The Dark Knight Rises

The Legend Ends

Release Date: July 20th 2012

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman

Plot: Eight years after Batman took the fall for Two-Face's vicious crimes, Bruce Wayne has retired and is living in seclusion, isolated from a now peaceful Gotham City. However this new found peace is threatened by the arrival of the sadistic mercenary known only as Bane, whose path of destruction forces Batman out of retirement and on a path of 'redemption' to save his city from total annihilation.

After the monumental success of the Dark Knight in 2008, owing in large part to Heath Ledger’s show stealing turn as Batman’s nemesis, the Clown Prince of Crime: The Joker, as well as the actor’s tragic passing before the film’s July release meant that Christopher Nolan’s final entry in his Dark Knight trilogy had a lot of expectation attached to it. Fraught with complaints about the muffled quality of main villain Bane’s (Tom Hardy's) voice, as well as the unexpected casting of Anne Hathaway as Batman’s on-again off-again love interest Catwoman meant that there were doubts that the film would live up to its predecessor.

However, after viewing the film, I can say that while in my opinion it doesn’t quite live up to the Dark Knight it does come very close, and serves as a more than satisfying conclusion to a truly groundbreaking superhero trilogy. The Dark Knight Rises is a marvellous accomplishment in its entirety, ranging from the acting ability of the star studded cast, to the more aesthetic aspects provided by noted cinematographer Wally Pfister who was actually nominated for both an Academy Award and a BAFTA for his work on the Dark Knight and once again manages to deliver a visually superlative vision of Gotham. Hans Zimmer delivers a score which is both primal and barbaric in nature and adds tremendously to the overall tone of the film, so much so that I would be willing to state that it is among his best, and considering that man's body of work that is an impressive feat indeed. It is only a few minor setbacks in scriptwriting and editing preventing it from being the superior entry into Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

With the knowledge that this both Christopher Nolan’s and actor Christian Bale’s last foray into Gotham City and the world of Batman, I was a tad concerned that the film had the potential to go Godfather III on us and as such act as a sort of black mark on an otherwise iconic trilogy. My fears were unfounded however, and it was especially pleasing to see that he has brought his trilogy full circle, the film contains more reference to Batman Begins than the Dark Knight and that is one of my problems really, aside from a few sporadic, albeit slightly important, references to Harvey Dent (whose name serves as a catalyst for both Gotham's new-found prosperity and its imminent destruction) and one brief moment when moment when Bruce (Christian Bale) examines a picture of deceased former love Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhall) it is almost like the terrifying swathe of chaos the Joker brought upon Gotham was simply swept under the rug.

Performance wise, Tom Hardy as terrorist behemoth Bane was the standout. Nolan and Hardy had to achieve two things with the role. First, they had to create a villain who would act as a worthy successor to the lightning in a bottle performance of Heath Ledger as well as wiping away the unpleasant memory or Robert Swenson’s abysmal performance in Batman & Robin. I can honestly say they succeeded on both fronts. Hardy delivers a terrifying performance despite the fact that his eyes are really the only thing visible on his face, the rest being hidden by a Hannibal Lector like mask. The odd combination of his incredible physique combined with a voice that sounds like ‘Ian Mckellen gargling stones’ creates a memorable and lasting impression, delivering some of the film’s best lines ranging from simply menacing to the disturbingly comic, with the soon to be iconic "What a lovely, lovely voice" being perhaps the best example I could think of. A Line which had the audience in my viewing laughing, before suddenly realising the threat behind the dialogue and quickly shutting up, in addition through a stunning display of choreography that shows just how hard both Tom Hardy and Christian Bale have worked throughout the making of this film, some of the series’ best fight scenes. While he doesn’t have the pure on screen charisma that Heath Ledger had due to the intense, and dogmatic nature of Bane’s character he does provide a formidable and powerful threat to the Dark Knight.

