The Dark Knight Rises

Bane (Tom Hardy) and Batman (Christian Bale) from The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises

Directed by Christopher Nolan.  Written by Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer.  Produced by Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, and Charles S. Roven

Cinematography by Wally Pfister. Music by Hans Zimmer

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cottilard, and Morgan Freeman

Rated PG-13 for intense themes, implied sensuality, and violence.

Superhero movies have almost always had the stigma of light entertainment, and not artistic efforts. Even since Richard Donner's excellent Superman: The Movie (1978) to Sam Raimi's first Spider-man (2002), as well made and accepted these movies were they were, they still were not considered "serious" film making.  Efforts like Batman and Robin (1997) and Ang Lee's Hulk (2003) didn't help that either.  It wasn't until Christopher Nolan's take on the caped crusader with Batman Begins (2005) that comic book heroes could be accepted as "serious".  Mostly due to three aspects: 1.) Treating the material as serious. 2.) Grounding it in reality, and 3.) Approaching with the best talent possible.  The formula worked, and Batman Begins was a huge success for Warner Bros, and even more rewarding, helped erase memories of batsuits with nipples and bad one-liners from Arnold Schwarzenneger.  Nolan took his approach even further for the second installment, The Dark Knight in (2008) and the success was unprecedented.  A billion dollar box-office worldwide, widespread critical acclaim, and a legendary performance by Heath Ledger (who tragically died during post-production) led to the film's near mythical success, and talk of an Oscar.  Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for his turn as the Joker, and although the film was not a contender for one, many felt it was deserved. Now with the Dark Knight Rises, Nolan looks to close out his trilogy of the Batman legend in grand fashion.  And he succeeds on a multitude of levels.  The Dark Knight Rises is an amazing, ambitious, and powerful film experience.  It builds upon the foundation of the two previous entries (more so from Begins, than Dark Knight) and crafts a monument of a film that closes out the series with an excellent finish.  And what a finish...  This is an impressive piece of filmmaking, though not without a few flaws.

The film picks up eight years after the events of the Dark Knight.  Batman (Bale) took the fall for the crimes perpetrated by Harvey Dent, who became Two-Face after becoming a casualty of the Joker's swath of terror.  Commissioner Gordon (Oldman) kept the secret and allowed Batman to accept the blame, so that Gotham's faith in their "white knight" would not be shattered.  Since then, crime in Gotham is at an all-time low and the mob is nonexistent.  Yet, this "pax romana" is based on a lie.

Since his alter-ego has been branded a murderer, Bruce Wayne is a recluse.  Age and abuse to his body as Batman has impaired him, and the memory of his lifelong love, Rachel (who was also Harvey Dent's girlfriend) who fell victim to the Joker as well, haunts him with with shattered dreams of a life together without the cape and cowl. 

As crime in Gotham fell, over time the apathy of Gotham's citizens, especially their elite, has risen and it's not until a threat starts to surface below the depths of the city, that Bruce starts to stir again. When a beguiling cat burglar by Selena Kyle (an impressive Anne Hathaway) manages to rob him for his business rival, Dagget; Wayne is intrigued.  It's just a small cog in a master plan initiated by a mercenary called Bane, a towering hulk of terror who is smart as Batman, but is physically more powerful, and is as brutal as the Joker was sadistic. When Gordon and his cops manage to run afowl of Bane, Bruce decides that it is time once again to wear the suit and defend his city.  But can he still do it after years out of action? His loyal butler, and longtime father figure, Alfred (a heartbreaking Michael Caine) tries to caution his master that what he's doing at this point is not in fact heroic, but maybe a slow suicide.  With some new gear from his loyal business partner, Lucius Fox (an always reliable Morgan Freeman), and an awesome new vehicle called "The Bat", Wayne enlists the help of Selina Kyle, who may or may not be reliable, to track down Bane, but he will soon find that Bane is not like any of the criminals he is accustomed to in the past, but a man who was also trained by his previous mentor, Ra' Al Ghul (Liam Neeson), and is very much indeed his match, and then some. Batman barely survives the encounter and is tossed into a hellhole that Bane himself once was in.  While Wayne convalesces in his prison, Bane and his soldiers, the reformed League of Shadows, turn Gotham's downtrodden against their elite, while holding the city hostage with a nuclear bomb that Wayne himself helped to create with Fox, and fellow philanthropist and new love interest,Miranda Tate (Marion Cottilard), which originated from a clean energy project he abandoned. While Gotham is under occupation, the government is held at bay by Bane's threat of detonation at the slightest sign of intervention.  Gordon, and Blake try to organize resistance from within to no avail. Wayne must somehow escape his prison, and return to Gotham to save it, especially knowing full well, this may be a battle he may not survive.

