The Dark Knight Rises and Falls (NO SPOILERS)

Rating: 7/10 (20 July 2012)

The Dark Knight Rises and Falls. I cannot put it in more simpler words than that.
I went in there with my coffers full of hope of having my mind blown out. After all it was Christopher Nolan and I am yet to see a work of his which has under-delivered.
But I guess everything has a first time.
Don't get me wrong. It's a good movie, not just a great one, and it left me highly confused as to how I should feel about it. TDKR, more than anything, falls under its own weight. With the endless hype and as a follow up to one of the greatest superhero movies of all time, TDKR had a lot riding on its shoulders. Tasked with this,Christopher Nolan has to be lauded for what he has achieved, or should I rather say 'hoped to'?
Let's begin with the basics. The Dark Knight trilogy was not a trilogy to begin with. Batman Begins (BB) and The Dark Knight (TDK) are almost two independent Batman films with little in common in terms of a story arc other than the characters it carries forward. That given, TDKR's greatest flaw was in attempting to connect the first movie to his final one so as to make it feel like one continuous arc. (Think kind of what happened in the final season of LOST) While I understand Nolan's intentions, the forced continuity just killed it.
This was further amplified by the many plot holes that marred the story. To keep this review spoiler free I will not mention any of them here but it will suffice to say that if you are a fan of the series but are willing to look past your fanboy goggles, the failings are plain to see.
Tom Hardy's take on the superstrong Bane was interesting enough to start off with, but as it went on there were just too many similarities with a previous villain (I will not say which one) to actually stand out on his own. Even his motives and methods were too familiar to be regarded as novel. His fights with Batman were epic enough though, and you almost pity Batman for having to face the mini-hulk that Hardy had transformed himself into. His menacing voice coupled with the cold hard stare in his eyes gave him the aura of a truly awful foe, one that must not be triffled with.
But add to that some cringe worthy dialogues, forgetful action sequences and appalling acting by Marion Cotillard, and I find myself subtracting more from the movie than adding. Nolan needed to make this movie bigger and better than the previous two, and for that he needed a crisis large enough to destroy Batman's world. While he did manage to conjur up a scheme, its immensity and implausibility made it hard to believe. I really wanted to love this movie but far too often found myself shaking my head in dismay as things got grander and larger, until they no more fit into the world.
But while I might seem to be cursing the movie a lot, remember I did say it is a good movie. And the best thing for me in the movie was - wait for it - Anne Hathaway as Catwoman/Selina Kyle.
I will confess that when I had first heard the casting I was more than dismayed. But now I'm forced to eat my own words. Anne Hathaway was brilliant. She might not be your regular comic book version of Selina Kyle, but in Nolan's Dark Knight universe she was the perfect choice to portray Gotham's sexiest vigilante. Everything from her stance to her fight moves and to the way she spouted sassy dialogues was perfect. Given more time and space, I am sure she could have probably stolen the show.
That however would have been unfair to Christian Bale/Bruce Wayne/Batman. The man has been a constant shining light throughout the series. He is a perfect fit for the role and has carried both versions of his character almost flawlessly. Moving into his third (and final) film in the series, I am glad to say he has not faltered a bit. While BB was about Batman, and TDK about the Joker, this movie was about Bruce Wayne the man behind the mask. As a superhero who is a mere mortal compared to most others out there, TDKR's focus on Bruce Wayne's mortality was totally warranted. This was not a Batman movie. This was a Bruce Wayne movie, with his alter ego guest starring. TDKR plays out like the swansong it is to this great character Bale and Nolan have moulded over the years.
Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are as dependable as usual. They provided stellar performances as always. Even the newcomer to series - Joseph Gordon-Levitt gave a fine performance as the hotheaded cop John Blake. His character was by far one of the most interesting in the movie, developing into interesting dimensions, but alas finally being let down partly by the story and mostly by the limited run time that a movie of this scope can afford to a new character.
All in all, TDKR is a fine movie, but sadly nothing more. While I thoroughly enjoyed the ending (the last 5-10 minutes) and a bunch of scenes here and there, the action sequenced seemed bland, and the motives for some of the main characters left a lot to be desired. Batman was great as usual, but Bruce Wayne was better. And given the track-record of threequels, TDKR is a comparatively great ending to a great series, even if it is not all that it could have been. Probably the weakest entry to the series but nonetheless a wholesome entertainer on its own merits. Just don't expect to be blown away.