Christopher Nolan concludes his Dark Knight Trilogy in spectacular fashion

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2012)

Grade: A+ (98%)
Superhero trilogies always end with a less than average film. "Spider-man 3" lost all sense of emotional impact and storyline that the first two films had and "X-Men 3" was just terrible in every sense. When we heard that Christopher Nolan will be making one final film to conclude the trilogy, I was a little nervous to see this film after every other final film in the superhero trilogies bombed out. But not only did Christopher Nolan conclude The Dark Knight Trilogy in spectacular fashion, it may be just as great as the critically acclaimed "The Dark Knight". "The Dark Knight Rises" is one of the greatest comic book films I have ever seen.
Eight years after the dreadful events that occurred in "The Dark Knight", everything seems to be doing well. Crime is low, a new series of laws under the name "The Dent Act" have been set against criminals, and Batman has retired. Yes, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has retired from being the caped crusader, uses a cane to get around his big mansion, and has isolated himself from the outside world only talking to his loyal servant Alfred (Michael Caine). Sure he has to deal with Selina Kyle (Ann Hathaway) and her "cat-like instincts" to steal his prized possessions but he has a lot of time to do that. But everything seems to fall apart when Bane (Tom Hardy), a huge, muscular, angry mercenary begins to terrorize Gotham with robberies and explosions, Bruce must put on his suit one last time to face him.
The story itself is very good and complex even if it does take a while to get going. Make no mistake about it, this is a long movie that is just 15 minutes shy of the three hour mark. The final half is full of action and excitement while the first half, while not boring, can drag on in some parts. Sure set pieces need to be stated and story arcs have to end (since this is the final film), but it should've been done quicker to get us to the more exciting moments.
When the film does pick up, it's absolutely jaw dropping. The fight sequences, while not bloody, can be somewhat brutal to watch, and the dialog just becomes more interesting. Christopher Nolan, who also directed the film, co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan who has been writing these screenplays since "Batman Begins". The writing is swift and clean, even if they throw in one too many jokes from one of the older cops early on in the movie.
The writing is also backed up by impressive performances all around. Christian Bale has toned it down with his low Batman voice (even if there is one or two scenes where I couldn't help but laugh at his yells) but he does a fantastic job as Bruce Wayne. Ann Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman is fantastic and fits the role (and her suit) extremely well. Even Joeseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective John Blake fits his role well.
But obviously everyone wants to know how Tom Hardy is as Bane. Now everyone is going to compare his performance with Heath Ledger's Joker from "The Dark Knight". I don't want to compare but if you needed an answer, Mr. Ledger's performance is far more superior with or without mentioning the Oscar for Supporting Actor. That being said, Tom Hardy gives a stellar performance as Bane. He may look silly at first with the mask on and his voice may not be as low as it should be, but once you get use to his character, he is fantastic.
In the end, many will be satisfied with what Mr. Nolan has made for us. The film is full of action, suspenseful and great storytelling even if the film is 15-20 minutes longer than it should. Still, if you loved the first two films or just looking for a more realistic comic book version to the caped crusader, you cannot go wrong with "The Dark Knight Rises". It's a spectacular finale to the greatest superhero trilogy in the history of the film industry.