The Dark Rises...against OWS

Rating: 10/10 (22 July 2012)

"Dark Knight Rises" is a relentless, conceptually terrifying, soul-crushing but ultimately vindicating and hopeful social commentary.
In operatic terms, "Avengers" would be Mozart's "Magic Flute" while "DKR" is Wagner's "Das Rheingold" turned up to 11.
One doesn't exactly sit watching idly. Seems more like Christopher Nolan beats the spit out of you with "DKR." Even those familiar with the various comic book source materials will find themselves surprised, pleasantly.
There's also an edgy "anything can happen" vibe rare in genre films. The sequence of events provides an incredible smokescreen of misdirection that keeps one guessing but also FEARING what might occur.
"Can Nolan go there?" you might ask as the plot unfolds and you're assuming what's next. He does. Amazingly, he finds ways.
Just as amazing is Nolan's track record with this incredible cinematic hat trick trilogy. "Batman Begins" was a compelling, clever film that didn't disappoint and even improved upon the legendary source material. "Dark Knight" upped the ante and even commented upon the war on terror. Now, with "DKR," Nolan not only swings for the fences but doesn't whiff, as is traditional with every other threequel. Far from it.
The "DKR" villains aren't the brilliantly flip Heath Ledger, they're something else entirely -- totally menacing, self-righteously delusional and murderously uncompromising. Ledger's Joker embodied chaos, while Bane and the League Of Shadows represented the dead-end false promises of far-left demagogues preaching class warfare, and, of course, "fairness." Sound familiar?
Experiencing "DKR" is nothing if not overwhelming, in a thought-provoking and resonating manner. The shiny veneer of certain political promises and assertions might peel away even further while Hans Zimmer's music buzzes in your head during the days following.
I'd label Nolan a genius...but, he really can't take credit for this motion picture. "He didn't do it himself." Other disenfranchised people are entitled to the praise. Right, Bane?