There, now you can breathe easy, because one
of the most anticipated movies of the past five years is actually a treat to
watch. While it may not be absolutely perfect, it succeeds where it absolutely
needs to succeed, and the result is a satisfying, thrilling, and intense
conclusion to one of the greatest superhero franchises ever put onscreen.
If you forgot where we are now in the
trilogy, it is important to remember going in that Batman is still believed to
have murdered Harvey Dent by the people and police of Gotham City. Unable to
show himself, Batman/Bruce Wayne has shut himself inside his manor for eight
years. Now, with the terrorist mastermind Bane threatening to establish a
terrible new reign over the city, the Caped Crusader has to determine once and
for all what it means to wear the cowl. Is it a symbol of justice, a symbol of
redemption, or a symbol of vengeance?
(Good Lord, that sounded like the back of a
movie box! That was awesome!)
All the hype aside, I had three big worries
going into Rises (Aside from the very
real possibility of having to see it alone; most of the key players were out of
town, and my own father initially rejected me before eventually coming around.
For a good 24 hours I was in panic mode.). One, I was worried that with the
eight-year timeline gap between this movie and its predecessor, the movie would
take too long in catching up the viewer and start out sluggishly. Two, I was
worried that Anne Hathaway would flop as Catwoman. Finally, I was worried that
the conclusion would leave me wanting more (or even worse, wanting a re-do). I
did not want to be wishing for more Batman, especially when this was supposed
to be the pinnacle of the Dark Knight story.
Thankfully, Rises put just about all of my worries to rest. We will go in order
here. The first twenty minutes or so, aside from an absolute killer introduction
to Bane, are a little slow. After all, there is no Batman, and the movie needs
to catch everyone up on what has been happening in Gotham for the past eight
years. It is somewhat annoying, especially given the aforementioned Bane scene
and the looming threat that the viewer knows he will pose. You want to hit the
ground running, but Rises does not
quite let you loose right away; it needs to lay the groundwork first.
Second of all, Anne Hathaway is positively brilliant
as Catwoman. She captures every single side of Selina Kyle’s personality, and
somehow manages to find the perfect balance between the comic book character
and Christopher Nolan’s adaptation. Batman fans will love her, movie fans will
love her, and I think everyone will breathe a collective sigh of relief that
they finally did Catwoman proper (some
will say Halle Berry was hotter, but still). Her performance might be the best
of the film if not for Tom Hardy’s Bane, but we will cover what a BAMF he is
later.
You know what? Screw it. Bane was so
freaking awesome in this movie we are going to talk about him right now. I will
say first that comparisons to Heath Ledger’s Joker are both unfair and
inevitable. The reason they are unfair is because the Joker and Bane are completely
different villains. The Joker is more of a behind-the-scenes and
screw-with-your-head villain while Bane is more of a screw-with-your-head-right-in-front-of-you-because-I’m-so-badass
villain. Ledger had more room to act as the Joker, whereas Hardy sits behind a totally
sick muzzle/mask and intimidates the living crap out of you. Both were
immensely successful in portraying their characters, end of story.
Now we can just revel in Bane. In a word, he
was commanding. Every single scene in
which Bane was present, you knew it. The Vader-esque breathing, the ruthless
stare, the cold eyes, he was nothing short of a presence. At least three times
during the course of the movie I was attempted to lean over to my father during
a Bane moment and mutter, “This is the most badass thing I have seen in a long
time.” Goodness, he was a BAMF. He continually felt like a legitimate threat to
both Batman and Gotham, and as you will see, he proved to be just that. He was
complex, he was dominating, he was powerful, he was everything a supervillian
was supposed to be, and you cannot ask for much more than that.
Finally, we can talk about the overall
conclusiveness of the trilogy. In short, Rises
finishes the job and finishes the job well. Batman is forced to define his
legacy, and with it he defines the series. I will not give anything away (and
anyone who does should be severely punished, you guys have no idea, huge pet
peeve, but I digress), but just know that the series ends in a satisfying way.
You walk out of the theater not feeling shorted or slighted in anyway. This is
something that was given a lot of thought by Christopher Nolan, and it shows.
It is a job well done.
To be fair, we have to cover the film’s
shortcomings. I think that overall, Rises
is a victim of its length (almost three hours!). A few things are shorthanded, a
few characters (Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s rookie cop in particular) are
underdeveloped, and quick explanations are offered through sometimes clunky
lines of dialogue. As I said before, the beginning is a touch too slow, but
things pick up quickly enough that you will not lose interest. So while the
movie could have used a small degree of polishing, these flaws are ultimately
akin to the grammar mistakes on an otherwise stellar essay; the content is magnificent,
and that is all that really matters at the end of the day.
The
Dark Knight Rises ends Christopher Nolan’s trilogy in brilliant fashion. If
you thought Batman Begins was better
than The Dark Knight, as I did, then
the final installment is likely to be your favorite. The conclusion boasts an
unforgettable villain, a strong supporting cast, Christian Bale’s best
performance of the franchise, and an articulate story that concludes the tale
of the Batman in an absolutely epic way. I give it an 8.5 out of 10, and the nomination
for one of the top 10 best superhero movies ever. You will not be disappointed,
you will not be let down. Go see Rises
right now.
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