He has risen

Rating: 10/10 (8 August 2012)

How do you follow up something as incredible as The Dark Knight? Well, get Christopher Nolan to write and direct The Dark Knight Rises of course! I had high expectations after the masterpiece that was The Dark Knight, I wasn't expecting something as masterful, but I was expecting something pretty good. Actually Christopher has created something that is as good as The Dark Knight, if not better. People raved about The Dark Knight forever when it first came out, yet not so many people seem to be raving about this one, which is a shame because it still deserves as much hype. Even my mum who awarded The Dark Knight a dismal 2 stars, said that this one was 5 star brilliance.
I thought that The Dark Knight was set on a massive scope, but Rises is something of a spectacle. It completely ups the ante, once the chaos starts the film grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go for the entire running time. It's an incredibly long film but never did it feel too long. Its length is entirely justified and I didn't want it to finish. The Dark Knight Rises is a masterpiece, it's thoroughly gripping with fantastic characters. Christian Bale is brilliant as Batman but once again the villain steals the show. Although, no where near as legendary as The Joker, Bane is a truly menacing and utterly psychotic terrorist. Tom Hardy doesn't get any where near enough praise, due to Heath Ledger's phenomenal performance.
Having Bane in Rises is a stroke of genius by Christopher Nolan, as he is the opposite of The Joker. Bane is a brutal, hulking figure who is also calm and articulate as well as carrying an incredible presence. He fills every scene with such dread, and speaks with such power. The complaints about not hearing what he's saying are ridiculous. His voice projects much loader than everyone else's and with a menacing Sean Connery-styled accent. He unleashes chaos five times more brutal than The Joker ever did. Rises relishes in its incredible atmosphere of utter hopelessness. A brooding atmosphere projects throughout the final hour and a half, making it incredibly tense and intense.
The writing is as intelligent as ever, and much less confusing. The new characters are complex and brilliant. Joseph Gordon Levitt was brilliant, as was Anne Hathaway who could certainly pull off that tight leather catsuit. She was both sexy and powerful. Batman and Catwoman work marvellously together, especially in the intense action sequences. The directing is as awe-inspiring as you'd ever expect. I have the feeling that it would blow your socks off in blu-ray as much as it does on the big screen. Once again it's incredibly involving and thrilling. Its final moments are very intense and enthralling. The whole cinema was on the edge of its seat. Christopher Nolan directs action with such raw intensity unlike any other director I know.
The music intensifies everything too. It gave me chills that took a while to go away! Hans Zimmer is a master, cranking up the tension and making everything that much more thrilling. The use of silence was also powerful, notably when the boy was singing the American anthem in the football stadium. The Dark Knight Rises feels epic. Probably even more so than the previous entries in the franchise. Bane's motif is also one of the best scores throughout the whole trilogy! It's intense and completely matches his dominant presence.
In conclusion, The Dark Knight Rises left me feeling breathless and drained. It takes you on a journey, and even packed a couple of unexpected twists that left my jaw open. It's not your generic superhero movie, it's lavishly dark, with a highly emotional ending that left me with a few tears brewing in my eyes. It concludes the trilogy perfectly and must be the best trilogy since Toy Story. It is quite simply one of the best films I've ever seen, thanks to its surprising tenderness as well as brutality. It's a film that takes a while to get out of your head. It was thrilling and involving with gorgeously fleshed-out characters and amazing action. I loved it.