Nolan has done it again with an incredibly scary and clever conclusion

Rating: 9/10 (12 August 2012)

Admittedly I was never a fan of Batman. I found it too dark as opposed to the colourful and witty world of Marvel with it's heroes and villains. However, Chris Nolan has put commendable effort into vamping up the comic book legend. This was the first Batman film I saw in the cinema... And not just any cinema but the IMAX which was a spectacular experience! The unique selling point of the Imax I think is that it is simply the biggest screen you can watch a film on I think and I mean absolutely huge! It helps to take up the peripheral vision as well making it easier to get absorbed in the film, plus it's not a bad price. I highly recommend it!
What I really like about Batman is that I never realised he was trained as a proper ninja! However, Batman has really met his match in this film, not just with the introduction of Catwoman but with Bane! Bane scares the hell out of me and the score by Hans Zimmer emphasizes that beautifully. The chanting is catchy and foreboding and the violins reach search unnerving frequencies, it literally made my skin tingle! I cannot believe Tom Hardy is Bane! The amount of weight he has put on for that role compared to his other recent films is unbelievable. He is unrecognisable as Bane but his poshness can still be distinguished in his voice. I know Hardy didn't intend on upstaging the memorable final performance of Heath Ledger being the previous Batman villain and renown nemesis but Bane has got to be one of the greatest villains in cinematic history. Even rivaling Darth Vader and John Williams classic score and that's coming from a die-hard Star Wars fan, although my parents think he resembles Hannibal rather. What makes these Batman films more scary is they have a hint of plausibility to them but the villains have destructive and complex ideologies and the characters have advanced technology. It is a great pity it has influenced the Aurora shooting.
In the film, Bane goes from strength to strength cunningly holding an entire city hostage. He proves his worth in a gruelling fist fight with Batman. His past will intrigue and set up twists in the tale. He is utterly merciless. Expect brutal neck snapping, bone breaking, hanging corpses etc. It may derive from comic books but this is by no means a film for children. It should be a 15 if I'm honest. Also, children probably wouldn't be able to appreciate the politics behind it. Bane makes some wise remarks including one scene where he breaks into a stock exchange with his henchmen and a person working there says, "This is a stock exchange. There's no money to steal here." Bane simply responds, "Why are you here then?" It's true! People go there to cheat the system and make or steal money. It's said something like 10% of population own 90% of everyone's wealth in real life. Also, Bane starts what is like a Marxist revolution by unleashing the prisoners and the poor upon the rich to evict, rob and kill them.
All the characters have powerful roles in the film including Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman. It's nice to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt thrown into the mix as well. I notice Chris Nolan uses a similar cast to Inception. Even Michael Caine gets emotional but he is absent for most of the film. You'll no doubt be pleased to see Liam Neeson has a brief return in the film and makes a Taken reference which made me smile. He isn't the only character to return as well. Catwoman, skillfully played by Anne Hathaway, is very sexy and cunning but doesn't have much of a back story compared to the Tim Burton films. The narrative is so well directed, you don't know if any character, even Batman, is going to die! There is some love story elements in it as well which tug at the heart strings and strengthen the characters. Even Bane reveals a slight compassionate side but this in no way exonerates him. One thing I noticed though is that the main characters can't operate on their own, regardless of how powerful they are, they both require help.
Overall, great directing, acting, music, narrative, action etc. It may be 3 hours in the cinema (including adverts) but it is well paced. The ending is satisfying and the hero's rise is triumphant, enough to make me throw my fists in the air which is what film is all about. Chris Nolan has really stamped his mark forever and although I hear rumours of more Batman, I have no idea how this will be topped.