Hello moviegoers, welcome back to the theater
!
We are now on the last of the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, and the last review in this superhero film review marathon, unless one of you has a superhero film that you’d like me to review. Last night, I was at the midnight premiere of the final Christopher Nolan Batman film, ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ Premiering today (Though a heavy shadow was obviously cast over its premiere by the horrible movie theater shooting in Colorado last night, and as such I sincerely apologize if some of you think my doing this review is insensitive or poorly- timed; I just figured that since I made a commitment, I ought to see it through), it is directed by Nolan, stars much of the old cast, and includes new cast members such as Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon- Levitt. I’ll try and refrain from posting any major spoilers, as you all really should see it for yourselves.
At the beginning, we see that this film takes place 8 years after the previous film, ‘The Dark Knight.’ As Batman decided to take the rap for the murders that Harvey Dent committed as Two- Face, Harvey is regarded by Gothamites as a hero/ martyr who even has his own holiday in Gotham now. We see Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) trying to put on a good face about the whole thing, even though he knows the truth (And even though his own son was held at gunpoint by Two- Face in the end of the previous film). Laws passed in memory of Dent have caused crime in Gotham to further plummet. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is now an embittered recluse, having hung up his costume once Batman was deemed an outlaw, and rarely if ever setting foot outside his mansion for any reason. His company is also rapidly losing money, and thus dropping much of its charitable work just to stay in the black while a rival company attempts to buy them out. Wayne’s company goes further in debt after a planned clean- energy project they worked on along with charming philanthropist Miranda Tate (Cotillard) had to be shut down.
While this is going on, however, Gotham’s greatest threat ever is coming. A twisted masked terrorist leader known simply as “Bane†(Hardy) and his private army are setting plans in motion to lay siege to Gotham. They attack Gotham’s stock exchange, and later shoot Commissioner Gordon, nearly killing him.
Bruce is first led out of his self- appointed apathy when professional thief/ con woman Selina Kyle aka Catwoman (Hathaway) steals one of his mother’s prized necklaces from a safe, and also copies Bruce’s fingerprints from where he had touched the safe. She begins selling the fingerprints to a shady businessman at the head of the company trying to buy out Wayne Enterprises.
Then, Bruce gets further involved, and decides to come out of retirement as Batman when he learns more about Bane. Apparently, Bane was an excommunicated member of the League of Shadows, Ra’s Al Ghul’s radical organization seen in the first film ‘Batman Begins’ that is dedicated to stamping out suffering and injustice by literally any means necessary. Unlike Ra’s in the first film, however, who tended to be mainly concerned with ending general crime and lawlessness, Bane is more concerned with ending “Social injustices,†such as an oppressive prison operating in the city that he feels denies its inmates their rights, and wealthy Gothamites living lives of opulence and extravagance while their fellow less well- off citizens are starving. In other words, Bane’s views would be welcomed with open arms by the Occupy movement.
Bruce’s butler Alfred (Caine) retires, hoping to dissuade Bruce from becoming Batman again, but Bruce knows he has to try and stop Bane. A betrayal by Catwoman, however, leads to Bane pummeling Batman, breaking his back, and locking him in the very prison where Bane himself was once held. With Bruce thus out of the way, Bane sets off a series of bombs in Gotham that kill countless people, trap most of Gotham’s police force underground, and make escape from the city by land virtually impossible. Bane then unveils a nuclear bomb he has acquired, and threatens to detonate it if anyone attempts to leave the city. Over the next several months, Bane and his army bring all of Gotham under his control, and begin brutally punishing those he deems as “Oppressors of the people.†It’s rather like the French Revolution, with Bane as its Robespierre.
Finally, Bruce escapes from the prison, and with help from a new cop named John Blake (Gordon- Levitt) who had deduced Batman’s identity, Commissioner Gordon, Catwoman, and other members of an underground resistance movement that had developed, he prepares for an ultimate showdown with Bane to free Gotham from his tyranny. A surprise antagonist abruptly appears near the end (Quite similar to what happened near the climax of ‘Batman Begins’), a major sacrifice is made, and finally the survivors manage to pick up the pieces and lead to a new tomorrow.
For problems with ‘The Dark Knight,’ there are a few. So many new characters (Catwoman, Bane, Officer Blake, Miranda Tate, etc.) are introduced so quickly, that it was a little overwhelming to keep track of all of them. Also, there is a regrettably brief reappearance by the villain Jonathan Crane aka Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy, reprising his role in the previous two films, making him the only villain to appear in all three Nolan Batman films), who in the new Gotham City under Bane’s control has secured a position of considerable power for himself. It’s good to see him back, but his appearance was too short, and we never see what ultimately becomes of him. Maybe in the final battle scene against Bane’s forces, they could have had Crane charge at Batman and get beaten down by him or something. One final problem is that there is virtually none of the tension- relieving humor that the previous films had. There are a couple rather funny moments, but they’re few and far between.
