“Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham’s finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.”
“It’s always nice to be surprised by a movie. There are enough surprises in The Dark Knight Rises for a movie and a half. The first is that Anne Hathaway plays a great Catwoman. I went into the film expecting the worst from Hathaway and walked away very surprised. If anything, Catwoman might be too good. Without saying too much I can say that Hathaway delivers where I doubted that she could.
The next surprise takes place in the form of Bane. He is near perfect. The last theatrical version of Bane portrayed him as a muscle bound bumbling freak, where the comic has him as anything but. Nolan’s direction with Bane shows that the character is multi dimensional. Not just a brute, but a intelligent and calculating deadly force that in many ways is the most serious threat that Batman has yet run up against.
The Dark Knight Rises is almost too much for one movie but not quite enough for two. There is so much story that one really needs to pay attention (not that it requires much effort, the story carries you with it easily enough). There is character growth and personal discovery. Batman spends more time in the day light than he has in previous films. Action is never lacking. The sound track at times is almost over powering but is always kept in check by the scenery and backdrop that is as much a part of the story as the characters the play out their lives in its midst.
The Batman, like always, fights inner foes as well as the ones incarnate. Batman finds his place in the world yet again; but this time he finds that it occupies different realms. I won’t say more than this; Batman finally finds out who he really is and where and when his place is.
A solid wrap up to one of the most successful trilogies ever; The Dark Knight answers all of the questions.
While the movie as a whole is spectacular there are a few things that could be improved. Some of the fight scenes are a bit forced. Batman’s suit just doesn’t have the same effect in the day light. The film is a touch long. It’s epic, certainly, but at times it feels like it’s just too much movie for one film. Some of the characters’ back stories are a bit crunched for time. There is no blood. Understanding that the film has a rating to worry about, when people get shot, they bleed.
Whether or not The Dark Knight Rises is better that The Dark Knight is up for debate. The Dark Knight Rises is certainly more epic, but the Dark Knight might have the best portrayal of a villain ever. I enjoyed The Dark Knight Rises more than the Dark Knight, but my viewing companion felt the opposite. Either way this is a must see. And please do it in with the biggest screen and loudest sound available. It’s such an epic that it will be best enjoyed in such a setting.”-Ben Thompson
The Dark Knight Rises is Rated PG-13.
Visit the official website at www.thedarkknightrises.com.
See it in theaters now.
The Dark Knight Rises gets Bragging Rights!
