Average Batman Movie Helped by the Strength of the First Two Movies

Rating: 6/10 (23 July 2012)

Christopher Nolan's long awaited third Batman film is the box office sensation that it promised to be. The British director's deadly serious, hyper-realistic take on the Batman franchise marked a milestone in the recent superhero movie craze. However, The Dark Knight Rises falls victim to some of the typical problems that plague superhero films: busyness and underdevelopment. We are left with a film that does not realize its full potential.
The film begins eight years after The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne became a recluse after the death of Harvey Dent in the previous film (which was blamed on Batman) and his years of crime fighting have left him nearly crippled. Gotham City's Police Department rounded up hundreds of criminals under a law called the "Dent Act" which expanded the power of the authorities (although it is never explained what the Dent Act actually did.) Gotham is in a state of relative peaceuntil Bane comes to town. Tom Hardy plays the masked behemoth Bane, an ex-member of the League of Shadows, who has come to finish Ra's al gul's work by destroying Gotham City. Wayne, recognizing the danger that Bane poses to the city, decides to don the Batman mantle once again, but the caped crusader proves to be no match for the Ra's al gul on steroids. Bane cripples Batman in a scene reminiscent of an iconic moment from the Batman comics, and Batman must undergo a long period of recuperation before he can stop Bane from destroying Gotham with a nuclear bomb. An idealistic cop named John Blake and a cynical jewel thief named Selina Kyle have their own satisfying character arcs as they help Batman in his quest.
If that seems like a lot to handle in one film, that's because it is. Christopher Nolan borrows heavily from the legendary Batman comics Knightfall, The Dark Knight Returns, and No Man's Land, but he does not seem to be able to consolidate the potential of all three comics. The film has a promising start because Batman's dilemma is compelling- the man's soul is literally empty without the Bat suit, but he simply isn't the man he used to be. Alfred attempts to talk him out of returning to crime fighting in some of the film's best scenes. Batman returning to fight crime in his fragile condition really adds a whole new level of suspense and drama. But The Dark Knight Rises falters when it focuses on the villains, especially Bane. The character simply isn't that interesting, his voice as well as his motivations are ludicrous, and his acting is severely limited because his face is covered by a mask. Anne Hathaway makes an excellent Catwoman, but Batman illogically trusts her too much. A plot twist concerning the background of another character comes too late to really make a significant impact on the movie. To top it off, the film loses sight of Batman after he is incapacitated, and as a result, the most interesting character's story is just not as satisfying as it should be. John Blake (played by Joseph Gordon Levitt) keeps the film afloat, but in the end, there is simply too much going on.
Still, the film's action scenes are nothing short of riveting, and the film's climax is enthralling. You can't help but be satisfied by it, even though there are some pretty large plot holes. The Dark Knight Rises features some of the best Batman character moments of the series, and for that, the film is something of an interesting failure. I believe it is helped immensely by the strength of the first two films, but lame villains and a disjointed plot structure ultimately keep it from greatness.