The Dark Knight Rises is as great as its predecessor

Rating: 10/10 (27 July 2012)

¨ We were in this together, and then you were gone. Now this evil... rises. The Batman has to come back. ¨
The Dark Knight films have made other superhero movies look like a joke. These films have transcended its genre and created a different type of superhero. The film works more as a perfectly crafted thriller than an actual superhero film. For me The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises are way above the rest of superhero movies, but it's a little unfair to compare them because this seems like a completely different genre, and a much darker one. When I first saw The Dark Knight I was completely in love with it, and it ranked among my favorite all time movies. I had high expectations for The Dark Knight Rises, but I thought there was no way this film could equal the greatness of its predecessor, especially because what I loved the most about the first one was Heath Ledger's memorable performance as the Joker. Without the Joker I thought it would be impossible for this film to match it, but I was overwhelmed once again by the direction of Christopher Nolan and the great script that he and his brother Jonathan created. The movie is spectacular, highly entertaining, and it's as good as its predecessor. When the movie ended, I couldn't help but feel a sense of tremendous satisfaction and joy. It was a perfect ending to what is in my opinion the best film trilogy. Batman Begins was a great movie in itself, but compared to The Dark Knight sequels it falls way behind. This shows how much Christopher Nolan has matured as a director. I think he is without a doubt the best modern day director of big budget blockbusters. It will be hard for any other superhero movie to match the success of this franchise.
Batman (Christian Bale) hasn't appeared in Gotham City for eight years after he accepted to take the fall for the Harvey Dent incident in the previous film. He is a fugitive from the law and isn't needed anymore because the city has lived in peace after being inspired by the heroism of Harvey Dent. Under the new Harvey Dent law all the important criminals in Gotham have been arrested. Bruce Wayne has also disappeared from the public eye and is still mourning Rachel's death. He has given up on life and lives secluded in his mansion without having contact with anyone except his faithful servant, Alfred (Michael Caine). But the peaceful days in Gotham seem to be reaching its end when a new threat arises. A masked man named Bane (Tom Hardy) has been building an army to destroy the city. He's a former disciple of Ra Al Ghul and a great threat to the city. Meanwhile Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) continues to be on his guard and feels that the truth about Harvey Dent needs to be told. A young police officer named Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) follows a lead about a missing Congressman, who has been kidnapped by Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), an evasive jewelry thief who has dozens of criminal records and is known as the Cat. He follows the lead along with Gordon and together they discover about Bane's underground army. It is time for the Batman to come out of retirement and defend the city once again. Morgan Freeman reprises his role as Mr. Fox and Marion Cotillard is introduced as Miranda Tate, a philanthropist and possible love interest for Bruce Wayne.
The three hours the film almost lasts go by so fast that you think only a few minutes have passed by the time the credits begin to role. It is just that good. I've asked for my time back in many movies that I felt dragged for such a long time, but for this film I have to admit I wish every hour in my life was as sensational as the three hours I experienced with The Dark Knight Rises. This thriller works more like a Shakespearean tragedy than a traditional superhero movie. It makes the ridiculous premise feel as real and authentic as possible and takes a lot of elements from classical stories such as Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. I'm not a fan boy, I don't know anything about the Batman comics, but I was completely hooked and enamored with this franchise. The introduction of several new characters gave the film some freshness and I didn't think they slowed down the story; on the other hand they made it much more interesting. Bane might not be as memorable a villain as the Joker was, but he is a different kind of threat for an aging Batman. Bane is Batman's match in terms of physical power. He might not be as great of a schemer as the Joker, but Bane is powerful and presents an even greater threat to Batman. The other actors who had worked with Nolan in Inception all had important roles here; Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were great on screen. Gordon-Levitt is such an underrated actor, but he has proved time after time that he's a real movie star. There are some truly great performances and in my opinion this is the best film of 2012. I doubt any movie will equal its greatness and Dark Knight fans shouldn't worry about this movie failing to fulfill expectations because it lives up to its predecessor. There are so many symbolisms in this movie that we could spend hours talking about them.
http://estebueno10.blogspot.com