Eight years have passed since The Dark Knight, and the caped crusader is called upon one more time to defeat Gotham's latest enemy

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2012)

The hype that surrounds the latest - and final - act of the Dark Knight trilogy is, without hyperbole, huge. Nolan has created a Batman that many people will be sad to see end, as Warner Brothers is set to reboot the DC comic hero again. Is the excitement surrounding this film well deserved though? In short: yes.
This final instalment is definitely the darkest and most emotional of the three films - from the love stories to the intensely dramatic fight scenes, Nolan leaves no doubt that this is the last chapter, the last time we'll see his incarnation of Batman and, rightly, he has held nothing back in the delivery of The Dark Knight Rises.
The aspects of the previous films play strongly here, with flashes of The Dark Knight as Gotham celebrates Harvey Dent day, remembering the day he died and the message he delivered of a city free from the mob (and for Comissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), the lie he disguised to protect the idol Dent had become and condemnation of Batman as the villain): and the whole ideology of Batman Begins returns with a vengeance to build the story up and ending where it began.
Hardy (Star Trek: Nemesis, Bronson) is picture perfect for Bane - his build, his mask, his purpose are all tailor-made to create a sinister and evil presence. The only problem with him is the problem that has been speculated and argued over since we first saw footage of him - thanks to the mask it is very hard to understand him sometimes, and I was left feeling like all too often I'd missed important pieces of information that he was divulging, and then catching only the catch- phrases made famous in the trailers. Having said this, it could be argued that it feeds in to the characters nature and makes him appear more evil. But this can be left to debate. Aside from this, the role is delivered so well, not least when compared to the Venom fuelled hulk in Batman and Robin when the original concept of the genius behind the strength is lost completely in a mindless, muscle-bound monster.
Then we have Anne Hathaway (Alice in Wonderland, Bride Wars) as Catwoman who serves to be as much an anti-hero as Nolan's Batman has become. She is, of course, a thief who does her job well but has morals, which serve her development as a character from helping Bane to secure his plans for Gotham to her helping to bring them down. Hathaway's portrayal of the character fits perfectly with the tone of Nolan's franchise - someone strong and confident in herself as a bad-guy yet, when faced with the prospect of Bane's world, someone who can just as easily change to the 'other side'. As she says to Wayne: "I'm adaptable," and she means it.
The other new member for Dark Knight Rises is Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, Brick) as John Blake, the one member of Gothams police who, live Oldman's Gordon, believe Batman is a force for good. As we know from the trailers, we see Gordon in a hospital bed, which leaves the floor open to Levitt to assume his role as a doer, someone who exists to help Batman. We know that he can deliver with Nolan in command as Arthur in Inception, and he portrays Blake with a sense of urgency and determination that is an almost mirror reflection of Oldman's Commissioner.
The standard cast return with the same level of talent as you expect from them in their roles by now, taking on the lessons of the previous films and using them to build on the characters and, almost, deliver new people. Michael Cane's Alfred is a case in point for this, with his small but incredibly powerful part in the film which is a huge part in getting the emotions going for this final instalment.
Nolan has outdone himself with the Dark Knight franchise. With three films that are hard to choose between to say 'this one is better than the rest', and while Batman Begins is slightly behind the second and third in terms of darkness, drama and thriller, it still stands that he has not disappointed at any stage.
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