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The Dark Knight Rises: Movie Review
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Cast: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon
Levitt, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine
Director: Christopher Nolan
Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight and Batman's left Gotham after the death of D.A Harvey "Two Face" Dent. Hunted by the police and blamed for the golden boy's end, the Caped Crusader's become a myth and Bruce Wayne's not much better - a recluse living in Wayne Manor and never seen in public.
But when cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) breaks into
Wayne's safe and ends up on his radar and when a masked terrorist
named Bane (Tom Hardy) threatens to take over the city, Bats has no
choice but to come out of seclusion and save his beloved
city.
There's more to the story but to be honest, revealing some of those
intricacies, details and nuances of the script would veer into
spoiler territory - and being frank, this Bat-threequel is best
viewed unspoiled.
Christopher Nolan has crafted an epic ending to the series - and one which is reverential to the source mythology and one which has truly raised the bar for comic book films. It begins with an audacious piece of action and the thrills never let up until the end some 165 minutes later. Visually, the film offers so much, satiating both fanboys seeking the spine-tingling moments and the casual viewer wanting a great blockbuster.
While the film's somewhat disappointing denouement may not stand up to repeated inspection and tearing apart thanks to its conventional story, two things need to be remembered - one, it's a comic book film (which is bound to have a MacGuffin or two on hand) and two, it's the performances which anchor this film from beginning to end.
Christian Bale brings his A game to the performance, providing the emotional intensity during some quieter scenes needed to ground this film and bring a payoff which is rich and satisfying. Gary Oldman's spot-on as a conflicted Commissioner Jim Gordon, a man who takes up the mantle of defending his beloved city; Morgan Freeman, is well, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox - and Sir Michael Caine is venerable and humane as butler Alfred.
Of the newcomers to the cast, Tom Hardy's anarchist Bane (who
sounds a little like your English mate trying to do a Sean Connery
style impression through a Darth Vader mask) is impressive; the
ferociously intelligence and physical presence are astounding and
instantaneous, giving his baddie a commanding feel which doesn't
let up until the end (and if you know your Bat mythology, you'll
realise how important it was to get Bane so right.)
Equally, Anne Hathaway is perfect as Catwoman (although she's never
called such on screen); her Selina Kyle is a slinky, vampy, sly
character which is given a few humorous lines to punch through the
occasional pomposity which is prevalent. Marion Cotillard offers up
some class as a member of the Wayne Enterprises board.
But the real star of the cast is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, whose idealistic and very human policeman John Blake becomes a driving force for belief. Gordon-Levitt continues to impress as an actor and seals his place as one of the best talents on offer with this.
Visually, Nolan's utilised the best of the action he could
muster, delivering up some flawless sequences which make maximum
use of the IMAX format.
Sure, it's a fitting send off for the film and the franchise, and
to concentrate on a few narrative misfires here and there seems a
little unfair because overall, The Dark Knight Rises offers up much
for the movie lover; this is a movie which is a grand and
satisfying end to an epic series; it's an unmissable event for the
winter months.