Ladies and Gentlemen...We have an Oscar contender!

Rating: 9/10 (18 July 2012)

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a contender"
Those were my exact thoughts and tweet following the screening of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. A little over twelve hours have passed, allowing what was seen to officially settle in. The Dark Knight Rises, dare I say it, is better than it's predecessor. With all my qualms and things that I found wrong in The Dark Knight (2008), Nolan goes back, corrects, and elevates everything in the superhero genre, frame by frame. If there were ever doubts about Christopher Nolan and his ability as a filmmaker, he puts all things to rest and declares himself one of the most innovative and visionary directors working today. He analyzes and interprets Batman in a way, I've never known possible. Nolan wants to make more than a "Batman" film or just another "superhero" movie. He reinvented the genre and quite possibly creates the best superhero film of all-time.
Cinematographer Wally Pfister, always impeccable and dynamic with his camera work, goes well beyond the call of duty. Showing a master class on cinematography every step of the way. Film Editor Lee Smith finally nails the art of pacing and makes this near three-hour venture smooth and attainable for a second watch. The sound team is in charge and back in the game again, making explosions and car chases blow out the eardrums of its audiences. Pure adrenaline pumps through your veins. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know the basic plot elements of the story. I've avoided spoilers throughout this process and I will offer the same luxury to any person reading this. I'll say this, Nolan's story structure, and where he takes Batman in this tale, is pretty extraordinary and absolutely natural. The script is not perfect and while there are some flaws like rushed character developments and unclear plot details, its splitting hairs. The film is still remarkable but in a spoiler-filled look later this week, we'll get into qualms with the script.
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman is still adequate and acceptable in his respective role (and yes kids, the voice is still a problem, definitely better, but still distracting). Bale shows Bruce Wayne broken, rising, and risen in perfect succession. There's no denying that Bale, probably for the rest of this century, will be associated proudly and respectfully with this role and what he gave the character.
Michael Caine as Alfred, gives the most heartfelt and endearing performance of all of Nolan's trilogy. It's Caine's best work since The Cider House Rules (1999) and if anyone is looking for an actor to recognize, look no further. Grassroots campaign, do your work.
Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, is sexy, confident, and offers a great balance of humor. Hathaway's casting was called into question for months, but rest assure, she delivers. In terms of creating and penning a unique female character, which has been pointed out as Nolan's one flaw as a screenwriter, it's a valiant effort and much better than our terrible Rachel Dawes. Hathaway elevates the material otherwise.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake is talented as always, diving deep into a character's motivations and executing with absolute precision. Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate is the perfect balance to Hathaway's sexy Selina, enabling a turn not seen of her before. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox is still great decoration and a terrific addition to an outstanding cast.
Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon still remains the unsung hero of this franchise. Oldman's talents and electric execution of the words are of the highest quality of actors working today. Oldman shows restraint when needed and turbulence when necessary.
What everyone is waiting on is the performance of Tom Hardy as the diabolical Bane. A little bit of advice, please try your absolute hardest to divorce the Joker and Heath Ledger's performance from "Rises." What we all witnessed in 2008 was a performance of a lifetime that may not be matched for years to come. Hardy as Bane is simply sensational. It's one Hardy's best turns thus far and on the merits of the film alone, he's quite possibly best-in-show. When looking information on the character, all I kept hearing and reading was "carnage." Carnage doesn't begin to describe what Bane is. Nolan and Hardy transcend into a place, darker and more malicious than any film seen this year. It was the PERFECT villain for this finale.
Oscar-talk you ask? OK, here it goes. If there has ever been a chance for superhero film like The Dark Knight Rises to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and have the QUALITY be present, this is the time. When thinking of successful and brilliant trilogies like The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, who have all had their dances with Oscar before, Nolan's film needs this moment. We're almost guaranteed nominations in Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Film Editing with very likely mentions in Cinematography and perhaps Makeup. It DESERVES, and this is said without seeing many of the films slated to come out for the rest of 2012, to be among a Best Picture and Director lineups. A nomination for Nolan has to be considered when putting this film against any other film this year or superhero film of ANY year. It's the finest directing work of this genre so far. Point blank. Period. Can't think of anyone else better.
The Dark Knight Rises is not just the best film of the summer, it's possibly the best film of the year.