This Is How You End An Epic Series

Rating: 10/10 (7 March 2017)

In the prologue of Christopher Nolan's film "The Prestige", a Michael Caine voice-over explains that, in order to conduct a successful magic trick, "it isn't enough to make something disappear...you have to bring it back". In "Dark Knight Rises", another Nolan masterpiece, the genius director does exactly that.
For a basic plot summary, "Dark Knight Rises" sees Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), now a sort of shut-in hermit, retired from the role of Batman as Gotham City has rallied around the Harvey Dent myth in order to clean up its streets. When jewel thief Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) breaks into Wayne Manor and steals a family heirloom, however, Bruce is curious enough to pursue her. Along the way, Bruce stumbles into a new plot from the League of Shadows, now led by the seemingly unstoppable Bane (Tom Hardy), and realizes that Batman must return. However, the transition back to the Caped Crusader, as predicted by butler Alfred (Michael Caine) and "gadget guy" Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), is not as easy as it seems.
This is one of those movies where not a single scene or character emotion is wasted. It runs for two hours and 45 minutes, but it seems like nothing due to the fact that the narrative is practically seamless in the way that it holds the viewing interest. This is accomplished in a variety of different ways, including...
-A storyline that is the natural continuation (and ending) of the Nolan/Bale Batman trilogy. Each movie ("Begins", "Knight", & "Rises") are stand-alone achievements in their own right, yet they are also part of a coherent whole that is ended by this chapter.
-Characters so compelling that they almost seem real. In a stroke of genius, Nolan takes the new villain-Bane-and, in his own way, makes him just as interesting as Heath Ledger's Joker (quite an arduous task if you've seen "Dark Knight"). You known the character development is spot-on when you start actually feeling a bit frightened of a certain character, as I did on numerous occasions regarding Bane. He is that visceral of a presence. Hathaway's Kyle/Catwoman also provides a strong (if perhaps at times rushed) presence to the film, as she is the one who truly draws Bruce Wayne back into social society once again.
-The soundtrack and cinematography complement each other perfectly. You don't see much see or hear as FEEL the chant from Bane's underground prison, or the roar of the Batpod as it motors down Gotham's streets.
-The actual ending scene(s) themselves, which (while I won't give them away here) are perhaps the most perfect way I have ever seen a director end such a large and expansive franchise. Nolan's "Batman mythology" is complete, yet the story continues (if that makes any sense).
Simply put, "Dark Knight Rises" is one of the overall finest films ever produced, considering the scale of what it had to accomplish and the expectations it was living up to. Rarely has such a movie been made that has absolutely everything and can appeal to such a large audience (plus being based on a fictional superhero to boot!). See it if you even have an inkling that you should.