Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Move over, Avengers...

The spectacular, enormous finale of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is finally upon us. Full to the brim with heart pounding action, flawless acting and an emotionally resounding finale The Dark Knight Rises lives up to its full potential. It's not without its very minor flaws, but The Dark Knight saga has come to a fitting conclusion that should satisfy fans the world over.

First, lets discuss my own cinematic experience. It really says a lot about Christopher Nolan's work in that at least two hundred people were willing to go and see the movie at 5am on its opening day (yes, that's right - 5AM!). When the lights went down and the gloomy, brooding Warner Bros. logo faded on to the screen, a cheer, a whistle and a tumult of applause broke out amongst the audience. After waiting four years for the final chapter, The Dark Knight Rises is finally here and, as a cop says to a younger rookie as Batman zooms past: 'You are in for a show tonight, son.'

"I'm not afraid. I'm angry."

Eight years after the death of district attorney Harvey Dent, along with the sudden disappearance of the Batman, Gotham is blissfully swallowing the idea that Batman killed Dent's victims. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has become a hermit, allowing himself to constantly remain in the confines of Wayne Manor as he refuses to confront the outside world and come to terms with Rachel's death. However, he is soon stirred out of his misery by Selina Kyle aka Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), a skilled cat burglar with a hidden agenda, and Bane (Tom Hardy), a ruthless, brutal mercenary who claims he wishes to 'carry out the destiny of Ra's al Ghul.' Aided by Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), enthusiastic young cop John Blake (Joseph Gordon Levitt) and dependable Alfred (Michael Caine), Bruce decides to don the Batsuit once again and stop Bane's plans for the city. It's a tale which comes around full circle, with Bane's origin story looping back to the League of Shadows where Bruce recieved his training in Batman Begins.

Think of a superhero version of James Bond on steroids, then throw a little bit of nail biting tension and an epic finale to rival The Lord of the Rings, and you'll almost be on your way to summing up The Dark Knight Rises. While the pacing is a little slow during the first hour (Bruce doesn't actually suit up until at least 50 minutes in), when Batman finally returns and tracks down Bane's henchmen in a thrilling high speed chase, it's a whoop and clap moment. Hans Zimmer's soaring score accompanies the caped crusader as he races down the freeway, reminding us why we loved such epic moments in the first two instalments. Christian Bale's performance as Bruce Wayne is his best yet, showing us a character with real emotional depth and a conflicted conscience. In Dark Knight he was simply an established hero within Gotham, and a man with one aim: take down the Joker. Good vs. evil. However, Dark Knight Rises gives us good vs. evil vs. self. Bruce wants to fight injustice - he just doesn't believe Batman can exist in such a world anymore. 

"Born and raised in hell on Earth."

Tom Hardy is absolutely terrifying, brutal and shockingly fierce as Bane. It is a testament to his acting talent that so much emotion and anger can be shown purely through his body language (specifically his eyes) due to the large mask covering most of his face. From breaking necks to tossing people aside one handed, Bane knows no limits when it comes to violence.

And yet, there's something a little unfulfilling about the Bats vs Bane confrontation. Perhaps it's because the Bats vs Joker scenarios were so psychologically fuelled that a fight based purely on strength was going to feel slightly lacklustre and - dare I say it - lazy in hindsight."You've come back to die with your city," taunts Bane. "No," replies Bruce. "I've come back to stop you." This kind of back and forth is a far cry from the "You have nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength," dialogue from the Joker. Still, it's immensely entertaining, and the final climactic battle between Batman and Bane on the steps of Wall Street in broad daylight is hugely invigorating, and the script manages to provide more twists and turns in the final moments of the battle than any point in the trilogy so far.

Yet for me, the standout character of the entire movie is John Blake, as played with youthful enthusiasm by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. A character created solely for Nolan's movie, Blake (like Commissioner Gordon) is one of the only decent cops left in Gotham. Working closely with Gordon, he draws Batman out from his exile in Wayne Manor, persuading him that Bane is a force that must be stopped. As for the rumours surrounding Blake's real identity within the story...lets just say he has the best character arc of the movie.

"I knew who you were as soon as I saw your face, Bruce."

Gordon-Levitt, who worked with Nolan previously on Inception, gives an incredible performance. The young actor refuses to be overshadowed by Hollywood greats in the ensemble, instead giving a performance that nails the film down, keeping it grounded and human where sci-fi elements such as an atom bomb and a flying Batmobile threaten to throw the movie up in the air alongside The Avengers.

"I wondered which I'd break first. Your mind or your body."

It's tricky to say many more positive things about the film without giving away too many spoilers, however it's clear to see that Christopher Nolan's trend for not using CGI where not necessary will continue for a long time. In the opening moments, a plane is hijacked mid-flight by another plane -  Nolan actually filmed this in Scotland (land of the free, home of the Bane...aha!), and in another epic set piece later in the movie an entire football stadium is demolished from within, causing the players to tumble to their early graves underneath the pitch.

So it's clear The Dark Knight Rises knows it status as a blockbuster. Nolan chooses to give us a more action packed thrill ride than The Dark Knight's psychological battle of wits, which pays off immensely as a satisfying conclusion. While I would have liked to see a similar confrontation again, this is the final instalment in an epic trilogy, and therefore all out war is the only way it could bow out in style.
Where does it sit in the series? It's too early to say for sure right now, but in my personal opinion it's the best out of the three. The themes of Batman Begins (facing your fears, rising up against those who oppress you) are executed with the cinematic style of The Dark Knight resulting in a movie Christopher Nolan has clearly been gearing towards since Batman Begins, even if he didn't know it then. Overall it's the most Batman-esque movie of the series, with the group of people surrounding Bruce providing him with a team much like that which he had in the animated series.

Begins. Falls. Rises.

It's with a heavy yet mostly satisfied heart that we bid farewell to the superb Christian Bale's time as Batman, as well as the rest of the unbeatable ensemble cast that we've known for seven years. Easily the biggest and best movie of the year so far, The Dark Knight Rises ties a nice, neat ribbon around the story that reinvented Batman for our generation.

Summary

The trailers have been out for months, as well as several TV spots and other promotional materials, so when The Dark Knight Rises kicks off at a sluggish pace, it's a little like finally getting your own Batmobile and getting told you can't drive it at more than 20mph. Yet when that's all over and the Batman makes a triumphant return, the final film in Christopher Nolan's trilogy soars to heights never before seen from a comic book movie. The cast are superb, the action is heart pounding and the story reaches tearjerking emotional highs. You ready for the inevitable bad joke? Here it is. This is the Batman movie the world deserves, and it's most certainly the one it needs right now. God help whoever decides to reboot this.

9/10

See it if you liked: Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), The Avengers (2012)