The third and final chapter to Christopher Nolan's epic Batman saga, this crime drama
superhero adventure is not only the longest Batman adaptation to date, at a budget of
$250 million, it's also one of the most expensive movies ever produced.
Released nationwide at midnight earlier today, this ridiculously hyped and highly anticipated
feature will likely break numerous box-office records on it's way past the billion-dollar
mark.
Striving for the grand spectacle of the previous installment, Nolan has taken everything up
a level, filming an unprecedented 70 minutes of the picture in IMAX, a Hollywood record.
Any self-respecting fan of cinema owes it to themselves to seek out the nearest IMAX
theater, and enjoy this film the way it was intended: on a 72-foot-tall screen, the presentation
in this format is absolutely breathtaking.
Eight years after the mayhem Joker unleashed on Gotham City in "The Dark Knight", Batman's
troubled story continues - with Christian Bale once again reprising his role as the
gruff-talking costumed crime-fighter - but only after he returns from his shambled life
of exile in the newly rebuilt Wayne Manor.
Kicking things off is a bombastic and hugely entertaining action sequence, one of many
in the film, but its importance to the overwrought plot isn't particularly clear.
This thrilling and original mid-air jet takeover is orchestrated by Batman's newest foe: the
evil, and often difficult-to-understand "Bane", played by a nearly unrecognizable Tom Hardy.
Early focus-groups allegedly had difficulty hearing and understanding this masked menace,
so the unfortunate solution has Bane's voice mixed twice-as-loud as every other character
on-screen, creating a noticeably unrealistic disconnect from a sensory perspective.
Hardy does a fine job in the role: truly giving Batman a worthy adversary in their numerous
battles with each other - but the character lacks any believable motivation or background
for the terrible acts he unleashes on the millions of innocent residents of Gotham.
From violent fist-fights and Batmobile car, and air-chases to huge crowd fights and giant
terrorist attacks: this movie's excitement rarely slows down.
Where "The Dark Knight" breezed from one scene to the next with a steadfast purpose, "Rises",
although never becoming boring, often seems to aimlessly drift from one scene to the next,
their connection and motivation more convoluted that necessary.
Even with a lengthy 165-minute runtime, Nolan clearly has difficulty juggling the dozens
of big-name actors in this picture, as only a few are developed to any real satisfaction.
Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman reprise their roles -- with Caine turning
in a tremendously memorable performance: as he tears up during a emotional confrontation
with Bale.
The love and history between these characters is arguably the foundation of the entire trilogy,
and it's for this reason "The Dark Knight Rises" ultimately succeeds, despite it many
faults.
Other additions to cast include a playful and sultry Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, a
stealthy burglar who moonlights as the Catwoman; Joseph Gordon-Levitt turns in a very strong
performance as a rookie cop who's life as a troubled orphan shares many parallels with
Bruce Wayne; and lastly Marion Cotillard is as Bale's romantic foil and business associate...
who is mostly underutilized until the final act.
Some familiar faces from the previous films make some welcome cameos, which combined with
some clever callbacks and flashbacks to the earlier entries adeptly tie the entire trilogy
together rather well.
Sadly though, no mention or explanation of the Joker is ever provided...
his fate left a mystery.
When our villains finally unleash a terrifying ultimatum on the city of Gotham, the narrative
very curious waits three-months before anything is done about it - effectively draining the
movie of any urgency it once had.
It's an awful misstep that unfortunately weakens the otherwise strong action, stunts, and dialog
that surround it.
Thankfully though, those aforementioned traits really save an otherwise bloated and wayward
film, as it roars back in the final act: The dauntingly involved trilogy is capped off
with an absolutely stunning final 30-minutes of nail-biting action, particularly a plot-twist
heavy epilogue that will surely bring a smile to your face.
Spectacle on the grandest scale, grounded by incredible performances, powerful characters,
fantastic make-up and costumes, and a brooding soundtrack: this final chapter is a worthy
and fulfilling conclusion to Batman's epic story.
"The Dark Knight Rises", "Immeasurably splendid entertainment, if flawed".
That was my carefully written review, now let's check out of your thoughts on this movie
from the YouTube comments.
The rate-o-matic again for "The Dark Knight Rises"... a NINE and a TEN.
You loved this immense final chapter, calling it epic, fantastic, intense, and greatly satisfying:
although some acknowledged some of the faults I addressed, you scored this film an Amazing.
It was widely unreasonable to assume this picture could ever live-up to the massive
hype, or groundbreaking accomplishments of it's predecessor: but the enormous size and
scope of this epic definitely outweighed the numerous faults, plot-holes, and curious quirks
I had issue with - I felt this was an Awesome movie, one that will surely reward on repeat
viewings.