Relatively a Knightmare

Rating: 7/10 (20 July 2012)

The Occupy Wall Street movement gets to live out a wild fantasy in the closing chapter of Christopher Nolan's Batman saga, The Dark Knight Rises. If you're confused by the naming scheme, you're not alone.
It's been 8 years since Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) last played dress up in public. Crime is at a minimum across Gotham City, but underground trouble is brewing as new villain Bane (Tom Hardy) plots to seize control of the city. I'm not saying he wants to be come the top dog of the criminal underworld—he wants total control of the city.
Bane is trouble. His strength is fantastic by the standards established in the two previous films of this trilogy. So not only is he a handful, he's problematic in helping this movie get away from Nolan's realism approach. Bane has a breathing apparatus for what purpose I'm not entirely sure of, and his voice is an issue in of itself. Fans treated to the IMAX prologue lodged complaints over his inaudible language. What I heard in the final cut was mostly clear, but noticeably foreign like the words were more narration than diagetic. The ADR by Hardy is too laughable for a villain who must do the occasional public speaking—weren't limelight speeches more a trait of lighter Batman of the '90s?
Not so sure about Batman's plan to trust Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), Catwoman in the comics but here is in passing referred to as a cat burglar. The LGBT community may enjoy how Selina is shown as presumably bisexual, they may also balk at the hint. There are times where Hathaway's lines are a little too cute for this almost entirely depressing film.
This is a movie where the bad guy's scheme is so insane that it only works because evidently most people in Gotham City are criminals at heart. If that's true, then Batman certainly isn't the hero the city deserves. The two previous films in this particular series had some imaginative schemes, but they weren't so public as to literally take over a city. Strangely enough last year's megahit video game Batman: Arkham City features a city controlled by criminals in a manner which, I dare say, is more believable.
For many The Dark Knight (2008) is the gold standard, and this film is expected to follow that act. The bar may have been set too high in large part thanks to the late Heath Ledger as the iconic Joker who spewed nothing but memorable material. Tom Hardy's Bane never stood a chance.
At nearly three hours in runtime, The Dark Knight Rises spends almost every minute lowering the heroes. Just when you think it can't get worse for Batman, here comes another scene to drive home the notion. Serious fans will appreciate the integration of key figures, even jokes about the more far-fetched villains Killer Croc and Mr. Freeze. However these same fans will groan over the excessive meandering. It was only in the final battle that I could recognize the spirit of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Then a signature Nolan conclusion sweeps in for further damage control, nearly convincing the viewer this wasn't a knightmare.