The Dark Knight Rises
(2012)The Legend Ends.
The third and final instalment in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy sees the Dark Knight (Christian Bale) facing off against soulless terrorist Bane (Tom Hardy) and the enigmatic Catwoman (Anne Hathaway).
Taking place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Gotham City revels in some long-awaited peace. Yet Selina Kyle (Hathaway) whispers that this is merely the calm to a chaotic criminal storm. As terrorism and class warfare descend, Bruce Wayne (Bale) emerges from the seclusion of Wayne Manor. Still pinned for Harvey Dent’s crimes, Batman returns to the city as a wanted fugitive in order to prevent the fall of Gotham, as well as the rise of Bane.
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Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Juno Temple
Written by Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan (based on a story by David S. Goyer, based on characters by Bob Kane)
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The Dark Knight Rises
BY JR grader
I walked in with hand's done with the biggest anticipation of any film in the summer. Was I pleased? Defiantly. Everything about was excellent.
The performance's of the leads was quite spectacular. With Christian... More Bale's and Anne Hathaway's performance of the two leads where amazing. Christian Bale's batman was excellent with his performance of "Batman on the edge" was defiantly quite compelling. Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle or Catwoman dispelled all issues one would have when hearing about her casting. Also dispelling all misgivings of Halle Berry's Catwoman which was truly truly awful. Also the supporting cast of Michael Cain, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levit and Marion Cotillard where all spectacular to watch.
Tom Hardy's villain of Bane could have been the hole in Christopher Nolan's film. After following Heath Ledgers Joker who was hands down the best superhero villain portrayal of all time. He could have cracked under pressure. Luckily although not as compelling as Ledger's Joker as (he was not meant to be) the plan of his had complete relevance to America today which was nice to see. Although I had some issues hearing him with his mask under him with it reminding me of Darth Vader in some places.
A perfect ending to a great film franchise. Which has just gotten better and better throughout the saga.Hide
BY GrahamP superstar
This is a great movie.
It takes movie making making to a higher level with an intelligent story.The special effects were not over the top but blended in well.It has a few twists and turns in the story which does keep you locked in.
BY Mark-Roulston superstar
It's a rare occurrence that a film is this anticipated and discussed, even months before its release. Rewind one year ago, to the time when the first details of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES began to emerge, through Nolan's carefully calculated drip-feed of information. After Bane (Tom Hardy) was announced as the film's villain, many familiar with the comic book origins of the character began to ask a key question about Nolan's plans for Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). Would the filmmaker, blessed with complete creative control, physically break Batman, as happened in the "Knightfall" comic book arc where Bane was introduced? After seeing trailers with brief shots of Bruce Wayne walking with the assistance of a cane, the evidence seemed to mount.
However, Nolan is a master of playing with audience expectations. Nobody seemed to consider that perhaps he would begin the film with Wayne already a broken man, both physically and spiritually. A near total recluse, crippled by his crime fighting days eight years earlier and emotionally eviscerated by the death of Rachel Dawes at the hands of the Joker. Wayne's life is fuelled by rage, yet the Gotham of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is a relatively peaceful place, with no real need for a vigilante. It's smart storytelling, allowing Nolan to raise Wayne from his fall, a theme of the entire saga, but unfortunately, this is where the story takes a few mis-steps. The first half of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES under-utilises Wayne/Batman in favour of building the massive story and developing each supporting character and plot thread, understandable given the complexity of the narrative, but the closing chapter perhaps needed to be more Wayne's story. There's an overabundance of characters, and as good as Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and John Blake, they do take valuable screen time away from Wayne, and his self-destructive determination is never quite established fully.
Thankfully, the second half brings the goods in terms of epic scale and excitement. Once Bane's plan is fully in motion, the film becomes a tense and brutal thrill-ride which pays off on the majority of the first act's seemingly unconnected plot meandering. There are several moments which could have come across as cheesy and ham-fisted (and indeed, on repeat viewings will probably begin to grate before long), but the dark and serious tone of the film keeps some of the sillier beats in check. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is definitely the most comic book-like of the trilogy, and as such some of Nolan's insistence on realism suffers. It's also not as consistent as the previous two films, particularly THE DARK KNIGHT, and is unlikely to have the same rewatchability factor. But, even if it is the weakest of Nolan's saga, it's still a cut above the vast majority of comic book films that Hollywood produces. Hollywood history is littered with disappointing conclusions to trilogies, yet THE DARK KNIGHT RISES breaks the mould by bringing intelligent blockbuster filmmaking (which is becoming a Nolan speciality), and an unflinching, if not especially unpredictable, final chapter in one of the better film series' ever created.
