The phenomenal completion of a trilogy as close to perfect as we're ever likely to see.

Rating: 10/10 (6 August 2012)

He did. It rocks! The Dark Knight Rises is my third ten-star film of the year.
There was a possibility and a fear that after the unique, blistering start to the trilogy and the mind-blowing, Oscar-winning follow-up, the third installment would dip. Not even The Godfather series managed three films of equal importance, impact and quality but in The Dark Knight Rises Christopher Nolan has given us a trinity of near perfection.
This final offering from the team that reinvented superheroes with Batman Begins in 2005 and produced a staggering, thrilling and at times shocking sequel in The Dark Knight in 2008 has closed the book in majestic style and, as the finest directors do, Nolan has left us wanting more. However, we don't always get what we want and in this case, maybe that's a good thing. Why risk devaluing perfection with a shoddy, money-grabbing bolt on? The Dark Knight Rises sees Gotham in a state of confidence amid mumblings that the absent Batman is neither needed nor really missed after eight years of self-imposed exile. Bruce Wayne has isolated himself from the world, his reputation in tatters having taking the blame for Harvey Dent's demise, his empire is close to financial ruin and his costume of choice is a now a silk dressing gown, an unkempt mass of facial hair and a miserable scowl. Then he catches the delectable Selina Kyle burgling his home and all hell breaks lose with the emergence of Bane Nolan is confident enough in his product and team to take his time in setting the scene, building the pace and drawing our emotional involvement. For those who saw the trailer, there is an expectation of mortality, though we hope desperately that he has misled us, and there is little risk of us not being absorbed in the emotional tangle of Wayne's life and the decisions he must make.
The Dark Knight Rises harks back to the first installment but there is never an impression of retreading old ground or rehashing plot lines. This is an entirely new beast and what Nolan unleashes on us is enthralling, engrossing and inventive while remaining comfortably familiar. We care about Wayne and his alter ego because we've travelled with him. Like the reinvented Bond in Casino Royale and The Quantum of Solace, we've felt his pain and understood how his mind works. Why? Because Christian Bale is one of the finest actors of his generation and doesn't merely don a cowl and play a part, he inhabits the man and embraces the yin and yang of altruism and monstrousness that makes him who he is.
It is obvious to focus on Bale because without him Batman, the film and the character, just wouldn't work. But again Nolan has cast his ensemble with perfection. While Bane is not as spectacular as The Joker and Tom Hardy, though superb, will not emulate Heath Ledger and win an Oscar, he is an expansive villain who thrills and chills and who just might come on top. Beyond Hardy it is a delight to watch Marion Cotillard's beautiful, steely Miranda and, of course, the presence of Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine reprising their roles is as welcome as it is rewarding. Even at 164 minutes, The Dark Knight Rises feels too brief to explore the lives of Gordon, Fox and Alfred as deeply as we would like, but that is also an asset as we're never allowed to be complacent in the company of the familiar allies.
And then there is the cat.
In Batman Returns, Michelle Pfeiffer stole the show, seized our hearts and adorned our bedroom walls as the oh-so-sensual Catwoman in her stitched-in cat suit. Could Anne Hathaway come close to the impact Pfeiffer had on us? Emphatically, yes! Hathaway gives us a very different Cat and steals both the crown and the hearts of a new generation. Though never actually referred to as 'Catwoman' she leaves us in no doubt as to who she is and how the world should revolve around her. Hathaway exudes sexuality without needing to purr and is feisty, stubborn and naughty enough to step out of the Bat's shadow and for us to clamour for more. And they way we are shown exactly who she is, with the revealing of her ears, is a subtle act of class.
Jonathon and Christopher Nolan have written yet another screenplay that is taut and thrilling without a single wasted or superfluous line. The pace is varied enough to allow us time to enjoy the odd quip and occasional surprise without ever permitting us to wallow and admire the scenery before it whips across to a new scene or snaps in a different direction.
The sets, effects, costumes and machines are darkly dazzling as we've come to expect and time doesn't allow for me to elucidate as expansively as they deserve. Let's just say this is a film where one Batmobile isn't enough.
The Dark Knight Rises is not just a good film; it's an excellent film and it completes a trilogy as close to perfect as we're ever likely to see.
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