Reel and Unscripted Movie ReviewThe Dark Knight Rises (2012)
His Review:
Batman is no more. He has been gone ever since the night he “killed” Harvey Dent and was proclaimed an outlaw. In the 8 years Harvey has been praised as the hero, Bruce Wayne has become a recluse and rarely seen. However, when a young cat burglar (Anne Hathaway) manages to break in and sell his mother’s pearls, he is intrigued and inspired. With rumors that a new super-villain named Bane (Tom Hardy) is in Gotham City, Bruce decides that Batman should come out of retirement, but this time it won’t be as easy as handling the Joker. Bane is stronger than anyone Batman has ever faced and the police force is weakened. Batman has few allies, which include Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and rookie cop John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), but with a little help from the Cat woman, Batman may stand a chance.
The Dark Knight Rises is the conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s (Insomnia, Memento, Inception) Batman Trilogy and he goes out in style. The first noticeable thing about this movie compared to the last is the absence of the crazy, funny, colorful and well-acted Joker. Heath Ledger did such an amazing job that his absence is noted, however, even with the Joker gone, the character of Bane is a complete 180. He is a ruthless killing machine with his face covered and speaks as though it is through a microphone. He is not funny, charming, colorful or a character that, in the smallest of senses, can be liked – unlike the Joker who everyone wished had more screen time. Even with the addition of the Cat woman (never actually called Catwoman, and her ”cat ears” are goggles flipped up), can’t add the extra charm that we still desire. These 2 newest additions to The Dark Knight Rises make the movie even darker and sinister than Batman Begins and The Dark Knight combined, which is really saying something on how depressing this movie can get! Gotham might have been just a playground to the Joker, but Bane turns it into a deserted war zone. We also see less of our hero (that is until the end) and more of Bruce Wayne himself which mean more Christian Bale, and if you know me, doesn’t excited me at all!
Having said all that in comparison to The Dark Knight, there is plenty to love and be thrilled about. First off, this is a Batman movie, so of course you have action, fighting and intricate characters. You might not see as many gadgets as your use to, but the feel of Batman remains. Newcomer John Blake is a noteworthy character who aids Batman and Commissioner Gordon. He has a similar past to Bruce Wayne and is the only person (surprisingly) in Gotham who can make the connection without being told. I also enjoyed how the Cat woman is portrayed as not being Michelle Pfeiffer’s ”Catwoman” – seeing that she never has claws or a whip - but as a lost soul who finds it hard to pick a side. I am disappointed with the choice of having Bane as the main bad guy. Not because he can’t fit the bill, but because he isn’t The Penguin or The Riddler, and those 2 have personalities which is something Bane truly lacked. When you follow a performance like Heath Ledger’s and have to act with a device over your mouth, it’s hard to know that Tom Hardy is Bane. The Dark Knight Rises is a powerful and strong movie that will have you feeling lost and hopeless throught out most of it, but just as Harvey Dent said himself in The Dark Knight… “The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.” Co-starring Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, and Matthew Modine.
9/10 Stars – Darker and more sinister than it’s predecessors, The Dark Knight Rises is a quality conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece.
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