The definitive Superhero movie

Rating: 8/10 (9 August 2012)

Notwithstanding his Batman trilogy Christopher Nolan has made only four films in 13 years, yet such is the quality of his back catalogue – Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige and Inception – and the great job he did re-imagining 'Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight', that he has become one of the world's pre-eminent filmmakers and something of an auteur. This has led to unprecedented levels of interest in the third and final opus of his Batman trilogy. First the bad news; the film does not match the hyperbole surrounding it (some reviewers laughingly calling it an 'event') and is overrated. Although it is the weakest of the three films, it remains a good film (four stars rather than five) and brings the series to a satisfying end...just.
Seven years has passed since the death of Harvey Dent, Gotham City's District Attorney, with Batman accused of his murder and in apparent hiding. Cue a 'broken' Bruce Wayne who feels he has nothing left to offer and who has been a Howard Hughes style recluse for the past 7 years. The first part of the film deals with Batman's re-emergence, whilst the second charts his defeat at the hands of Bane and the third, his eponymous rise..and end.
The film has several positives: Wally Pfister's gleaming cinematography; Hans Zimmer soaring orchestral score; charismatic performances from all the leads; and a strong attempt by the scriptwriters (Jonathan and Christopher Nolan) to make the film serious, topical and thought provoking. Unfortunately, it is the script that doesn't quite rise to the challenge of making 'The Dark Knight Rises' the best of the three films. Numerous problems abound: Bruce Wayne has been a recluse for 7 years, yet comes out of hiding to don the rubber suit again because of an innocuous burglary in Wayne mansion; Selena Kyle has no back story whatsoever to explain her behaviour reducing her to a mysterious femme fatale for Bruce Wayne; Bane is clearly a man of violence and should commit extreme acts of violence as his coda, but the 12 certificate waters the 'violence' down to cutaways and the fight scenes are generally unconvincing in their ferocity; moreover, Tom Hardy's role is underwritten compared to Heath Ledger's barnstorming interpretation of 'The Joker' in the last film; the attack on Wall Street and Nolan's take on rampant financial rapaciousness should be an intelligent comment on the nature of modern capitalism (hinted at by Selena Kyle's diatribe against the rich), but instead is ruined by Bane being reduced to an evil cipher hell bent on destroying Gotham City; and last but not least; there is a contrived 'happy ending' which is telegraphed near the beginning of the film.
Despite these shortcomings, the film is a glorious rendition of a comic book icon that I cannot see being bettered. Indeed, its influence has already been imitated by another franchise with 'The Amazing Spiderman' appearing as a version of 'Spiderman Begins' with its emphasis on character and its dark tone. Nolan is the modern film maker par excellence and his genius with the Batman trilogy lies in the fact that he has set Gotham City and its hero in a real world setting (in this case NYC, Chicago and Minneapolis unashamedly doubling up for Gotham City) operating in real world physics and mechanics. Furthermore, the blend of different genres in the Batman films (look no further than the Bondian jet setting of 'The Dark Knight' and the stunts and gadgets of 'The Dark Knight Rises') makes all three films a grand, visceral thrill ride.
There is talk of Warner Bros rebooting the franchise, presumably to make more money. Any director of note should stay away because Christopher Nolan has made the definitive superhero movie. The world of the Dark Knight has been so carefully and so believably constructed that any return to the franchise must surely reduce it to pastiche to make it appear different to the Nolan films. Any reversion to the Joel Schumacher produced films of the 80s and 90s would be disastrous, both artistically and financially and I for one cannot see any other viable alternative interpretation of Batman as a successful artistic and commercial venture.
No, the fitting epitaph to the Dark Knight trilogy is that Nolan has made the definitive superhero movie. I hope he goes on to produce more original work like 'Inception' but failing this, I would love to see him direct the next Bond film, or produce and direct the 'Halo' or 'Mass Effect' series of games – franchises that have compelling characters and story lines – and could be as big as Star Wars with its built in gamer audience and popular sci-fi genre. Neill Blomkamp has already shown how sci-fi can be re-interpreted in a new, fresh and exciting way with the thrills of 'District 9'. Nolan should follow suit.