First, let me say a great, big, wet THANK YOU to Christopher Nolan for bringing Batman back from Bat-suit nipples, neon and blacklights, Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze and ridiculous caricatures of Two-Face and Riddler. Also Alicia Silverstone.
With that out of the way, I can tell you that The Dark Knight Rises met and exceeded my expectations beautifully. I expected a great movie. I got one. I expected returning characters with new depths and facets. I got them. I expected new characters who would exceed my expectations. I got those, too. And they all came wrapped in a package that was surprisingly soft-spoken, emotional and grounded.
That, of course, isn't to say that there wasn't screaming and explosions and car chases and all kinds of other action-packed adventure. But even with all that, the movie began and ended gently, quietly, almost emotionally with a suspensefulness that held me from the first frame until after the credits rolled.
In the beginning of the movie, eight years have passed since The Dark Knight fell from grace to keep Harvey Dent's memory pristine and glowing for the citizens of Gotham. Bruce Wayne has disappeared from society and organized crime in Gotham is all but a memory.
Enter Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway)- a beautiful thief with a penchant for pearls who crosses paths with Bruce Wayne while stealing from his safe, Bane (Tom Hardy)- a psychotic, but seemingly brilliant, mercenary bent on destroying Gothan City, Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt *YAY!!*)- an idealic and clever young beat cop who believes that what Gotham needs most is Batman's return and Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillar)- Bruce Wayne's would-be new ladyfriend, maybe. Mix them together with Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne, Morgan Freeman's Fox, Michael Cane's Alfred and Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon and you have a recipe for EXCELLLENCE!
The actors- all of them- were great. I especially loved JGL's performance, but then I always do. That guy never fails to find the heart of his characters and plays them from that place with a depth and realness that not all actors can achieve. I very much enjoy watching his work and this was no exception. Anne Hathaway exceeded my expectations wonderfully. I didn't really see much in the trailers of what in my mind is the Catwoman character (for the record, what's in my mind does NOT include Halle Berry's sorry and ridiculous version of her). But Anne definitely did this character justice, making her sharp, quick, witty and cunning, a cat that plays just a little with her food before devouring it. She was also able to effectively portray the thing that makes Catwoman such a wonderful and complex character to me. She is conflicted, neither a hero nor a strict villain. The character walks the top of the fence between the two and only lands on one side or the other when it works for her purpose. But she is not a bad person. And she has some inner turmoil over the choices she makes. I was glad to see all of that show up in this movie.
This film's story is also quite wonderful. With much of it pulled directly from what's considered to be some of the best of the source material (source material = the comics, not the earlier movies or tv shows), the story comes full circle on itself to complete what was started in Batman Begins. The conclusion is simple and elegant, unexpected (sort of) and gratifying. It opens doors for the imagination but closes the door securely on this brand. All in all, an incredible film and a magnificent end to a phenomenal franchise.
Go see it if you haven't already. Pay more than a dollar!
HIS VERDICT: "Better than I thought it would be."
To be honest I was not excited to see this movie. Of course, when I first heard of the third Batman movie I was tremendously excited, which if you know me means I actually talked about it. As months progressed, however, the things I saw online left me in a lackluster state of mind. Bane and Catwoman were shown and I was not impressed. I did not see enough of the comics represented in those characters. I decided to do a media blackout and not watch any trailers, interviews, picture releases or anything that had to do with The Dark Knight Rises. I decided to simply say “I Believe in Christopher Nolan.”
Here’s why I believed in Christopher Nolan: Batman Begins established this new Batman. When The Dark Knight came, it was time for him to begin the movie kicking ass, taking names, and putting them in the Bat-computer for another round of ass-kicking when they got out of jail. I was not ready for what happened. The movie started and I got kicked in the face. Full on Roadhouse’d, Karate Kid’d, Bruce Lee’d to the cranium, by Heath Ledger’s joker. I was not expecting him to be that awesome. That kick must have damaged some brain cells because I did not learn my lesson.
This movie started and I wanted to kick my own ass within the first ten minutes. It came out of the gate strong, establishing the badassery of Bane and the problem he will give Batman. This was the Bane comic fans have been waiting for, smart, brutal, unforgiving. His back-story respects the comics but adds a twist that gives the character more depth.
I thought that Nolan should not have Catwoman in the film. She had been done twice before and the results were not fantastic. The last one was abysmal. But after seeing how Nolan incorporated her into his Bat-verse, told her story, and the role she played in Gotham City, I cannot see the film without her. Also, since this is the last of Nolan’s films, Selina had to be in it. She is after all one of the most widely known Batman villains, and it was time she was done right. Turns out Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway were superb as Bane and Selina Kyle.
I don’t think Christian Bale did anything particularly spectacular in this film. I feel he was very consistent in all three, which is fantastic because it is the story that Nolan tells that makes Bruce Wayne and Batman such amazing characters. The redemption that the character goes through in this film is remarkable. You truly see how he is not a hero of the body or mind but of spirit and determination. Understanding Batman in the comics the way I think I do, I could not see the ending to the film ever happening there, but in this movie the way Nolan set things up and laid things out made you love and accept it. For those who don’t or cant, think if it simply as a one-shot.
From the beginning this film made a point to remind the audience the series is grounded in a bit more reality that we are used to in a superhero movie. Seeing Bruce Wayne limping around his mansion made me cringe. Batman doesn’t limp. But it did made me think, “You couldn’t do that for years without some permanent damage.”
This film is the fitting end to Nolan’s trilogy. In the end this cinematic experience was one of immense joy and satisfaction. I recommend everyone see this movie as many times as possible, as Hollywood only listens to money. Maybe we can influence more Batman-caliber superhero movies as opposed to Green Lantern. Now to wait for the Nolan Batman Trilogy Blu-ray box set with director’s cut, commentary, deleted scenes and never before seen footage.
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