RISE

Review: The Dark Knight Rises

At one point in The Dark Knight, Harvey Dent says that “The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, that dawn in coming.” Dent’s promise seems to have come true in Gotham City, at least for a while. The eight years following the events of The Dark Knight have been largely peaceful times. But that all changes when Bane charges into town in this summer’s electrifying blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises.

You thought things had to get worse before they got better in the last movie? Joker was, again in the words of Two-Face, just a mad dog (a brilliantly acted mad dog I might add); terrifying because he was unpredictable. On the other hand, Bane has a plan; we know what he is going to do. This doesn’t mean his predictability is not scary though. Bane is a threat, because he seems so utterly impossible to stop. The fall this time, for just about every character, is deeper than ever before. Making it that much more triumphant when we witness the climactic rise.

And the ascending second half of the movie is by far the superior part of the film. The first hour or so is crammed full of reintroductions to old characters, introductions to new characters, and the beginning developments of plot points, all intercut with each other. The convoluted exposition muddles the direction of the film – we’re unclear exactly what the narrative is going to be – and the immense breadth of content to absorb can be overwhelming, robbing the first part of the film of the full momentum it could have had.

That being said, the middle slows down enough for us to catch our breath and engage in some truly great character and plot development. And this is director Christopher Nolan (Inception) we’re talking about, so of course each of the characters and plot points we were introduced to really pay off in the end.

Really, fans of the trilogy as a whole are rewarded by Nolan and fellow Batman story-creators Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer, as many aspects of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are revisited, developed, and concluded. The plot in The Dark Knight Rises, while containing a few clichés, surpasses its predecessors in both ambition and scope and delivers the biggest climax yet in the series. 

The biggest theme of the film is individual growth; moving on with your life. Alfred tells Bruce that he never wanted him to return to Gotham because he knew there would only ever be pain and suffering in the city where Bruce’s parents died. Alfred is right, of course. The city is a constant reminder of the loss of his parents and thusly a constant drive in Bruce’s quest for justice. As long as he’s in Gotham, Bruce cannot escape the Batman. The death of Rachel in The Dark Knight only further contributed to Bruce’s stagnation as a person. How can a man so trapped by the past and fixated on one stage of his life learn to grow and move on?

That’s Bruce’s journey, now more than ever. He’s not the man he used to be; his body is ravaged by years of leaping across rooftops. And now, after hanging up the cape and cowl for eight years, he wants to slip back into his old life. After all, it is all he’s ever known. So when Bane shows up, a haggard Batman rushes into battle with the foolishness of a younger man. The result teaches Bruce, and maybe audiences, that we must embrace who we are now, just as fully as we embrace who we used to be. We are our past. But we are also our present. It is only through a recognition of both than we can progress into the future.

I could go on about thematic elements, but you get the point: These guys just know how to tell complex and interesting stories, weaving together a variety of characters and timelines that all tie together in the end for a dramatic finale.

And what a finale we get to the Batman trilogy! The action is suspenseful and exciting, while the character arcs and storylines are concluded almost perfectly (I would have changed two things in the conclusion, but I’ll save spoilers til after the Final Word and with plenty of preceding warning).

In terms of character, Christian Bale (The Fighter) as Bruce Wayne/Batman shows off his Oscar-winning talent, giving Bruce the most depth to date. But it is Alfred, aka Michael Cain (The Cider House Rules), who delivers the most powerful and heartbreaking performances, while Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) do well in their recurring roles as well.

Newcomers Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Marion Cotillard each carry their roles effectively. Hardy (Warrior) really bulked up for his role as Bane and created a pretty intimidating character through his body movements and accent, although he could be difficult to understand under his mask at times (I caught about 90% of what he said). He is a clear threat to Gotham and Batman, although his motivations aren’t always clear. Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) is even more ambiguous with Selina Kyle/Catwoman’s intentions, creating an interesting character, who I wish could have had more time on screen to further develop her character and her relationship with Bruce and Batman.

If I can call out one last issue and give one last compliment... The issue: It seems like the filmmakers didn’t even try to cover up that they filmed in New York City. Definitely saw some clear locations and landmarks which are definitely not Gotham. Really minor point though and I’m sure it looked awesome in IMAX, a format in which Nolan filmed much of the film. The compliment: Legendary composer Hans Zimmer has outdone himself again with an amazing score that accentuates every moment of the film perfectly. The music is great.

Overall, The Dark Knight Rises is a superb film. I thought the beginning was a bit messy, but the movie delivers great performances, thrilling and memorable action scenes, and is a fitting conclusion to Nolan and Bale’s unforgettable Batman saga.

The Final Word: Go buy an IMAX ticket.

A few comments for those who have seen the movie…


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When Bane broke Batman's back; holy cow that was a cool scene! You could really feel the Batman's desperation in the fight.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character’s conclusion is fantastic. It let the trilogy conclude but still paves the way for Warner Bros to avoid an immediate reboot since he can now start a new-but-connected Batman series (with a Batman Beyond suit [no cape, red bat on the chest] please!), or be in a Justice League move, or a Nightwing (that’s a name Robin eventually takes on) spin-off. I didn’t think they needed to call him Robin though, seemed a little forced.

Clearly I’m a fan of films with a bit of ambiguity at the end, letting the audiences use their imaginations to fill in the blanks. So I would have not shown Bruce and Selina at the end, just Alfred looking up and nodding so we can make assumptions and guesses. Knowing with 100% certainty that he’s still around means that we’ll undoubtedly be somewhat disappointed when he’s not back next time (Nolan and Bale have both said this is the end for them. Although maybe we should reanalyze the interviews, maybe Bale said he wouldn’t be Batman again, but never mentioned he wouldn’t return as Wayne, perhaps training the new Batman?).

How the heck did Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character know Bruce was Batman? With their orphan connection, he could see it in his eyes? Their interaction just seemed a bit too easy. “Robin” should have had to push harder to discover the truth.

Anyways, awesome movie. I saw the marathon, so I was kind of exhausted by the time we started Rises. 9 hours is a long time to sit. So I need to see it again before I decided exactly how much I liked it. It’s definitely in my Top 3, just not sure if it is 1, 2, or 3 yet. (If I had to guess, my second viewing will confirm a #1 status.)