On the whole, though, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ delivers a very good story. The characters are well- written and faithful to the comics, the messages and allegories are handled in a good, largely subtle way, and it kept the audience going the whole way through, leading to a standing ovation at the end. The surprise twists and turns were mostly completely unexpected.
There were several well- shot action sequences in the film, most notably in the very beginning when Bane and his men take control of a plane and abduct a scientist from it. The fight scenes are excellently staged, especially the various “Batman vs. Bane†fights throughout the film that are all fast- paced and brutal, and any fight scenes involving Catwoman.
As Batman and Bruce Wayne, Christian Bale gives a solid final performance to the role he’s held for the last three films. We see in him the bitterness and resignation to his fate Bruce has in the beginning, the desperation Bruce goes through while in Bane’s prison, the full range of emotions he experiences involving Catwoman, and the outstanding courage and hope he shows in the ending.
Speaking of Catwoman, one of the main concerns fans had regarding ‘Rises’ in the months leading up to its premiere was whether or not Anne Hathaway could do a good job playing her, since Hathaway is so known for playing shy and even dainty characters. However, when I saw the film, all doubts I personally had on the subject were completely evaporated by about the second scene with her. She nails every aspect of the character from the comics and other media; Her allure, her mixed morals, her constantly- shifting loyalties, Hathaway pulls it all off seamlessly. She also handles herself well in the fight scenes, using the kinds of quick and dazzling martial arts that are sort of Catwoman’s trademark.
While Bane is definitely not as good of an antagonist as Heath Ledger’s Joker in ‘The Dark Knight,’ he proves to be quite a capable, frightening, and well- developed villain. Bane really poses a two- pronged threat to Batman: He poses a physical threat due to how large and strong he is and how terrifyingly brutal of a fighter he is (He’s quite fast for a man his size), but then he also poses a major mental threat due to his quite considerable intelligence and cunning that match his physical strength. He believes that what he is doing to Gotham is for the best, that everyone killed by him and his men (Especially the members of Gotham’s high society that are particularly targeted by Bane’s forces) are getting exactly what they deserve, and that what happens to Gotham will spread throughout the world. Tom Hardy does an excellent job with the role, and his performance helps to further highlight Bane’s dual nature. His burly stature, top- notch fighting, and the creepy face- mask he wears all demonstrate Bane’s physically- intimidating side, while at the same time, his rich, cultured- sounding voice highlights Bane’s vast intelligence. Hardy helps show that, unlike the Joker, Bane is in control of his actions and is perfectly sane; He just happens to be pure evil.
On the subject, in the big climax, when a new surprise villain who’s been secretly involved in everything all along finally surfaces, the actor in question provides a wonderful performance, revealing a side to that character that I didn’t even know existed, and allowing in a Batman villain who I didn’t think would show up yet who fits into this particular story perfectly.
For the returning actors, it’s all good. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman bring their usual intelligence and dignity to their roles as Alfred and Lucius Fox. Gary Oldman takes Commissioner Gordon in a slightly different direction than he had been on before. In the two previous films, Gordon was a man who recognized that life isn’t perfect and isn’t always fair, and that he has to try and do the best he can with what he has, and stay true to his principles; Here, we see the weight of his guilt over everything that happened to him in the previous film (Especially covering up the truth about Harvey Dent) really weighing down on him like a stone. Even then, though, he remains committed to do what’s right, and what’s best for everyone. Only an actor as dedicated as Oldman could pull off a performance like that.
For the new actors, they handle things well. Marion Cotillard, while not able to do as much as Hathaway, still manages to make Miranda into a very intriguing character. Joseph Gordon- Levitt as Officer Blake is intensely sympathetic (He has a sad backstory that he shares with Bruce early on), intelligent, and ultimately courageous. He also turns out to have quite an interesting twist at the very end.
So, that takes care of ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ Not as good as the previous film, but still a very good movie that wraps up Nolan’s vision of Batman very well.
And, so, we have come to the end of my July superhero film fest (Again, unless any of you have any films you’d like to request me to look at). I hope you all liked it. I will probably return in October with a new Monster- Fest to continue last year’s, but until then, I’ll see you at the movies!