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BY BrionyJae superstar
The storyline absorbed me right from the start, and I was delighted that I didn't see the plot twist coming - I love being surprised by films ;) I also have to mention Hans Zimmer's epic score, the music was undeniably *there* at the right places. In fact, the only negative thing I can say about this film is that while it is conclusive, it feels like it could be the beginning of so much *more*! Even though I know that he's said a definite no, I would LOVE to see Nolan create more films for his Gotham universe. There is so much territory that could be explored! AAHHHH. But I suppose that's the sign of a great filmmaker - always leaving the audience wanting more ;)Hide
BY simon-crawford nobody
Main positive was Joseph Gordon Levitt. Been a massive fan of his ever since I saw Brick and it is good that he is getting some good roles. Wasn't a huge fan of the final Anne Hathaway also looked good in the catsuit and seemed to be having fun but she was one of a few fairly underdeveloped characters.
The biggest letdown was definitely Bane. I really like Tom Hardy and he was certainly physically impressive but the voice was so off... More putting. A weird blend of Sean Connery and Darth Vader with the accent changing constantly through the film. Also the final few minutes that he was in the film were really anticlimatic and made a little bit of mockery of the pre film claims that he was going to be a physical and mental challenge to Batman. Totally lacked the presence of the Joker as a true arch villain.
All that said, Nolan is like Tarantino in the sense that he is incapable of making a film that is not interesting and I did enjoy it as a solid action film. Just wasn't in the class of his other recent effortsHide
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The Press Reviews
87%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
The film begins slowly with a murky plot and too many new characters, but builds to a sensational climax. Full Review
Superhero filmmaking on an unprecedented scale. Rises may lack the surprise of Begins or the anarchy of Knight, but it makes up for that in pure emotion. A fitting epitaph for the hero Gotham deserves. Full Review
Preamble complete, the dark knight duly rises for the bruising final stanza in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, a satisfying saga of revolution and redemption that ends the tale on a note of thunder. Full Review
A truly grand finale raises Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy to the peak of big-screen comic book adaptations. Full Review
A smart, stirring spectacle that faces down impossible expectations to pull off a hugely satisfying end to business. Boy, you’re in for a show tonight… Full Review
Few blockbusters have borne so heavy a burden of audience expectation as Christopher Nolan's final Batman caper, and the filmmaker steps up to the occasion with a cataclysmic vision of Gotham City under siege... Full Review
BY Steve Newall Flicks Writer
In a similar manner to how Heath Ledger’s death cast a shadow over The Dark Knight, there’s an air of inevitability to this conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s batrilogy. You know you’re going to be in the theatre for quite a while, that Nolan will use massive scale and strong characterisation to awe you on multiple levels, that it will aspire to loftier heights than most blockbusters, but mostly that it is actually all going to end. For all its aspirations, The Dark Knight Rises leans heavily at times on convention – a ticking clock here, a betrayal there – but these prove more welcome than the earnest speechmaking that could so easily have sent off this great big-screen version of the caped crusader.... More
Nolan tries to replace Ledger’s magnetic performance with Tom Hardy’s imposing physicality, which impresses on the screen but isn’t hugely differentiated from the other macho brawling seen in this film or its predecessors except in terms of its massive scale. Bale excels as always as he goes on a journey that recalls both the previous two films, and so do his co-stars – Anne Hathaway proving not as out of her element as I’d anticipated.
Gotham’s plight comes close to Escape From New York territory in a big departure from what we normally get out of the toothless threats of super-villains and there are welcome nods to the Occupy movement and Arab Spring to help differentiate this from run-of-the-mill fare. Plus the action’s great and the IMAX stuff looks awesome, but most importantly The Dark Knight Rises wraps in satisfying fashion, even if it may take a little while to fully grab you. There are some bumps along the way - it’s by no means perfect, and doesn’t hit the same heights The Dark Knight did – but Nolan’s done good.Hide
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