When it comes to The Dark Knight Rises, I say that I’m a skeptic because I was never really one to get greatly excited for this movie. When Batman Begins was first announced and the trailers started airing, I couldn’t believe how amazing the movie looked. I couldn’t wait for opening day. And when The Dark Knight was announced and I learned more and more about it, my excitement blew through the roof. The more glimpses and dialogue that we got of the late Heath Ledger’s Joker, really had the “OMG” affect on me. So again, I couldn’t wait for opening night. And this time, the midnight screening couldn’t be missed.
Now, we come to The Dark Knight Rises. The third and final Batman movie by Chris Nolan. The few trailers that I saw just didn’t have what interested me. I stopped paying attention to the movie altogether. Literally this week, Wednesday to be exact, I decided to watch Nolan’s first two Batman films. And after having watched them, I couldn’t help myself. I took the $10 that I had left to my name, went to the local Rave theater, and bought a midnight screening ticket. IMAX was sold out.
I had to see how it ended.... Was I right for giving in to a movie that I didn’t care to see, and spending my last bit of money on a ticket instead of food?
In a single word... Yes
This movie delivered an experience to me in a way that I have never felt from a movie, before. As the prologue ended, the movie at first was a bit slow to start. But, what movie doesn’t start of slow? The further along the movie got, the more pulled into the story I became.
Christian Bale does not disappoint in this movie. His acting is still wonderful, and I agree that, in this movie, he stepped it up by a lot. He brought us a Bruce Wayne that was in a darker place than he’s ever been.
Michael Caine always delivers in his roles, and his Alfred is no different. It’s really a shame that he wasn’t in it more than he was.
Gary Oldman continues to portray a fabulous Commissioner Gordon, and his part in this movie, particularly in the climax, is a very exciting part of the movie.
Morgan Freeman is back as Lucius Fox, and again, what can be said about his acting and abilities that hasn’t already been said? He’s great
Tom Hardy’s Bane, in my opinion, a very well-received surprise. Hardy’s portrayal of this vicious character was amazing and very well done. He’s brutal, ruthless and very dangerous. Bane, in this movie, is the threat of all threats.
(On a side note, I’m not comparing Hardy’s Bane to Ledger’s Joker. Two different villains. Two different films.)
Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle was a lot better than I thought she’d be. The fact that she was always only on her own side, and never truly loyal to anyone throughout the film, made me appreciate Nolan even more. Her role in this movie, by the end, is what hero movies are made of.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Jon Blake is a welcomed addition to the cast. His character represents “hope”. Or at least, that’s how I read into it. He’s a rookie who genuinely believes in his work and is loyal to his beliefs. He also turns out to be a very smart person. He knows something that no one else could figure out in the two films before.
Marian Cotillard did fine as Miranda Tate, but as others have said, she wasn’t in the movie enough. Which is a shame, really. Would have liked to have seen her more.
The action in this movie is very much stepped up, and he fights between Batman and Bane are well choreographed. I think that’s the right word. This movie delivered action sequences that, to me, surpassed The Dark Knight. And the Bat is a vehicle that really does come off as cool. I liked it.
The story is deeper, darker, and in my opinion, very intense. Bruce has to overcome his greatest battles in this movie, and Nolan and Bale both deliver. What Nolan and the entire cast and crew have brought us is a very beautiful ending to an amazing film franchise. And for us comic book geeks and fanboys alike, they brought us our first true and complete comic book movie trilogy.
When it comes to this franchise, I was ready for a reboot. I want to see Clayface, Killer Croc, a better Mr. Freeze, etc. But, having said that, when this movie ended, every single bit of that “want” went away. It changed. A more beautiful ending couldn’t have been filmed. Now, I don’t want the reboot. I want to see where this story goes. And it’s a shame that Nolan is done with this universe. Heartbreaking, even. The last 30 minutes or so of The Avengers was outstanding, jaw-dropping excitement. The smile on my face never faded. It was the comic book come to life. So to say that the last 30-45 minutes of The Dark Knight Rises was better, some may call me insane. I’m no Nolanite. Avengers has my number two spot on favorite comic book movies list. Or so, it did. But by the time the credits started rolling, I had dug myself into my seat. The story grabbed hold and pinned me down. The suspense had my heart at a stand still, and the action had my eyes glued. As much as I hate to admit it, The Dark Knight Rises has unexpectedly beaten out The Avengers, for me. Yes, I’ll be dogging arrows and spears for that, but it’s just that damn good.
Nolan’s Batman trilogy is finally finished. And that’s my biggest complaint. I don’t want it to be done. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll understand why. If you haven’t you’ll figure it out. And as for ranking this movie... 5 out of 5, all the way.
1:Watchmen
2:TDKR
3:Avengers
There you have it. Sound off below. Cheers =)