The Dark Knight Rises - Review

And so we come to the end of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. This was my most anticipated film of the entire year, partly because I love Nolan’s take on the mythos, mostly because I’m an avid comic book and Batman fanatic. I already know this film will be nitpicked more than it deserves and will not be considered a superior installment over The Dark Knight for a few reasons. Firstly, the expectations are different. I went into The Dark Knight expecting a good time and came out mesmerized and completely blown away by it. Second, The Joker is top dog for Batman villains, and so any movie without one of the most charismatic and entertaining villains in fiction is destined to underwhelm most. Third, far too many have the incorrect notion that The Dark Knight is the epitome of what a Batman film should be, and that nothing can succeed it, and lastly, the film goes in a different direction than most would expect.

The Dark Knight Rises picks up eight years after the end of the previous installment, where the Dent Act has since eradicated organized crime in Gotham City. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is in recluse, lonely and guilt-ridden Rachel’s death in the last film, and he finds himself living a life without purpose. The years Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) has spent keeping the secret of Dent’s turn eight years prior has been plaguing him. But, with a new menace in town, Batman puts on the cape and cowl once again to face a new enemy, Bane, the villain famous for breaking Batman’s back in the comic book storyline Knightfall.

The first act of the film gives Gotham City a new feel, and the turn of a near decade instills a fresh and welcome atmosphere for the film’s setting. Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Gordon have become seasoned in the passing years, and a young John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has stepped up to the plate. Performances from the recurring ensemble cast including Michael Caine’s Alfred Pennyworth and Morgan Freeman’s Lucius Fox are great as always, and the additions of Blake, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) and Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) do not clutter the overall narrative. I have to give special praise to Christian Bale in the best performance he’s delivered within the trilogy, particularly for Bruce Wayne, who goes through a major character arc. No spoilers, of course, but just let it be known that it makes me happy so many years have passed between films.

The storyline is the largest a comic book film has ever had, never have we seen the stakes so high for a character, although the narrative is not without a few hiccups. There were the occasional instances in which I tilted my head and questioned some of the logic and science behind some of the technology, but when you get down to it, it’s been nearly a decade since the last film. Think about how much technology has advanced in our own time given the short time span in recent years, we are constantly in a state of advancement. Also, for as grounded in reality as the Nolanverse films are, like the character of Batman himself, it’s still hyper-reality. What I like about this story in particular is that it brings the trilogy full circle, and is a direct continuation of Begins and Dark Knight.

Anne Hathaway, despite many doubts surrounding her casting, is a damn good representation of the Selina Kyle character, she’s lovely, she’s deadly, she’s enjoyable to watch. The original character of John Blake is an addition that helps the story proceed smoothly, as he acts as a child of both Gordon’s and Batman’s ideals. I feel the film would have suffered were this character not included. Bane’s portrayal in this film is the most accurate he’s ever had outside of comic continuity, ironic considering that no, he does not utilize the Venom steroid. In fact, I’d go as far as say that his reinvention here makes him a more interesting character than he is in the comics.

This is a very bleak and dystopian film, which always tickles my fancy in any kind of fiction, when done properly. Despite the iconography associated with The Joker and all the chaos he instilled in the previous entry, Bane unleashes Hell in Gotham City in a way The Joker could have never accomplished. That, coupled with the fact that Bane is physically superior to Batman as well as a mental foil makes him all around, a more effective villain. I love The Joker as much as any good Batman fan, and do agree that he is the Caped Crusader’s true archnemesis, but he could never tear down Gotham like Bane does here.

The new Batwing, or “The Bat” as it’s called here was something I was extremely skeptical about upon its coverage in the trailers. I had hoped they would use the Batwing in the third installment but when I had seen that it resembled an airborne take on the Tumbler, I was disappointed. To my surprise through, I liked it. Would’ve liked to see Batman utilize some new gadgets, but I’m not going lose any sleep over it. All-in-all I’m delighted to see another solid set of three movies again, it’s been quite a while but there is no Curse of the Trilogy to be found here. Nolan has left his stamp on Batman adaptations and I am curious as to how the second reboot will turn out. As it stands here though, The Dark Knight Trilogy is one of the best. Enjoy the superhero epic. 9 out of 10.