Another pleasant surprise was Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman, I spend the most time on these characters because they are the newcomers, and admittedly the same applies for Joseph Gordon-Levitt though his role is decidedly straight forward and less complex than the others, he performs it admirably and with the usual talent and credibility that Gordon-Levitt seems to be able to imbue his characters. But Catwoman was a remarkable new addition and arguably Nolan’s greatest female character; decidedly true to her comic book counterpart her loyalty being comparable to that of a see-saw, one minute good, the next bad, actually I think that is too limited a description, out of all the character's in  this film she is the most difficult to categorise in terms of morality, she embodies  numerous shades of grey, and goes through them as more survival instinct than selfish gain . In addition her sardonic attitude to Batman’s anti-killing, merciful methods provides comic relief in an atmosphere that greatly requires it, considering this is Nolan’s darkest chapter in his Batman trilogy. Marion Cotillard, the film's other leading lady is also well performed, but despite the fact she ends up playing a role which has more to it than meets the eye (I'm sure most of you know the story by now but still I shan't spoil it) she is remarkably uninteresting and I predicted her contribution to the plot, like most before me, long before the film was even released...I think she, along with Gary Oldman were the most underused actors in the film which is a tremendous shame considering their talent. Michael Caine's presence was also limited, but he was utilised to his fullest potential in that time, if there is one thing that this film has taught me it is that I cannot stand to see Michael Caine cry. I would not be at all surprised if he were to be nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar.

As always Nolan, with help of acclaimed cinematographer Wally Pfister has created an aesthetic masterpiece. The entire film was so mesmerising to look at, having watched it on an Imax screen I was blown away by how good it looked, particularly in two scenes which I can reveal due to their high coverage in the trailers, they are the explosion of the bridges thus quarantining the people of Gotham, and the army of police cars hurtling after the ‘Batpod’ during Batman’s first reveal. They are suitably dramatic and on the big screen become a veritable feast for the senses. I have read debates across the internet regarding whether or not any of the sequences match up the originality and pure...’epicness’ of the truck flip in the Dark Knight, but I personally believe they do, the action is escalated. In the previous two films neither of the main antagonists were able to provide much of a physical threat to Batman, Ras Al Ghul grappled, the Joker pummelled with a pole, in this film the fight choreography is stunning, Bane proves so formidable that you actually believe that Batman is fighting for his life and there is the very real possibility that he may lose.

As I mentioned earlier there were a few problems which prohibited the film from reaching 5 star status. My primary issue is with editing, particularly at the beginning of the film, I felt it did not quite flow right, it seemed to be simply moving from one series of events to another, yes I know that is what a film does, but I did not necessarily think it flowed smoothly. It seemed to jump a little bit; I was often left wondering if something had been left on the cutting room floor which would have eased the transition in between scenes. This problem was largely resolved by the film’s halfway point, but it was just noticeable enough to distract me to begin with. In addition there were a few plot holes where the plot had been a little rushed, perhaps most noticeable during the mid-film prison sequences, considering this place was labelled as “Hell on Earth” it didn’t actually seem that bad, in fact Bruce managed to make a couple of friends in there. I accept that this might be a bit ‘nitpicky’ but it just didn’t strike me as being the ultimate punishment, there weren’t even any guards stationed at the entrance so the prisoners could escape whenever they wanted provided they could climb. Arguably the most bizarre one was a penniless Bruce Wayne being able to travel (presumably) across the world in such a short period of time...One minute he is what appears to be either Africa, India or at the very least South America, the next scene he is in Gotham!

These minor issues aside this is still, in my opinion, the majority of the major criticisms levelled at the film seem to me to be grossly unfounded, I was able to clearly understand all bar one of Bane's lines due to the post-production alteration of his voice which now means he sounds less like a man who requires a respirator to function, to a man who has the omnipresent voice of a God. Furthermore Bane's master plan was quite simple in its brilliance, I read one review which stated they couldn't understand his position of 'liberator' if he merely planned to ultimately destroy Gotham, for that reviewer I recommend listening to the speech he gives to Wayne in the prison scene a little more closely. That being said, while the film is undoubtedly not as fun as the Avengers, it was a more mature, brutal and frankly more rewarding cinematic experience and a fantastic conclusion to a phenomenal trilogy. Congratulations Mr. Nolan, you have done Batman proud. I recommend this film to all (above the age of 12, there are a number of very intense scenes. It is not a film for kids).

                                                                          4.5 stars