When Gotham is in ashes
Film: The Dark Knight Rises
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon Levitt
Length: 164min
Plot (from imdb.com): In the final part of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, Batman must face a foe unlike any he has ever faced. In The Dark Knight, Batman saved Gotham, but could not save himself. Taking the blame for Harvey Dent's crimes, he was hunted by the Police, and thus had to leave the task of protecting Gotham in Gordon's hands. After what seemed like ages, Gordon finally brought peace to Gotham, and it was enough to convince the Dark Knight that Gotham was safe and that Bruce Wayne need never put on the Batsuit again. However, eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, an unknown foe emerges, and threatens to destroy Gotham. When the foe proves too much for Gordon to handle, Batman must break his 8-year exile and return to defeat Bane from fulfilling his devious plan and claim his rightful place as the true Savior of Gotham.
Opinion: I just want to start off by saying that I am a HUGE Batman fangirl. Out of all the available superheros, Batman will always be my number one. That might perhaps taint my views and opinions when it comes to any media dealing with Batman, but in this case I think my opinion of this film had more to do with the actors as well as the man himself, Christopher Nolan.
I'm not going to say that I enjoyed this movie more than I did The Dark Knight, because when it comes down to it, I didn't. TDK had better pacing and a better story and quite frankly to top Heath Ledger's Joker as a better villain would have been impossible. I did however, ABSOLUTELY LOVE this movie. It was everything I could have wanted in a Batman film, everything I always love about Christopher Nolan, and one of the best conclusions of a trilogy I have seen in a long, long time. No, it's not as flaw free as I felt TDK was, but it was damn close.
Let's start with what made it fall short, in my opinion. The pacing was a bit off and things took a bit of time to get rolling, but when they actually did...oh man, I was *literally* clutching my seat (as well as my friend BK's arm, my purse, and anything else I could get my hands on). There were a handful of new characters introduced here - 7 years had passed and all - and I felt like there was little development or explanation of them in the beginning. As the movie went on, we learned more and more (and at the end I was nearly floored by some major revelations) but it did make some things a bit confusing and point out a few plot holes in the overall story - minor as they might have been. Finally, and this was a major contention from most reviews I've read, is that people seemed to have a hard time understanding Bane. Tom Hardy's voice was distorted to accommodate for the mask Bane wears, and while I didn't have any trouble hearing or understanding his lines, I could see where the lesser ear might have gotten a little muddled. And that's honestly it, in my opinion, as to this films major flaws.
I was otherwise breathless and rapt with tension the entire film. Tom Hardy as Bane blew me out of the water - he acted the SHIT out of that character who was terrifying and intimidating at all once and you could barely see his face. And yes, while I feel Bane fell short as a villain in comparison with The Joker has nothing to do with Hardy's portrayal, but moreso that Bane was a different kind of villain - more skilled, organized, and after breaking Batman's mind and soul as opposed to just his body. All the actors did a phenomenal job - standouts being Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, and even Christian Bale, who never ceases to amaze me with his skills and talents and who I was glad to see cut back on his growly Batman voice for this movie. Even Anne Hathaway, who got a ton of criticism when being cast as Selina Kyle, I thought did a great job. Sure, she's no Michelle Pfieffer, but Nolan's Catwoman was nothing like the Catwoman from Tim Burton's films - she was smarter, more cunning, and not fueled by revenge or being a 'woman scorned'.
The movie itself was a visual treat, from the very first scene involving a plane-jacking to the final scenes of the film that literally had me crying in the theater. Nolan is incredibly when it comes to creating intense scenes that evoke all kinds of emotions, and this film had them in spades. Be it when Batman and Bane fight one-on-one for the first time, to Bruce Wayne in prison, to that final flashback scene at the very end where you see the how's and why's of who Bane really is, it is an emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end filmed absolutely beautifully. Combined with Hans Zimmer's score, it would be impossible to not get goosebumps or feel anything while watching.
This was a fitting end to one of the best 'hero' trilogies I've ever seen in my life. Even if Hollywood decides that this character or saga needs another reboot in 5 years or whatever, I seriously wish the best of luck to whomever decides to take up that mantle because Christopher Nolan and this cast has set the bar to a point that might even be insurmountable. VERY pleased with this movie, this trilogy, and all things Batman related to this franchise.
Previews:
The Watch
The Expendables 2
Man of Steel
The Bourne Legacy
Argo
This review is SPOILER-FREE, but if you want the short-form of my response to this movie, this gif explains it pretty accurately:
