The Dark Knight Rises
My spoiler free review:
http://watchordontwatch.blogspot.com/
How do you improve on perfection? Well that has been the task afforded to one of the most gifted third-generation directors in Hollywood at the moment in Christopher Nolan who has had the insurmountable task of following up on his 2008 critical and commercial juggernaut; The Dark Knight. The question on everyone’s lips would be “Is The Dark Knight Rises better than The Dark Knight?” In my opinion, it is not. That is not a slight against the film. The fact that it is able to stand proudly alongside its lofty predecessors, both of which have been widely regarded as the best two comic-book adaptations, is a testament to the quality of The Dark Knight Rises.
Set eight years after the events in The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises sees a reclusive Bruce Wayne spending much of his time reeling in pain following Rachel Dawes’ death now that the streets of Gotham has been cleaned. It would be cruel of me to tell you any more of what happens in The Dark Knight Rises as this is truly one of the rare films that you will not just watch, it is a one-of-a-kind movie experience that has been lost since the time of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park or James Cameron’s Titanic and Avatar. In this day and age, with dissemination of information as rapid as ever, Christopher Nolan still manages to have the production of The Dark Knight Rises clouded in secrecy by filming sequences under the faux title of Magnus Rex and having few of his actors reading the ending in the script. For that, movie audiences have been rewarded as we enter screenings not knowing of the many Easter-eggs, twists and turns of the intricate plot in this instalment of The Dark Knight trilogy.
Without wanting to reveal much, to call The Dark Knight Rises’ plot intricate would be an understatement. There are times in the movie I am left wondering “Why is this happening?” or “How does this character know certain things?” or “Why are these characters doing this?” or “How will certain actions help in achieving certain goals?” I am not sure if these questions will clear up upon repeat viewings but I never had such problems when watching Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The film just feels like it could have been either half-an-hour longer by exploring certain characters and plot points in greater detail or an hour shorter by removing certain characters and plot points and in this race case, I was hoping that the film would be longer.
The Dark Knight Rises introduces many new characters with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy and Marion Cotillard joining the cast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt acts as a young rookie cop named John Blake but it feels like there is nothing much to his character. The fact that we feel any sort of care for the character has much to do with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s charisma rather than the script. Then, there is Anne Hathaway sexing up the screen as Selina Kyle and any nay-sayers who have had concerns with regards to the casting of Hathaway as Catwoman can lay your fears to rest as Anne Hathaway is fantastic. With the combination playful sexiness in her mannerism and voice and irresistible tenderness and charm, Anne Hathaway steals the screen every time she is on screen with many of the best one-liners in the film.
Surpassing The Joker as the villain would always be a tough task, however it has been made almost impossible following Heath Ledger’s magnificent performance as Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime which earned the late actor a posthumous Oscar win. A very brave Tom Hardy has stepped up to the plate portraying the masked villain Bane. Much has been talked about Bane’s voice in the film since the release of the IMAX prologue that preceded Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Some viewers complained that they had problems making out what Bane was trying to say. Viewers will have no such complains about Bane’s voice the film as you will be able to hear the ferocious intensity and malice in his voice. However, I must admit that his voice feels extremely jarring in comparison with the voice of other cast members. It is almost as if his mouth piece serves as a megaphone or that his character’s voice is dubbed ala a cheap Japanese anime dub. Acting wise, there is really very little you can do when three quarters of your face is covered and all you can do with your performance is reflected through your eyes. As far as Marion Cotillard portrayal of Miranda Tate goes, I must admit I did not feel any conviction in her character.
Series regulars Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman have limited time on-screen but considering that The Dark Knight Rises is meant to provide closure to Bruce Wayne’s story, much of the focus of the film lie with the dynamic between Christian Bale and Michael Caine. In my opinion, both Bale and Caine deliver their best performances in their respective roles although in The Dark Knight Rises, Alfred seems to have suffered severe men-opause trading his wit found in the earlier two instalments for a sad, mopey and self-pitying incarnation of Alfred.
Again, without wanting to spoil much of the action set-pieces of the film, I will say that the film is exhilarating. The action sequences, around 100 minutes of it shot on IMAX looks magnificent on-screen and when you add context to the action sequences, there is a rare emotional attachment to what is happening on screen. Christopher Nolan is one of the few directors who manages to use action sequences as a means to enhance the story and not just have them there as a source of spectacle the way many of today’s action films have done. Throughout the many action sequences, I find myself actually cheering for Batman and Selina Kyle, wanting to will them on. There is a sequence in which an entire football field is destroyed (not a spoiler as footage has been shown in trailers) and I find myself actually caring for the people of Gotham. Again, Nolan has manage to not just create Gotham City, he has managed to populate it with people that we have come to care for over the span of three films. In many ways, like Batman, we believe that there is good in Gotham, that Gotham can, and more importantly, should be saved.
Much of the film attempts to break our spirits and it very nearly does. Some may feel that the ending feels disjointed from the rest of the film. However, taking into account how much emotional investment we have had in watching Bruce Wayne grow into the role as Gotham’s Dark Knight, the ending may not have been the ending we deserved but the ending we needed. Yes, I am not denying that The Dark Knight Rises has its flaws and does not reach the heights of The Dark Knight but then again, many films would fall short when compared with it. The very fact that it is able to tell a story that comes full circle and tie-up loose ends in previous instalments while providing a fitting closure in The Dark Knight trilogy is worth applauding. Good things have to come to an end and it will be long before movie-goers will be able to experience cinematic spectacles such as Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. If I were asked to rank the trilogy in accordance to my preference, I would rank them: 1) The Dark Knight, 2) The Dark Knight Rises, 3) Batman Begins but in the grander scheme of things, all three films receive a 5/5 stars from me.
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My most favorite musical and one of my favorite romantic dramas ever. Never gets old.
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