Thank you Chris Nolan...Thank you

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2012)

It's finally here..and boy is it here. The Dark Knight Rises flies in with a wave of momentum after The Dark Knight and blasts straight through it with great purpose and meaning. This isn't just a big-budget summer blockbuster that 'needs to be done'...this story has been spawned from the minds of men & women who genuinely care, respect and understand the batman franchise and its fans. Christopher Nolan's trilogy has been commended for its realism and genuine understanding of the graphic novels. He has sent us into a world of fear, chaos and now pain with the arrival of Bane. Tom Hardy has made this character so genuine and frightful, once again (in true Nolan fashion) he has gone to the source material and has understood that Bane is as much brain as he is brawn...and when it comes to brawn, it isn't mindless attacks and nonstrategic offence aka Poison Ivy's bitch. Bane has been trained in similar fashion to how Bruce Wayne was, thus making him the perfect adversary for The Caped Crusader. With all the attention on Heath Ledger's 'replacement', some of the shine may have been taken off of Christian Bale. In this case he shines through all the way, whether he is an overwrought & pessimistic Bruce or a resurgent & passionate Batman; Bale delivers a fantastic character. He has really adapted and evolved both sides of Bruce, but has stayed true to who he was in both Batman Begins & The Dark Knight. Micheal Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman return on TOP FORM and most importantly relevant form. Just like in the previous Nolan films all 3 characters were necessary in aiding, understanding and advancing Batman the person and Batman the story. As it has been said before, Alfred is his heart, Lucius the brain and Gordon the conscience...that rings true more than ever in TDKR. As well as Tom Hardy, the other newcomers each add a new dimension to the franchise without denting (no pun intended) it at all. Anne Hathaway is a well orchestrated Selina Kyle; sexy, deviant, smart & well organised character who primarily looks out for 'NO.1'...she is awesome, the best Catwoman I have seen (sorry Michelle, not so much Halle). Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Marion Cotillard portray 2 characters that may be foreign to some people...but whether you have heard of them or not, they will astound you with their respective contributions to this epic tale.
All in all TDKR is an outstanding story that is brilliantly acted and fantastically directed. Christopher Nolan has given us something that we can cherish for a lifetime. Whether you favour the origins of The Caped Crusader, the anarchy of The Joker or the all-out war and destruction of Bane it doesn't matterfor the 1st time in a long time there is no weak link. They can all be adored collectively and appreciated as the best comic- book films ever.