The Dark Knight Rises Review

                                                   

excellent entry from a producer/director/writer who has come to be expected of nothing less. The inevitable and unavoidable question that will be asked during the first day of its release, the weeks it spends atop the box office, the months until it is brought to DVD & Blu-ray, and the proceeding years is: is it better than 2008’s The Dark Knight? The answer is, as was written in “The Dark Knight Review,” there will never be a comic book movie better than The Dark Knight, maybe more of one’s personal favorite, but never better as in the quality of the film. However, TDK Rises is different. No ground is retreaded in the least bit, and that is what makes this one good.

Picking up 8 years after part 2, Rises features a Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), who has given up the cape and cowl, because Gotham seems to no longer need him. The city streets are clean, leading new character officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to joke with Commissioner Jim Gordon that they will soon be chasing down overdue library books. Meanwhile, Bruce becomes an old, partially crippled recluse, obliviously driving the family empire into the ground, seemingly saddened that his Batman nights are behind him, and forever haunted by the death of his childhood friend Rachel Dawes.

   

Whereas The Dark Knight was more quickly paced, Rises is more methodical in its storytelling, as it features a Gotham without a Batman to put a stop to major crime, as that sort of criminal activity has ceased to exist. It radiates a nostalgic feel toward Begins in a way how it was an origin story, and now with Rises the same mood is taken, with 8 years having gone by and the need to explain what has been going on during that time.

   

That no major crime exists, happens to be a false belief, as crime in the form of Bane’s mercenaries lies dormant, until their planned “rise.” Once they are discovered by Commissioner Gordon in the sewers of Gotham, Bruce Wayne, Batman, and Jim Gordon mutually agree that it is time for the Dark Knight to return.

   

The need for Batman seemingly brings Bruce Wayne back to life. He steps outside of his home to meet with Luscious Fox, who no doubt shows him new toys, and takes a more active role in his company again. However, there is Alfred, who attempts to keep him out of the life of the cape and cowl, and instead into a life where he actively works as Bruce Wayne. At the heart of his ventures at discouraging the Wayne heir, he wants to see Bruce move on in happiness, not ultimately killed by the criminals he faces.

The main villain Bane (Tom Hardy) may never have had a chance at becoming as iconic as Heath Ledger’s Joker, however, his performance lacks nothing. From his off putting accented voice, with the added hum from that strength enhancing mask, to his ominous build, he is not a man one would feel very comfortable standing in the same room as. Yet there is more to the strong villain than an intimidating shape. Hearing him talk, it will not take long to note that he is also intelligent, a kick back to the original version of the character. His own origins tell the story that he learned from the League of Shadows, and now has come to Gotham, rising from the literal depths–he is building his army of mercenaries in Gotham’s sewer system–to finish what Ra’s al Ghul started some decade ago.

Anyone who knows the story of Bane, knows that he was the character that broke Batman’s back. To say that this movie follows that tale in many ways, would not be a spoiler. As Batman has and always will be my favorite superhero, there was a sadness, seeing him throw everything he had at Bane, pulling out all the tricks, but still being dominated.

In character development, Rises surpasses Begins & TDK, by creating more characters that the viewer can invest in. There is the aforementioned officer John Blake, an optimistic upstart, who never bought into Batman’s coverup crimes of 8 years past. He believes in the vigilante hero, though it is not a popular stance.

   

And there is Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), who moonlights as a cat burglar, claiming to take from the rich only what she needs to survive. Having a history with the law, her goal is to rid her legal record of those negative incidents, giving herself a clean slate and hopefully a new life.

   

Though he is a mainstay for the series, even Commissioner Gordon must be mentioned here. In a time where every other citizen of Gotham is running victory laps around the city, Gordon, like Bruce Wayne, though for different reasons, has a heavy heart, knowing his only true friend, Batman, is considered the city’s greatest villain, for taking the blame of the crimes of the supposed hero Harvey Dent.

   

Amongst all the likable characters, there are a couple more in the form of Foley (Matthew Modine), Commissioner Gordon’s would-be replacement, while he is injured, and Daggett (Ben Mendelson), a businessman attempting to absorb Wayne Enterprises, who one may hope and wait for to die, just because they are kind of annoying to watch.

In terms of action, Rises also surpasses its predecessors. There is Bane, breaking bones with every swing of his limbs, Catwoman, though she is not once called by that name, agile and fast hitting, and of course Batman, attacking from shadows and mixing it up with the best of them in any brawl.

   

Though the knuckle-to-knuckle brawls are entertaining, the best bits of action come when Luscious Fox’s inventions take to the field. Bane has Tumblers, yes, plural, Catwoman man’s the Bat Pod, while Batman pilots new toy “The Bat,” and the excitement flares during every moment of footage. 

If there are any criticisms for Rises, it is that, at least from what I saw, there was no clear explanation as to why Bruce Wayne was in such a crippled condition that he would have need of his latest accessory, a walking cain, then later a knee brace. Yes, he is older, but most do not age that way. And maybe I was not so much a fan of one particular character knowing who Batman is. But neither mess up the story.

In directing The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan has brought a fitting end to undoubtably the best comic book movie series to date. And now the debate of whether The Dark Knight, Inception, or The Dark Knight Rises is Nolan's best work. And will he ever again create a movie that is less than movie of the year?

10/10

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