I have two words for you “FUCK YES”. The things Tom Hardy does with his eyes are mesmerizing, pulling off a tremendous performance without the full use of facial expressions.
Visual Effects:
Slow, strategic, and never overdone. The Dark Knight Rises maintained a realistic look and feel throughout the entire film even as we witness the “Bat”, a tumbler sans the wheels and add some helicopter things, zig zag in and out of the Gotham sky rise. Most of the visual effects looked and felt practical. I hardly ever felt like anything was over the top or computer generated. This at times came to a fault, my eyes are use to beautifully enhanced action shots with extravagant digital work. The picture perfect aspect of modern film was never achieved in this, though I take it as reassurance that not everything needs to overly glorified in today’s cinema.
Conclusion:
The Dark Knight Rises is one of the best, if not the best, super hero/comic book related film I have seen in 2012. The Avengers and the triumph that it was, does not come close to stacking up this this titan of a film. Not only does The Dark Knight Rises please the hardcore nerd, fanboy, and action junkie. But succeeds at being a skilfully crafted film that almost anyone can adore.
The Good
- Michael Caine making me cry
- Bane (Tom Hardy) beating the shit out of Batman (Christian Bale)
- John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) developing into the character we all know he is meant to be… you know… that one!
- Banes voice was sadistic but still reeked of intelligence
- A fantastic story told in half the time it should have been
- The best conclusion to a trilogy in years
- WHERE IS THE BOMB!?!?
The Bad
- The Dark Knight Rises failed at pacing and expanding on the amount of time each scene took place in
- Half of the time you could hardly understand what Bane was saying
- Comedic moments placed for children and that PG 13 audience
- WHERE IS THE BOMB?!?!?!