The Dark Knight Rises is an epic film, not just because of the scale and scope of the vision. From the wide shots of Nolan's towering Gotham and Hans Zimmer's booming, propulsive score, as well disaster movie scale destruction (though handled with far more thought and reverence than any Michael Bay effort), Rises is a massive, massive film.  If you thought Dark Knight was huge, Rises is immense. It's also the Batman film with the most emotional depth, as all the actors bring their A-game to the table.  Christian Bale gives his best performance to date as Bruce Wayne, a man still learning to cope with the rage and pain of senseless loss, stumbling to find out how to live again.  It's a haunting performance, and it shows why Bale is the best Batman of all.  Comparisons to Heath Ledger will no doubt be made, which is unfair and immaterial, since Hardy's Bane, is a completely different villain, as it should be.  Where the Joker was like a dog chasing cars, Bane is like a python. With his face covered by a masochistic looking gas mask that alleviates constant chronic pain, his creaking voice barely hinting at the raw power contained within this beast of a man. Hardy's performance is incredible and he gives brutal physicality and malice to a character who is defined by his physical presence. You see his Bane, and you genuinely fear for Batman.  Gary Oldman reprises his role as Gordon, and brings believable depth to a man disgusted with the lie he helped to create, while Morgan Freeman, who is given the most to do as Fox in this entry, brings his usual welcome presence.  Michael Caine's Alfred is still the emotional tie to the movie, and there are moments where you are almost at tears due to Alfred's impassioned devotion to Bruce. Joseph Gordon-Levitt handles the role of Blake impressively, portraying an idealism that appeals to Bruce and Gordon, while showing he is a lot smarter than most of Gotham's finest. Cottilard is serviceable as Miranda, and she provides some appeal as Miranda, but she her romance with Bruce is not fleshed out enough and not given enough depth.  The real appeal in this film is Hathaway.  She is magnetic and appealing as Selena (Catwoman is never mentioned in the film) and she provides depth to a woman whose survival instinct is to not show any depth, and to steal out of necessity.  Many were questioning Nolan's casting of her for this role, but she takes the role and makes it her own. She's fantastic.  There are other characters who have parts in this massive tale, Brett Cullen as an easily duped congressman, Matthew Modine as a weak willed police chief, Ben Mendelsohn as the greed-filled Dagget. Cillian Murphy makes a brief return as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, and veteran actor Tom Conti, as a prisoner who helps Wayne recover.  And another important player in the series makes a brief, but effective appearance.

For the final (and it is final) installment of his Batman saga, Christopher Nolan has created a canvas that is bigger than even most Hollywood epics.  There are stumbling blocks though with a film this huge.  The narrative pacing is uneven, the sense of time in this film is hard to track as days and months go by in the picture.  Some of the details and reasons of Bane's master plan is unclear (maybe from his speaking, or just from the narrative structure).  Some may also be expecting another film similar to Dark Knight, and they may be disappointed to find that it's as different from Knight, as that one was from Begins. The film may suffer from trying to do too much even for almost 3 hours, the Dark Knight Rises tries to accomplish a lot, and for the most part it does. There are a few instances where even the suspension of disbelief is tested, which can be an issue for a series that has been lauded for it's ability to ground itself towards reality. Like most of Nolan's films though, this one may require repeat viewings, because there are nuances aplenty. However, after a slow building the first half, Rises kicks up significantly in it's second half and invests the viewer utterly.  Hugely in part to it's impressive production. The cinematography by Oscar winner, Wally Pfister is stunning, while Zimmer's score thunders on ominously.  The real star of all this is Nolan.  Steering a massive storyline, and closing out threads that go all the way back to Batman Begins,  Nolan for the most part succeeds in tying it all together for an impressive finish to an already amazing series.  The ending delivers hugely, in an emotionally rewarding, and moving way.  Nolan's gift for creating impressive endings to films is in full effect here. Some may want to bring tissues even.

Amidst a summer that has already seen it's share of superheroes, and the massive success of the Avengers and a new Spider-man only two weeks old, The Dark Knight Rises is the best of all the superhero films of the summer.  It may fall short of the Dark Knight is some aspects, but it also comes close to it in many. Christopher Nolan's name will now be synonymous as one of the great Batman creators, but even more so it is safe to say that Nolan has created not only the finest comic based movie series of all time, but also one of the greatest film sagas in history.

Score: Four Stars (out of 5)

Note: In light of the horrific events in Aurora, I still urge people to see this movie if they wish to. A movie theater should be a place for escapism, and not somewhere for people to fear for their lives. Those who died wanted to see a good movie, and the best way to honor them is to go forth with living. Sadly, this is not the first time this film series has been haunted by the spectre of death...
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