A masterful but ultimately flawed end to the biggest superhero franchise of our times

Jul 28, 2012 13:31 GMT  ·  By
“The Dark Knight Rises” marks the end of Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy
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   “The Dark Knight Rises” marks the end of Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy

“I will miss the Batman. I like to think that he’ll miss me, but he’s never been particularly sentimental,” director Chris Nolan wrote in a farewell letter to the character he created in 2005 with the aptly titled “Batman Begins.” “The Dark Knight Rises,” the last installment of the trilogy, marks the end of an era – for cinematography and the comic book-inspired universe.

There's no arguing that Nolan's Batman isn't like any other superhero out there: he doesn't just have complexity and depth, but the world around him does too, to an extent that is almost disturbing to watch.

The same goes for TDKR, inarguably Nolan's biggest, boldest and most anticipated film to date, within or without the Batman franchise.

*Out of respect for fans and Nolan's work, we will keep this review entirely spoiler-free, mentioning only the things that have been included in promo materials or alluded to by the director himself.*

The story picks up 8 years after the events in “The Dark Knight,” which have seen Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne hang up his Batman cap and mask because Gotham needed a villain and not a hero anymore.

In self-sacrificing like this and taking on the blame that should have been laid at the feet of Harvey Dent / Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart), Wayne literally gives up on the only thing that still had him out in the world: the idea that there was something worth fighting for.

Living in isolation and suffering from a limp in his leg (and a severe case of goatee), Wayne has more or less given up on the world. Without Batman, Gotham is rotting from the inside, because whatever order was there was established on lies.

Underneath the apparent tranquil city lies a twisted labyrinth of sewers that Bane (Tom Hardy), evil personified, is using to build an army. His face might be half hidden by the mask through which he breathes in a painkilling gas at all times, but his voice, his eyes and the way in which he carries his impressive bulk make him an enemy no one wants to pick a fight with.

Hardy has always been the one to shine in physical roles.

Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) is an irresistibly attractive cat burglar who first warns Bruce Wayne of the danger looming on the horizon for Gotham: “There's a storm coming, Mr. Wayne.”

She doesn't really mind it because, as she figures it, she will be long gone by the time the axe drops and she's simply too disillusioned with the world to actually care what happens to it after she leaves.

Not the same goes for Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and rookie cop John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who are determined to find Bane and lock him in Blackgate Prison with the rest of Gotham's criminals before he actually gets to carry out his mission of taking over the city.

As audiences fill in the 8-year gap between the final 2 Batman films (Nolan offers all the clues but doesn't really like to serve everything on a silver platter), they learn that, all this time, Bruce and new board partner Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) have been working on a new source of energy, one that could actually save the world.

The problem is that it can also be turned into a most efficient nuclear weapon and Bane wants it. No, he doesn't plan on using it for the good of mankind by going green.

In a scene James Bond would die to appear in, involving the hijacking of a plane with a plane, Bane kidnaps the only (Russian) scientist able to activate the bomb, thus setting the wheels in motion for one of the most insane, heart-thumping and complex journeys a superhero has ever taken.

As the film's title suggests, Batman will fall and rise, and fall and rise again. And then rise once more. The story arc goes a long way to paint him as a deeply complex human being who struggles with his sense of responsibility, immense guilt and disappointment in humanity.

Bane, on the other hand, feels none of this. “Born in hell, forged from suffering, hardened by pain,” his only motivation seems to be that of bringing chaos into the world, but not before perfecting torture by offering false hope to see how the human spirit is shattered.

An anarchist by all means and purposes, he thrives on manipulation and poses as a savior for the masses, hunting down the 1% with such violence that one can hardly abstain from shuddering when witnessing it. Yes, if you want, TDKR is also filled to the brim with political undertones and social themes.

A scene in which Bane takes over the stock market and bankrupts Wayne Enterprises in just 8 minutes is Nolan's take on the economical downturn, which has seen more Waynes become regular Joes than we'd like – or could – count.

Another scene, in which he blows up the Gotham stadium and claims to offer the citizens a chance to live their life absolutely free is the director's stylized approach on tyranny and terrorism.

However, his focus remains on Batman, the masked superhero who stands as a symbol of justice, strength, valor. Without him, Gotham is ruined, but so is Bruce Wayne.

The film runs for 164 minutes, tying up loose ends from the previous two installments while also proposing other, far more challenging topics of conversation.

Most of the times, the pace is relentless (Hans Zimmer's superb score contributes to that), with viewers being literally assaulted from all sides by action scenes (all shot in IMAX, which brings an amazing quality to the frames even if not viewed in IMAX), ideas, dialog and feeling.

Nolan might not be well versed in presenting romance (which is painfully obvious in at least a couple of scenes) but he is a master at presenting the aftermath of a devastating passion, and this helps him do justice to Bruce and his broken heart.

He is equally skilled in setting up a world that he then populates with his own characters, inspired by the comics but breathing a life of their own. Spaces and places come to life as the characters move around. Sadly, when it comes to zooming in on these characters, TDKR falters.

This is a far from perfect film and it would be only too easy to point out all its shortcomings, from the unconvincing street fighting, to some hiccupy dialog and the fact that some characters only exist as far as their actions go, showing up when needed and conveniently disappearing afterwards.

Yet that would mean doing injustice to a brilliant cast (which also includes Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine and Matthew Modine), as well as to Nolan's legacy: this is the end he'd always imagined for his Batman and he delivered it to us, impressive, subversive, huge of scope, and faulty as it is.

In doing so, he's also reminded Hollywood of what a superhero movie should look like.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language. It opened in the US and other territories on July 20, arrives in Germany and Russia on July 26, and will end its run in Italy and Switzerland on August 29.

 

The Good

“The Dark Knight Rises” boasts brilliant cinematography and superb score, matched by the efforts of a very impressive cast. Nolan is known for his obsession with shooting everything with as little CGI as possible, and it shows.

Convincing, atmospheric, subversive, dark and complex, TDKR goes beyond a superhero movie: it's filmmaking at its best.

The Bad

“The Dark Knight Rises” is weighed down by a too heavy plot (and countless subplots) and rather clumsy editing in many places. The narrative occasionally limps as badly as Wayne, which can only be explained by Nolan's ambition of offering fans everything they ever wanted in a Batman film, especially if it's the last in a series.

That much mediated issue with Bane's voice exists but not so much in the sense that audiences can't understand what he's saying but rather that they understand it too well (it's so clear and crisp it's clearly added in post-production).

The Truth

Comparisons to the previous two installments will inevitably arise so, if they must, we'll say this much: TDKR is better than “Batman Begins” but not even close to the near-perfect “The Dark Knight.”

Even so, despite its flaws (or perhaps because of them), it's still a masterful, stunning closing chapter to the Batman franchise, confirmation of Nolan's genius and love for his fans. The caped crusader will surely be missed after this one.

Photo Gallery (12 Images)

“The Dark Knight Rises” marks the end of Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy
Christian Bale puts on Batman's cape for one more, final time in TDKRBane is “born in hell, forged from suffering, hardened by pain”
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