Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Rating: 9/10 (25 August 2012)

The Dark Knight Rises is an exciting and highly entertaining movie that packs a punch right at the onset. It's also at this time that the soundtrack of the film quickly asserts and assumes itself as the guiding force for the remainder of the movie as a melodic narration, of sorts, with Bane's unique theme assaulting eardrums with spectacular thunder. The eerie tune and chant credibly reflect the on screen ferocity within Bane giving a voice to the burning fire. The volume of the sound is a bit louder than a few films I'd seen in recent memory but not painfully loud. In fact the intensity of the audio further enhances the immersion allowing you to forget your surroundings and help you indulge in the film itself.
Nearly Three hours in length you'll find that there's a lot to see within the film but the length is justified by a number of important factors. We're introduced to a mysterious yet seductive Selina Kyle and Hathaway delivers incredibly well with her performance.She also pays tribute by honoring the source and history of the character. She's sultry and seductive with a moral compass all her own that places her in the 'grey' with regard to her allegiances . I found Hathaway perfect for what she was tasked to do in her role. Hathaway is joined by Christopher Nolan alum Marion Cotilard who provides a remarkable performance as business woman Miranda Tate. There's a different flavor of sultry that Cotilard is able to emote that's different from Hathaway. I don't know where she finds the emotion to tap to provide this sort of performance but kudos are due for her ability as you feel her passion for her goals.
Another newcomer to the franchise is police officer John Blake who's portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. His character is also a bit mysterious, at first, and Levitt plays to mysterious characters with unnerving ease. He plays a police officer who is new to the streets of Gotham's but masks his personality and intelligence beneath the layers and isn't easily measured. He's the hopelessly altruistic character in the film that wears his ideals on his sleeve but impresses many with the fact that there's more to what meets the eye for the character. He's candid but is able to surprise and that's equally a credit to the writing as much as it is to Levitt for reflecting this properly. He plays a key role throughout the film and is on screen often enough to allow for recognition as an outstanding supporting character. In a lot of ways he adopts the position previously used by Jim Gordon in prior films as Batman's eyes and ears on the street and is one of the useful catalysts for progression within the film. He is given a fun role and provides an equally fun performance to pivot on when needed. He very much is quite the detective.
I think it's best to reflect on Bane while also reflecting on the actual story of the film. Tom Hardy presents what is possibly his most visceral character ever portrayed on film. Both his character, Bane, and the story of the actual film are a realized as a bit complicated in reflection of The Dark Knight Rises.It's also arguable that both Bane and the story are a lot simpler than the story lines within some of director Christopher Nolan's recent films. He's not a mystery to unravel. He's not a secret to expose. Bane is a force best described as "a storm" that threatens Gotham City in ways unlike any villain we'd previously seen. He's come to destroy Gotham and dominates any obstacle that dare's into his path. His transparency isn't a detriment to the film in any way, and also clears the air for Nolan to showcase his mastery with camera work, editing, and provides us with his most ambitious take with the Dark Knight that we've ever seen from this franchise. The Dark Knight Rises is larger in scale, action, intensity, ferocity than prior films and can leave one anxious at the end of some key scenes.
Bane hits all the key marks with what we want to see from the character based on his characterization from the comics. He's smart, cunning, and a credible threat to Batman which is everything you should expect from the character and more. He's incredible, daunting, and most of all intimidating and scary. He's the physical embodiment of 'threat' and 'pain' stitched together and given form. He's the boogeyman's come to life and he will break things. The story of the film mirrors this in it's approach and goal of presenting a credible threat as well as closing the trilogy for Christopher Nolan.
The Dark Knight Rises offers a lot to absorb with a film of such grand scale that's attempting to conclude an overarching story developed over the last two films, and it's reasonable if you find that it's actually a bit too much with some parts. Newcomers who haven't seen the 2 films prior may struggle with understanding the anticipation and hype surrounding the film but will likely have a good time while watching this movie. The film is actually quite intense and packs a lot of action into the package considering the amount story that's also prevalent. It's well paced and quite exhilarating contributing to the accessibility of the film and when it's all said and done the movie will probably beg for your discussion, which at the end of the day is a testament to the film.
I give the Dark Knight Rises a 9 out of 10