The Dark Knight Rises Review-Spoiler Free

As far as a story goes, TDKR trumps TDK. Watching Bruce Wayne/Batman progress through a very difficult and "Hero's Journey" was captivating to say the least. The development of the main character was the best in the series by far. I love how the audience was able to see the toll Batman's crusade has had on Bruce Wayne, not just physically, but emotionally and psychologically as well. It is very clear that this man is not healthy, at all. He has defined himself by his pain and anger for so long, that he does not know how to live in peace. He needs corruption, despair, and loss to continue so he can continue fighting, because it is by fighting that he escapes his own corruption, despair, and loss. But this is not sustainable. No matter how hard he tries, he is never really more than just a man, and that man is broken.

Furthermore, this movie brought everything together is a remarkable way. After watching TDK millions of times (still my favorite Batman movie ever), I never got the sense that it was not connected to Batman Begins beyond many of the players being the same (not a flaw, just an observation). But with TDKR, events from both his origin, and his greatest moment as Batman are integral to the story. Batman, Bruce Wayne, Gordon, and Gotham must face the consequences of their choices.The movie dares you to ask the question, "Can a good system built on a lie really bring about good? If so, for how long?". Moreover, the tale is simply much more complex and intriguing. It's emotionally gripping in a way that TDK was not (which had it's on emotional moments, but with character we were not made to care about as much).The scene with Alfred and Bruce was one of the most intense moments in the entire film.

I thought Christopher Nolan pulled off a large scale disaster movie as best as one could possibly do. There were some moments where things could have been a little more fleshed out, but overall I thought they stuck with their vision and went for it. Gotham was ready to burst at the seams, all it took was for someone to pull the thread, and Bane was more than willing to do so. I never really felt like Gotham would be OK, and that's exactly how one should feel.

As far as villains go, Heath Ledger's Joker is certainly more iconic that Tom Hardy's Bane, but Bane is a force to be reckoned with. Obviously, the two villains illicit two different emotions when watching. I was literally afraid for Batman as he set out to face Bane both times. Bane is cold-blooded, calculated, and brutal. If you run into this guy, you're going to have a bad day. He is intimidating in a way that the Joker is not. This is a guy who can, and does absolutely pummel the Dark Knight. Batman can not scare him. Batman can not overpower him. Batman can not outsmart him. No matter what you throw at this guy, he just keeps coming forward with bad intentions and ruthless aggression. He is a monster. He also delivers a slew of phenomenal lines in a "Sean Connery meets Darth Vader" voice that seems out of place in such a way that it makes you uneasy, this best of which is probably his already iconic "When Gotham is ashes, you have my permission do die" (which isn't quite up there with "Why So Serious?" but just above "You want to know how I got these scars?")

That said, I thought his motivation for being in Gotham and his back story could have been better.

Also, Miranda Tate could have been a more complex character as well. Her purpose made very little sense in the grand scheme of things, and I think the movie would have been better if she was given more depth and the audience was endeared to her more. She kind of got lost in the shuffle of trying to introduce a lot of players to the game.


With the exception of Marion Cotliard, the performances were strong across the board, and Christian Bale put out his best performance as Bruce Wayne by far. I thought Anne Hathaway and John Blake were absolutely phenomenal and mirrored each other well as Children of Gotham. Both characters deal with a lot of pain and loss in different ways, and are both products of being raised in a place like Gotham.

While the ending was certainly very very good..It could have been better. It was cheapened a bit in my eyes.