The Dark Knight Jumps and Makes It...Just!

Rating: 8/10 (23 August 2012)

I will judge this film purely on its own merits and not make any comic comparisons, because, for one, I haven't read the comics! Although I have seen some of the cartoons which I believe is a truer reflection of the comics. I've seen all the adaptations of the movie genre from the days of Michael Keaton till now, and would say he has evolved with the times and generally become more epic viewing as time has gone by. The latest trilogy has been a revelation, delving into the past influences of Batman, with various interesting subversive plots and good and bad acquaintances which have created a more engaging and invested experience in the outcome.
Christian Bale- no stranger to playing conflicted characters, has re-energised the role of the dark knight and given some very solid performances that have brought more credibility to this DC superhero.
Something however was missing from this film! It's as if the director- high of the success of the previous films and with the finishing line in sight had got a bit complacent and missed the balance of the plot slightly. (It might just have been because Batman only appears in character for a small portion of the movie and doesn't do anything particularly amazing!) In this movie, Batman became too mortal for me, which might not have been a bad thing, to then see him ultimately triumph over a lot of adversity, but the way in which he eventually did, and the development and scale of the surrounding chaos involved- had a lot of speculative plot holes that were naggingly visible without ever trying to find them.
The way the movie played out often just seemed to be convenient (to the story) quite unrealistic, rushed and ultimately left you feeling somewhat unfulfilled.
Don't misunderstand me, this is still a good film. There are generally decent performances all-round, but we have come to expect that, and with the investment and advertising of this last of the trilogy, most of us would expect it to go out with the bang that has been generating thus far.
As a trilogy it will no doubt stand as the best adaptation to date, but I can't help but feel that this final piece of the jigsaw lacks the quality in content of the previous two.