The Dark Knight Rises
Release: 20 July 2012
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway and Gary Oldman
Director: Christopher Nolan
Genre: Comic, Action, Adventure
Length: 164 min.
Rating: PG-13
Basic Premise:
8yrs have passed since Batman was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Bruce Wayne is a recluse no one has seen in all that time and the Batman is nothing more than a legend… until an attack on Gotham brings him back into the fight. Bane has come as Gotham’s reckoning and not even the Dark Knight will stand in his way.
Personal Note:
It saddens my heart to start this review on a tragic note, but I wouldn’t feel right writing this review without stating my condolences to those people and their families caught in the Aurora, CO shooting. That was a tragedy that should have never happened. It is my dearest hope that no one will feel the need to copycat this act.
Review:
Christopher Nolan wrapped up is trilogy beautifully. And yes, this is a TRILOGY. I would highly recommend seeing the first two movies before going to see this one. The Dark Knight Rises heavily references both those movies. Someone who hasn’t seen them will be lost on some major points.
Though Nolan did tweak some things about the Batman universe, any fan of the comics (or even the animated series) will not find any surprises in this movie. That’s pretty much all I can say without giving away the toy surprise.
I loved Bane’s characterization in this movie. MUCH BETTER — one hundred times better — than the oh-so-tragic Batman And Robin Bane. I shake my head every time I think about that travesty. Anne Hathaway made a great Selena Kyle/Catwoman. She did a wonderful job and I found her costume clever with her goggles mimicking cat ears. Christian Bale still sounded dopey with that raspy voice he puts on for Batman, but oh well. You get over it.
This movie is a DRAMA above anything else. It’s not wall-to-wall action like Avengers or Spider-Man. The characters actually spend large chunks of time talking to one another without stuff blowing up or people getting in fights. You’ll see more Bruce Wayne than Batman. For that reason, kids might find the movie not as entertaining as an adult would.
Of the three movies, I enjoyed The Dark Knight (the second one) more. My hubby liked this one more. I think I was enamored of the psychological darkness of the second one. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy this movie. It was very good and I plan to do a marathon of all three movies when the third one comes out on DVD.
My favorite part of the movie was Batman’s motorcycle. I’m wondering how long it’ll take before someone creates a bike like that. My least favorite part was the background music. It’s a great soundtrack. I just wish it hadn’t drowned out the actors speaking. I missed chunks of dialog thanks to the dramatic music. I also missed some stuff because of Bane’s voice/mouthpiece made it hard to understand him. I’m sure part of that might have been movie acoustics, so he’ll sound better on DVD… maybe. If not, there are always subtitles.
Solid review. This is probably my favorite movie of the year for one reason and one reason only: it was probably, if not, the most epic piece of cinema I have seen in quite some time. Great send-off to everybody’s favorite caped-crusader, even as sad as it may be. Now it’s just time for Superman to hit that big-screen once again.
Dan – Thanks. I agree this was an epic movie. I'm hoping Superman does just as well, especially after the last one. I don't understand how DCU can put out AMAZING animated feature films and then turn around and put out crappy movies. Makes no sense. Sure you can do more with animation than with live action, but that has nothing to do with script-writing. So let's hope for the best.
~ Renee