The Dark Knight Rises review

The Dark Knight Rises Review – A finale of epic proportions

Directed by Christopher Nolan
Produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven
Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
Story by Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer
Based on Characters created by Bob Kane
Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman
Music by Hans Zimmer
Cinematography Wally Pfister
Editing by Lee Smith
Studio Legendary Pictures
Syncopy Films
DC Comics
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date: July 16, 2012
Country: United States, United Kingdom
Language English

How do you make a sequel to ‘The Dark Knight’ – a movie that etched itself into the heart of millions and established Chris Nolan‘s Batman (not anyone else’s, if you may ask) as the most brilliantly portrayed comic character in history?

Sequels are always preceded by hype, especially when fans are gearing up for a grand finale in the trilogy. It happens every time, no doubt, like it did with the Pirates of the Caribbean, the Lord of the Rings and the Matrix. But, the things that went into The Dark Knight Rises were of different proportions. Not only had Nolan grounded Batman and brought him close to the real world, but he also setup successive screenplays that made people (even some of the most picky critics) forget that the series was based on a comic character. And despite everything, when July 20 arrived, it did speak for itself, quite eloquently.

The Dark Knight Rises is easily the best finale you could have asked for as a fan, as simply put, it manages to live up to its name. It starts off in fabulous fashion, eight years after the original tale. Batman, if you remember, has taken the blame for Harvey Dent’s murder and whole lot of other crimes when the curtains came down. Taking the story from there allows the director to work around changes to the ecosystem and bring in new characters that are critical.  As you are reminded of the intricacies of Gotham, you are provided with a series of action-packed super-villainy gadget-drooling experiences that stands out from movies like the Avengers.

Chris Nolan seems to be the lone crusader of Hollywood these days as producers call for more and more commercialism in their movies. Sadly, some of this seems to have rubbed off on our man (even on him!). The story and its brilliance are not questionable of course, but some of Nolan’s means leaves him bare-chested against critics (including me, sometimes) as they ponder around for flaws.  While The Dark Knight Rises is the epitome of “logically commercialized” cinema, inconsistencies and flaws are natural for a movie of such epic proportions and can be easily forgiven by even the most stubborn movie-watchers. Even his not so rabbit-out-of-the-hat tricks are unparalleled and deserve amazing praise.

Tom Hardy as Bane is what I believe should be talked about next. In all fairness, he is no Heath Ledger and Bane is no Joker. Nolan had clearly stated that he would not be using Joker anytime again, out of respect for a man who won an unprecedented academy award, and also portrayed the most kick-ass villain in modern day cinema (maybe Hannibal Lecter, if not?). Bane is not Joker, but for what he lacks in personality, he makes up in screen presence and character detailing. It’s hard to play a man wearing a mask, especially one that has so much going on about him, in a story where he is not the protagonist. And that’s exactly what Tom Hardy has done, with his “who-cares” dialogues that are yet very un-omniscient. Thunderous strength and subtle short statements work very well for him. If not for Bane, I do not see this plot shaping up and the minor hiccups would have caused the entire film to fail miserably.  After all, what’s the point of having a Batman movie without a super villain?

Christian Bale, as Bruce Wayne, comes next. Sure, he plays the cape crusader and “he is the hero Gotham deserves”, but he is not the only one holding things up for The Dark Knight brand.

Playing a character that has been very subdued even for Batman standards, Bale has done his usual job quite well. In this movie, he has been called upon to do some more stuff, and we get to see some different sides of Bruce Wayne – a side which is not so used to failing, a side that makes him helpless against odds and a side that introduces him to true fear (not Crane’s fear-in-a-can). This brings out some of the better aspects of Bale’s acting and shows how far Nolan is willing to go to make his move not all about Batman, the fighter.

In a surprising and not seen before way, Batman gets a new faces to give him comapny this time around, apart from the usual faces of Alfred (Michael Caine), Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman). New characters of police office Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), Miranda Tate (Marion Coutillard) and a few more add weight to the storyline that calls for a lot more action than before. Unlike usual star-studded blockbusters, Nolan has managed to play around all his characters and give enough detailing to all of them. Hence, you do not feel the movie losing the grip at any point even when Batman is not beating up bad-guys and Bane is not marching with his army.

Hans Zimmer has spilled himself all over The Dark Knight Rises. His dark, enigmatic scores with beat changes, phase outs and god-knows a lot more capture the audience and keeps them glued to their seats. The most emphatic and the best scenes in the film are accompanied by some truly mind-blowing music. He has definitely stamped his authority on the Batman brand.

If anything, the SFX team deserves to be applauded for keeping the film from turning into Sci-Fi. The best part is, it does have a lot of sequences that call for help from them, but due to their enormous effort, even the most unbelievable chases are realistic in their own way and has fans voluntarily cheer out loud on multiple occasions (no kidding!)

Finally, the movie has a lot of smaller highlights. The dialogues are a whole lot funnier and catchier than the previous movies. Just when you think you have the plot figured, Nolan throws out turns and blows you away. Minor details everywhere make your jaw drop (I probably have to see the movie many more times to spot everything).  Michael Caine deserves credit for delivering the most heartfelt dialogues.  The list just goes on and on and on.

The Dark Knight Rises is a blockbuster (obviously), but is no normal blockbuster. Despite some gaping holes in the plot, half-a-dozen far-stretched SFX effects, few overly cinematic sequences and a mammoth playing length of 2 hours and 47 minutes, it would be highly unfair to take anything away from Nolan, for he has produced yet another masterpiece. The movie provides entertainment of the Supreme Order and gives you Goosebumps when credits start rolling. While driving back home, many will feel desperately sad after watching the very last Batman movie that mattered.

Rating – 4.5/5 – for making deserving finale.
Verdict – the end of an era of a thrilling action-packed era.

Hans thanks ARR for his contribution to ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

‘The Dark Knight Rises‘ graces screens come Friday and boy oh boy, are audiences excited about it! One of the most celebrated Hollywood series; this is the third outing in Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

The film’s music composer Hans Zimmer has thanked AR Rahman along with a host of others for contributing to the film’s music. AR Rahman has contributed to the music of this film although it’s not very clear of what he composed or worked on. Remember, AR Rahman and Hans earlier worked together in Oscar Sangamam.

The Dark Knight Rises takes place 8 years after the events of the second part, The Dark Knight, and introduces to the audience the characters of Selina Kyle and Bane played by Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy.