Review: The Dark Knight Rises
Warner Bros
Director: Christopher Nolan
Who is in it: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine
What it is about: Eight years after taking the fall for Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne is a broken man. The Batman is no more, and there is peace in Gotham after the Harvey Dent Act gives the police more powers. However, Batman's past is about to catch up with him, in the form of Bane, a mysterious masked mercenary, in the final part of Christopher Nolan's acclaimed Batman trilogy.
Why we like it: This is it- Christopher Nolan brings together his trilogy for a magnificent close- telling a story that weaves the themes of order and chaos, of falling and rising, and the importance of icons it what ultimately is a close character study in what it means to be The Batman, and the kind of person it takes to don the cowl. 'The Dark Knight Rises' is at its core a very Bruce Wayne-centric story, and the most inspiring moment in the film shows us how unbreakable the spirit of Bruce Wayne is. Bane is properly menacing and is more than an equal physical match for Batman; Tom Hardy plays Bane with an aura of gravitas worthy of the 'Man Who Broke The Bat'. To talk any more would give away spoilers, but the end of this legend will Nolan his own legend to live up to.
Why we don't: The inclusion of so many new characters that disappear as quickly as they're seen can be a bit off putting, while at some points Bane's voice is mixed far too loud, and he loses some of his menace after a late game revelation. Anne Hathaway's Catwoman felt somewhat non-essential to the plot, and the PG13 rating of the film somewhat hinders a movie with so much destruction and death since all the bodies shown onscreen are in pristine condition despite being shot. Yes, we're nitpicking.
Verdict: He did it, ladies and gentlemen. Christopher Nolan pulled off what will go down as the definitive Batman trilogy, and closed in grand style, even if it was a little heavy handed. Superb cast, amazing soundtrack, a menacing villain, more twists and turns than a Rubiks cube, and plenty of references to previous Batman stories, this is the comic book movie we deserve, and will definitely be talked about for a long time from now.
Ratings: 5 / 5 stars
Click on the next page for movie stills from 'The Dark Knight Rises...
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