New Release: The Dark Knight Rises


The epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy finally arrived last Friday, and by the time I saw it on Saturday, I felt left behind. Yet, despite all the hype, my only hope was that Nolan & Co. would finish off the trilogy in a way that was in tune with everything from the first two films, even if that meant Batman dying, which I did prepare myself for, just in case.

The film starts eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, with the crime in Gotham extremely low thanks to the supposed heroics of the deceased Harvey Dent. Batman is a wanted criminal and Bruce Wayne is a recluse in the newly built Wayne Manor. But when the terrorist Bane blows into town with a rather elaborate plan to destroy Gotham, Batman must get back into the groove of vigilante crime fighting, only with less support from the public than before.

And that's all I can really say about the general plot, though there are many more moving parts to The Dark Knight Rises, which was the major downfall for me. At times, actually most of the time, the movie felt too complicated to understand how all those movie parts fit together. And because of that, and the almost three-hour run time, this final chapter often felt bloated. However, I fully admit that this is an initial knee-jerk reaction. Upon another viewing, knowing how everything comes together by the film's end, I'm sure I'll be able to spend more time concentrating on how Bane's plan unfolds. That doesn't mean I'll love and accept it, but I'm willing to try.

With my negativity out of the way, I can definitely say that I enjoyed every other aspect of the film (who needs a plot anyway, right?). For a majority of the film, I almost thought to myself that I was watching the Jo-Go Cop Story, but I'm not complaining, because his young cop, Blake, was a refreshing side of optimism to all the other hardened characters in the film. Though I was initially skeptical of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, I'm happy to have been proven wrong by her excellent skills of ass-kicking and quip-exchanging. And Tom Hardy's Bane was downright terrifying, and I loved that voice he chose. And of course all the returning actors were excellent too. Here's looking at you Bale, Oldman, Freeman, and Caine!

Everything else The Dark Knight Rises offers keeps within, while expanding upon, the universe Nolan laid out in the first two films: the action, suspense, and realistic nature of the story. But what elevated this from a very good film to a great film for me was how he wraps it all up, leaving no loose ends. Though I may not have been convinced by the entirety of Batman's last adventure, it ended in a way that was perfectly suited for everything that came before.

And that's all I really wanted from the start.

10 comments:

  1. I thought the length was a bit much, but other than that I really enjoyed it. JoGo & Anne Hathaway were both very welcome additions. I'm going to miss this franchise! Loved the ending (s).

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    1. I'll miss it too, but I'm glad Nolan didn't drag it out passed its expiration and that he was able to helm all three. Can't believe I was so skeptical 7 years ago before I saw the first one. Shame on me!

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  2. I've seen DKR three times now, and I'm still at a loss to articulate my thoughts. You did quite a good job, though. With me, there is no understatement in saying I LOVE both BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT, but with DKR, I find myself kinda just shrugging and saying 'eh, that was good.'

    Glad someone else liked Bane's voice. It's nice to read positive words in regards to that. And yes, lots and lots of plot. For me, seemed like plot dictated characters more than the other way around like the first two. But nice way to put it, a ending that suited everything that came before. I like that. Nice review!

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    1. Oh, I loved what Tom Hardy did with his voice. I was really worried after seeing the first teaser that I wouldn't be able to understand him, but the accent had a intelligent sneering taunt to it that I find a lot more terrifying than trying to match something deep and low that's typically thought of as evil.

      As for the film as a whole, I'm fairly confident I'll like it more on multiple watches, once I figure out what's going on for most of the plot. My enthusiasm for Batman Begins has actually decreased a little bit over the years, because I can now step back and see (in comparison to the sequels of course) just how rough it is in its writing. But still a great start to a fantastic trilogy.

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  3. I think it speaks volumes when a film can be noted as "bloated" in a review, and still walk away with a 90% as a score.

    Glad to hear you dug it Rachel. Like you, I'm looking forward to coming back to it and enjoying it even more as those flaws start to dull.

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    1. I definitely enjoyed it, but I was teetering between a 4 and a 4.5. What sold me to the higher score was the way Nolan wrapped it all up. He definitely won me over with that, but I do look forward to enjoying the rest of the film more upon another screening.

      Finally about to start the Podcast Trilogy finale. Couldn't get on the wi-fi at work yesterday to download it. Looking forward to that epic Matineecast!

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  4. Going to see it nOw. Will read this later.

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    1. Enjoy! Very interested to hear what you think.

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    2. I really loved it. Went with my mom who hasn't seen the other two (which she didn't tell me until after, she didn't get anything). I thought it was so much more than promised - yes it was somewhat overly long, but I didn't have that rushed sense you talked about. It seemed well paced to me. And there were more character than I was even expecting and the plot twists were terrific. I liked the story wrapping up in the way it did so much. It left the door open for more, but not in the way we need another one, just knowing some of the directions our characters take was good.

      And you're totally right about Jo-Go being awesome and Anne Hathaway totally rocking it. From the first moment we realize she's not going to be crazy, I loved her.

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    3. I know, right! Between her and Black Widow, it's been a better than usual summer for super ladies.

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