Prepare for the Dark Knight to rise

Rating: 10/10 (17 July 2012)

The Dark Knight rises is easily the most anticipated film of the year and has a lot to live up to with the previous two entries just seeming to get better and better. With the same creative team intact, can Nolan and Bale pull off the ultimate finale to their trilogy and deliver the film we've all been waiting for or will it fall to the dreaded bad third film syndrome that seems to plague most series?
The Dark Knight Rises continues the journey of Batman eight years after he took the fall for the death and crimes of Harvey Dent. Forced back into action to take on the terrorist Bane, the Dark Knight returns to protect the city that looks at him as an enemy. The Dark Knight was a brilliant film on numerous levels so going in this film already had a big hurdle to overcome. While it may not have completely overshadowed the previous entry, it easily finds its place on equal ground. This final entry to the Nolan series continues to bring these three films together becoming essentially one long film. Rises brings new realm of personal journey to numerous characters old and new. Christian Bale steps back into the role like he never left bringing a new pain that seems to elevate both Wayne and Batman to another level. Most fans will be happy to know that while the growl like voice is still here, it is toned down a bit so not to be quite as off putting. Michael Caine is given a bit more to do taking the character study between Alfred and Wayne that has been building and he delivers more of his motivational and emotional speeches like only he can. Gary Oldman gets a bit more to do as well getting to channel the Gordon we have been waiting for since the beginning. Tom Hardy steps into the role of Bane, a character that is met with mixed emotions. Known in the comics as the villain that broke the bat, has had many incarnations, most of them not all that good and not widely known to those that aren't comic fans. Believe it or not, Nolan has taken a fairly single dimension character and brought to life a destructive force that smashes through this film with no remorse. The big surprise was Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle aka Catwoman. She seemed to be channeling some of the previous versions, most notably that of the 60's series minus the camp. She really makes this character work bringing the sexiness as well as a more empowered woman aspect to the character. She is easily the best incarnation of this character so far.
The story is well crafted bringing all the characters together along with the story to create an epic piece of filmmaking. There are numerous levels to the story that worked well for every character giving each of them their own small story without ever making the film feel overcrowded or forced. It takes a bit to get going, but not in a bad way. There are some pretty heavy moments that push this film along, but will keep you away from the action for longer than you may want. Much like the source material this trilogy is a character study of the inner struggles of a man and not so much about the action. Make no mistake there are plenty of action sequences, each bigger than the next. Nolan has slowed the action down a bit, namely during the fight scenes letting the viewer finally get a better glimpse of the Dark Knight in action. Kudos to Nolan as gone are most of the fancy well-choreographed fights and in their place is a brutality that is needed to make the Bane story work.
This is not only a great film, but a brilliant cap to an already brilliant series. It's a truly amazing experience to see this film come to life and wrap up a series that has continued to get better and better. There are plenty of moments that will make both comic and non-comic fans alike smile and cheer. Nolan has stamped his mark on the Batman universe and has done something almost never thought possible. He has delivered a brilliant Batman trilogy and managed to keep the entire brilliant cast in tact all the way down to members of the Wayne Corp board members. This is a film that will make you cheer and sad that it is coming to an end. As this series comes to an end and the credits role you will find yourself sighing in relief and happiness knowing Nolan pulled it off and wondering what's next for the Batman.