Dark Knight Rises Review

As I started to write this, I realized that I can’t make any review comments without acknowledging the tragic event in Aurora, CO. At the end of the midnight premier, a group of us received the news that a young man had fired upon a theater killing and injuring. It was sobering because of having just watched the movie and realizing that there had been no guarantees that it couldn’t have been us. My prayers have truly gone out to the victims and their families, and even to the shooter, that there is some dark reason for this and he is in need of help just as anyone else is. Hopefully our thoughts and prayers will not cease in the coming days for the victims and their families.

Ok, so that was not a usual way to start a review, I know. Now onto my thoughts in the movie…

Music

I’m going to start with some of the simpler qualities of the film. The music was surprisingly better than The Dark Knight! Why am I surprised? I thought the music in the second film fit so well it’s the idea of chaos building because of Joker. This third film is a lot more epic, and about the rising of heroes. The music personifies it all.

Effects

Nolan is known for trying to be as realistic as he can with some fantastic stories and surroundings. A lot of this notion was shown in the film, but there were some definite CG effects. I wish some good models could have been used, but the scene would not have been as impactful. With that, there are some scenes and life size props that blow my mind. The first scene is impressive, and the flying Bat is a great vehicle addition to the franchise.

Plot and Script

I’m a big comic book reader and fan. Though, I have not followed Batman as closely as Spider-Man and Green Lantern, there is still a lot of the character’s history that I know and am aware of. I’ve seen every Batman movie (yes, even Batman and Robin, and the Adam West one). And, I declare the Nolan trilogy to be the best that has existed so far.
This third film sort of picks up where the last one left off. I’m not spoiling anything by saying this takes place a few years after The Dark Knight. And this time setting makes for a good plot setup. The plot also tied all three films together in ways that I’ve never seen in a franchise. It made the trilogy feel very cohesive, yet each movie stands on its own.
There were some bits of cheese and dry parts of the story. Some of Bane’s dialogue was over dramatic for me. I also expect Batman to be this very stoic, get past the pain fast kind of guy, and Nolan puts a different perspective I the character. Also, as a comic fan, I didn’t like a couple of items in the “epilogue” part. But, I can’t really say what it was or I will spoil the film. I’ll just say that it felt like Nolan was selling out to appease audience members instead of making a dramatic story.

Reaction

Christopher Nolan did a splendid job at finishing a Batman series.  The last battle was epic, worthy of a Batman film and the franchise.  The acting is superb.  Even Tom Hardy did well given that you can only see his eyes and brow.  Anne Hathaway is the best Catwoman, and even seen the old 60′s show with Eartha Kitt!  I enjoyed seeing an adaptation of a few key Batman stories from the comics.
However, I did find a few flaws that make it not quite as good as the first two.  First, there didn’t seem to be great chemistry between Batman and Catwoman.  They share a few scenes, but it fell short at having a distinct spark between them.  Let’s face it, we all know they’re destined to be together, but the movie needs to show it.  Then there’s hints pointing to some things that happen at the end.  Though the filmmakers did a good job at adding twists and turns to the story, it’s still a little too predictable.  It makes the hints a little on the nose, despite their trying to hide it.  But, and this is a huge consideration to this critique, I am a big comic reader and there are some key figures from the comics in the movie.  So, it may have been spoiled to one such as myself.  To an average movie goer, it may be just the plot twists everyone is looking for.
My last critique is with Bane.  His dialogue is just too muffled.  Perhaps it was because it was midnight and I was a little tired, plus the theater’s sound was way too loud, but I did have a hard time understanding him.  It wasn’t hard during the last few trailers, but there was some bits of lines that I had to deduce what he was saying.  It was a little poor sound mixing.  And the characterization was not hefty enough against so many other great characters and actors.  Hardy had tough shoes to fill, though, seeing as how Liam Neeson was the first baddie, and then the Oscar winning performance by Heath Ledger came next.  It wasn’t terrible, it just felt “whatever” at the end.

But, those complaints are not enough to keep me from seeing it again!  And, in the grand scheme of movies, this was still a blockbuster, and a well developed movie.  I’ve just got to say it’s the weakest of the trilogy.  It’s good, but not the best.  Definitely go see it and form your own opinion, though.  Mine is not the final one.

And until next time, have a marvelous day!