Review: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises
A Bat and his Bane

Released: July 20 2012

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman

Plot: Eight years after Batman took the blame for Two-Face's crimes, Gotham thrives and Bruce Wayne drifts into seclusion. That is, until a masked madman by the name of 'Bane' arrives to wreak havoc, forcing Batman and his allies to once again defend their city from destruction. 

WITH 2008’s The Dark Knight smashing box office records at $158 million on its opening weekend and the celebration of Heath Ledger’s tragically premature final role as Batman’s most famous arch nemesis The Joker, it was clear to Nolan that he had a lot to live up to in the concluding installment of his Batman trilogy. Upon The Dark Knight Rises’ release, however, it is a wonder audiences and critics ever worried at all. Save for the shroud of darkness placed over the film by the horrendous Colorado shootings, the media response to it has been all around positive, and after viewing, it is incredibly easy to see why. Already surpassing the opening weekend takings of TDK by two million, Rises merits additional credit due to its benchmarking accomplishments in directing, acting, screenwriting and use of soundtrack (listen out for the use of Batman and Bane’s individual themes by Hans Zimmer), not to mention photography, costume and stunt coordination. Ultimately Nolan continues his hyper-realistic approach to a classic superhero franchise superbly, bettering this year’s Spider-Man reboot and setting a high standard for the upcoming Man of Steel, which Nolan himself is overseeing.

Tom Hardy as Bane

            Nolan has made it abundantly clear that this shall be his last visit to Gotham, and Bale to Wayne, so knowing that poses questions as to whether the trilogy is wrapped up appropriately. The film makes a terrific job of pulling out elements of Batman Begins, whilst following the events of TDK even with an eight- year narrative gap. As a result, we see a decrepit Bruce Wayne worn down by years lacking training, social interaction (note one maid’s line about his rumored appearance) but all the while cast into loneliness and haunted by irreversible heartbreak due to the death of his childhood love. Of course, Gotham will always need a hero whilst it falls victim to delusional madmen, and thus, the Batman must return after the legacy of Harvey Dent corrodes (Batman’s return scene just one of many peaks in action). Particularly emotional are Alfred’s pleas for Bruce to give up the mask and become a legitimate hero, replacing Dent – Alfred/Caine in fact delivering two emotionally charged pieces of dialogue.

In its prime moments, Rises presents Gotham in anarchy post-Joker, the presence of which is neatly filled by the ferocious Bane, who purports to be ‘returning Gotham to the people’ whilst strategically destroying it piece by piece. Hardy does a flawless job at portraying Bane, particularly considering he has two thirds of his face concealed by a Hannibal Lecter- style mask. Bane also provides some of the script’s most memorable lines, a highlight involving a mid-fight remark of he and the caped crusader’s use of the dark, though at other times it can be difficult to understand exactly what Bane is saying. That said, though, Bane is a character surpassing the Joker in physical and visionary attributes, though the ironic likeability of the latter isn’t quite matched. For the first time, the audience witnesses Batman’s physical superiority outdone: Bane merely biding his time before landing crippling assaults, trumping all of the dark knight’s cards.

Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman

            Two more great additions from Nolan are that of Hathaway and Gordon-Levitt, who provide unlikely allies to a truly lonely protagonist. Hathaway’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman role, ringing true to her DC comic origins (as ever in the Nolan brothers’ and David S. Goyer’s writing) flip- flops in her loyalty towards Batman, all the while remaining likeable, but also assisting in injecting comic relief into the narrative – a vital element in a relatively dark chapter of Nolan’s trilogy and a balance which is struck with perfection. As ever, Rises is executed with the depth founded by the script and maintained during every stage of filmmaking. The film also benefits from genuinely emotional character dialogue, but unfortunately dissipates into the action packed backgrounds of the second and third acts. Nolan’s nonchalant disposal of some characters can also be irritating, even if they give way to clever dialogue or visual effect. The pace unexpectedly drops due to minor holes in plausibility during the final act, but the film’s conclusion delivers a justified wrapping up of the film’s, as well as the trilogy’s, events – and not once does Nolan lose control of such a large scale, epic piece of work so much so that by its end, general audiences and fans alike will likely leave feeling as though expectations have been thoroughly fulfilled. Contrary to popular opinion, Nolan doesn’t fall victim to setting the bar as high as The Dark Knight did, perhaps not surpassing it, but meeting it spectacularly.

Verdict: A true feat of filmmaking – impeccable narrative structure, scriptwriting and groundbreaking handling of source material, helped by a truly brilliant cast and topped off with sprinklings of genius throughout. Anything looking to come as close to film of the year as this has will prove a colossal challenge. ★★★★★