Spectacular, a stunning conclusion to a great trilogy

Rating: 9/10 (6 July 2015)

*WARNING CONTAINS HEAVY SPOILERS* This is it, the sequel to the stunningly successful Dark Knight, and the final installment to Christopher Nolan's trilogy. I understand that, while this movie did get a lot of fans, there were a lot of people who didn't like this movie, but I personally loved this. It's almost as good as The Dark Knight. Obviously Heath Ledger isn't in it, but Bane, while no Joker, is a great villain. While Joker was the antithesis to Batman, Bane is like is dark double. Also a former member of the league of shadows, Bane is a very menacing villain, who trashes Batman the first time they fight. And that was a very bold move. Rarely is the hero ever defeated so definitively by the villain, but this really helped the story. But I'll get back to the characters in a bit, right now I want to talk about the story. One thing I really liked was that Bruce, who is no longer the Batman at the start, didn't just put the cape and cowl back on and become the Batman again. No, he had to go on an emotional journey first, culminating when he finally climbed out of the pit, proving he could do what Bane did, meaning that Bane was no longer in any way his superior. That segment with him in the pit was incredible. That was probably my favorite part of the movie. I mean, yeah, the takeover of Gotham was good, as well as Catwoman's betrayal and redemption, but that stuff in the the pit, that was just so great. I also liked how Christopher Nolan managed to tie into the previous two installments, but still keep TDKR's identity. So I already said how much I liked Bane, now let's talk about Christian Bale's Batman. He's great. He is my favorite Batman by far (with respect to Kevin Conroy and Michael Keaton). I thought Bale got to give an even better performance this time, as there was a bit more to his character. Bruce Wayne/Batman is a very multi-faceted character, and they really explored his character a lot in this movie, and I was very pleased with that. Marion Cottilard plays Miranda Tate, and I think she gives an alright performance. Her performance isn't bad, but when compared to people like Bale and Hardy, she just doesn't really stand out. Though, the twist that she was actually Talia al Ghul was a great one; very shocking. Now... I have a confession to make. Anne Hathaway... you are my favorite version of Catwoman. I know, Michelle Pfeiffer did a great job, but Anne Hathaway really got to explore her character more, Catwoman is a character that can't just be called a villain, or a hero, or even anti-hero. Because she's all three. Michelle Pfeiffer didn't really get to do a whole lot of that, but Anne Hathaway did, and she did a great job. I really liked her character, and, even though she wasn't in there all that much, I still really enjoyed her character. Now on one final note I would like to comment on the first fight with Batman and Bane. As I said, that fight, from a story and character standpoint was very bold, but action wise it was also great. There are some really good moves getting tossed around, as well as some great dialogue. "Peace has made you weak; victory has defeated you." Great. Line. Also, if you compare this to the fights between Batman and Joker in the previous one, they are very different. The fights with Joker were fast and kept in close quarters. In both fights with Bane, the two move around a whole lot, and it's a lot more slow. Not like, boring slow, but it's more of the building tension type feel. Obviously there are some other great action scenes, but the ones with Bane and Batman fighting each other are the ones that stand out. Though Batman and Catwoman clearing out the corridors of Bane's goons together was another great scene. The actors deserve a lot of credit for this movie, but I think Nolan deserves a lot of praise too. He is a very good director, and a genius. Thank you Christopher Nolan, for concluding such a great trilogy, with such style. This is a bold statement, but The Dark Knight Trilogy may very well be my favorite trilogy of all time.