Deh-shay, bah-sah-rah, bah-sah-rah

Rating: 9/10 (25 July 2012)

The two years of wait bore fruit when once again we got to experience a magnum opus - The Dark Knight Rises, the final chapter in the greatest trilogy at the hands of undoubtedly the best director in the world right now, Christopher Nolan. I was fortunate enough to get to watch it in the opening weekend and without any spoilers.
To start with, the plot is complete, meticulously articulated and succeeds in keeping even the most seasoned movie-buffs guessing. Considering that there were no plans of making a sequel to TDK until Feb 2010, the flawless connections made to the story-line from previous two movies are appreciable. Each and every thread introduced, is tied into some knot in the end leaving the viewer content. After starting with a brilliant action sequence, the movie may seem a little slow, but its where Nolan weaves the web. It later picks up pace in its untangle and ends with a break-neck speed in a sensational and unprecedented climax. The action scenes are planted and carried out exceptionally well with the introduction of some cool new Bat-gadgets, which was one of the major attractions.
As each installment of the series is defined by the foes the Batman faces, this one is no different. The earlier parts were made memorable by a resolute Ra's al Ghul and the cunning Joker. Though the untimely demise of the legendary actor Heath Ledger and his unmatchable portrayal of the Joker in the previous edition had left a daunting task in front of the TDKR team in the villain department, I must say they have come up with an evil enough and certainly the toughest opponent Batman has ever faced, in Bane who, Unlike Joker, is a man with a plan.
The extent of thinking done in making the movie, be it a scene or the set or the background score is just mind-blowing. Nolan has brainstormed some clever usage of conditions bearing analogy with few of the things from earlier movies which make Bruce reprise the heroics he did when he began donning the hood, which was a masterstroke. Hans Zimmer (due to his and Nolan's chemistry, James Newton Howard refused to do scores for this movie, as he felt like a third wheel) has once again dug deep and brought up a complementing score, specially mentionable the chants for ' the rise '(which has thousands of fan voices recorded into it). Also, the IMAX scenes are a visual treat and ensure that the death of the IMAX camera, that Nolan broke in his experimentation, does not go in vain.
Talking of the actor-character chemistry- Christian Bale gives another stunning performance as Batman and far more mature one as Bruce Wayne. He is the new Mr. Dependable who never fails. And never before in the saga or in any other of the superhero movies, is the emotional battle of the hero in handling his alter ego shown as closely as in TDKR . The movie, as my friend points out, kinda resembles Batman Begins in that aspect. Unlike TDK, where we get vibes of watching the movie in third person. Michael Caine's intense and earnest portrayal of his character Alfred Pennyworth is surely worth every penny; Hats off to him! Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon), Morgan Freeman(Fox), Marion Cotillard (Miranda Tate) and Gordon-Levitt (Blake) carry out their job with no hiccups. Christopher Nolan certainly has a Midas touch when it comes to actors. Once an actor undergoes the Nolan treatment, he/she just blossoms through his/her career. We have seen that happen to Tom Hardy, Gordon Levitt and now with Hathaway. The best performers of the movie I think are Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy for sure. The cat, I opine, is Hathaway's best performance till date. She has swayed the cat as if she owns it. Not only in using her feminine deceptive emoting but also in the kick-ass fight sequences in her stilettos, she seems so believable.
Last but not the least, Tom Hardy has brought to life another epic villain. Working in Nolan's biggest movie, playing the primary villain, and not having your face to act with is the toughest challenge an actor can face. With the script binding his face he had only eye-brows and voice to make do with, and boy! has he done wonders with it. His thunderous voice needs no background score. His physique rivals that of the masked vigilante and has emoted Bane's inspiration (which is one of the pivotal storyline aspect to lookout for) masterfully.
A standing ovation for this one. Go watch it if you haven't already. Nothing more i can say... Deh-shay, bah-sah-rah, bah-sah-rah !!!