I feel like a kid again

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2012)

It's been 4 years since The Dark Knight came out, and while only time will tell if this movie will live up to the ridiculously high standards set by fans of the franchise, one thing that is indeed for Sure is that The Dark Knight Rises is seriously awesome. A long time fan of Batman, I haven't missed a single opening day of Btman, and last night I decided not to break that tradition. The minute the tickets went on sale a month ago, I frantically pulled out my Blackberry and opened the cineplex app, frantically hitting the "reload" button nonstop and finally got ahold of IMAX midnight premiere tickets, and while the wait for the midnight show was long and torturous, it was worth every single hour of the wait.
Now I consider myself to be a rare breed, one of the few who prefer Batman Begins to The Dark Knight. Don't get me wrong, I love The Dark Knight to pieces, but it's always been about the comic book feel and how Batman and Bruce Wayne continue their inner battle against himself for me. I mean, while I love TDK, there's too much Bruce Wayne for me, and it's more of a Christopher Nolan action thriller than Batman. So I hoped that TDKR would deliver... in short, it did.
Eight years have passed since Batman took the blame for Harvey Dent's horrible crimes. Bruce Wayne is disgraced, shamed, and living in reclusion, with exceptionally poor health. Since Harvey Dent died, an Anti-crime act named after his belief in cleaning up the streets has been put in place, and a Harvey Dent day has been put in place to honor his beliefs. However, that can't last; a sexy but mysterious jewel thief named Selina Kyle, with feline tendencies, has been wreaking havoc in Gotham and even worse, a terrorist named Bane has arrived in Gotham, and has an underground army who are planning a tyrannical nightmare of a plan that will turn Gotham into gangland territory. This means Bruce Wayne has to come out ofnhiding and return as Gotham's caped crusader for once and for all!
Man, I couldn't have asked for a better finale to the series. This film pulls the blockbuster out of its comfort zone and gives us something that feels so intimate, yet so grand scale. The action is big, epic, and bombastic, yet the drama is intimate, up close and personal. And another part that made it so great: comic book Batman is back! While the dark and grim tone is still there, the tongue in cheek, quirky comic book feel is in the air, specifically during Batman and Catwoman's scenes. Mind you, Heath Ledger's Joker isn't around, and Bane is the villain but up to 11 with the brutality and minus the wit and comic charm, so we're relying on Catwoman for those sparks of verbal wit, and it does work... Way better than it should, even! And the villain. Bane. He is one scary mofo. He can snap someone's spine in half like a lobster without even any effort. The mask he wears is terrifying and as a result, your heart fills with fear and dread every time he shows up.
Another reason to see this movie is the IMAX cinematography. It's an ultimate sin to miss this in IMAX. 72 minutes of the movie were shot with IMAX cameras, and it helps enhance it much more. They're not just for big set pieces like TDK, they help enhance the narrative of the film. Without a doubt the most interesting use of the IMAX cameras is the fight scene in the sewer between Bane and Batman. No music, violent and brutal, and a few shots where Bane's all, terrifying image fills the 8 story screen just make for one of the most memorable scenes in recent memory.
Never has Batman been done this much justice, and thank Nolan for finally getting Batman exactly right. I felt like a kid during several scenes, like Bat riding his batpod through the tunnel, the Batjet scenes, well practically the whole film, and overall I was overwhelmed with that childlike happiness and joy- the batman I always wanted to see had finally unfolded before my eyes.
Do not miss this film... You will regret missing it!