The Dark Knight Rises (contains vague spoilers)
3/4
Starring: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine
Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Violence and Action, Some Sensuality and Language
This review contains vague spoilers. I don't think this review spoils anything, but I need to give warning to rest my conscience.
The trilogy is complete. Christopher Nolan has concluded his legendary film series that began seven years ago (he will not return to the franchise, and Bale has said he won't return without Nolan on board). In a way, the success of the film's predecessor, "The Dark Knight," works against this film. "The Dark Knight" raised the bar to astounding heights, not only for superhero movies but for movies entirely. It will be a long time before any movie achieves that kind of unpredictability and narrative thrust. "The Dark Knight Rises" is a good film, and I don't hesitate to recommend the film (not that it would stop anyone if I didn't). But it has some serious problems.
Eight years has passed since the Joker reigned hell on Gotham City. Now viewed as a criminal, Batman has disappeared and Bruce Wayne (Bale) has become a crippled recluse. He's also in financial trouble, having invested half his fortune into a project that will power the city without harming the environment. He hands over control Wayne Enterprises to Miranda Tate (Cotillard), who spearheaded the project. But a new threat has arisen. Bane (Hardy), is a masked psychopath bent on destroying Gotham City, and he has a surprise in store for Batman. In no short order, he has trapped the entire police force underground and declared martial law on the city.
The film's biggest problem is Bane. Not only is he a fairly generic villain, the mask he wears makes about half of his dialogue unintelligible. This is such a huge problem that I reserve the right to change the film's rating once I watch the film on Blu-Ray with subtitles. Other characters are afflicted with this problem too.
"The Dark Knight Rises" also does not fully exploit the opportunities offered with the end of its predecessor. The end of "The Dark Knight" was bleak and dealt with some heavy issues of morality. Once the savior of Gotham City, Batman has now become the villain. Unfortunately, Nolan pays little more than lip service to the ending he gave "The Dark Knight."
Nolan's writing is also sloppy. The plot is at times quite contrived, and the film's foundation in the beginning is shaky. The ending is also problematic, mainly because the big twist is more than a little cheap, and the need to leave a semi-open ending is obvious to the point of where Nolan appears to be trying too hard.
The film is also lacking in any moral issues. "Batman Begins" dealt with the issue of when is something a lost cause. "The Dark Knight" illustrated that there is a price to pay for being a hero. "The Dark Knight Rises" doesn't do any of that.
Finally, the film lacks the intensity of the earlier films because Bruce Wayne is out of action for the middle third of the film. This segment is meant to teach Bruce something, but what that is is vague.
But like in all of Nolan's films, the acting is consistently strong, and the action scenes are terrifically exciting. The film is going to make boatloads of money, and regardless of what I say, everyone is going to go see it. They won't get any argument from me, but just don't expect this to top "The Dark Knight."
Starring: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine
Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Violence and Action, Some Sensuality and Language
This review contains vague spoilers. I don't think this review spoils anything, but I need to give warning to rest my conscience.
The trilogy is complete. Christopher Nolan has concluded his legendary film series that began seven years ago (he will not return to the franchise, and Bale has said he won't return without Nolan on board). In a way, the success of the film's predecessor, "The Dark Knight," works against this film. "The Dark Knight" raised the bar to astounding heights, not only for superhero movies but for movies entirely. It will be a long time before any movie achieves that kind of unpredictability and narrative thrust. "The Dark Knight Rises" is a good film, and I don't hesitate to recommend the film (not that it would stop anyone if I didn't). But it has some serious problems.
Eight years has passed since the Joker reigned hell on Gotham City. Now viewed as a criminal, Batman has disappeared and Bruce Wayne (Bale) has become a crippled recluse. He's also in financial trouble, having invested half his fortune into a project that will power the city without harming the environment. He hands over control Wayne Enterprises to Miranda Tate (Cotillard), who spearheaded the project. But a new threat has arisen. Bane (Hardy), is a masked psychopath bent on destroying Gotham City, and he has a surprise in store for Batman. In no short order, he has trapped the entire police force underground and declared martial law on the city.
The film's biggest problem is Bane. Not only is he a fairly generic villain, the mask he wears makes about half of his dialogue unintelligible. This is such a huge problem that I reserve the right to change the film's rating once I watch the film on Blu-Ray with subtitles. Other characters are afflicted with this problem too.
"The Dark Knight Rises" also does not fully exploit the opportunities offered with the end of its predecessor. The end of "The Dark Knight" was bleak and dealt with some heavy issues of morality. Once the savior of Gotham City, Batman has now become the villain. Unfortunately, Nolan pays little more than lip service to the ending he gave "The Dark Knight."
Nolan's writing is also sloppy. The plot is at times quite contrived, and the film's foundation in the beginning is shaky. The ending is also problematic, mainly because the big twist is more than a little cheap, and the need to leave a semi-open ending is obvious to the point of where Nolan appears to be trying too hard.
The film is also lacking in any moral issues. "Batman Begins" dealt with the issue of when is something a lost cause. "The Dark Knight" illustrated that there is a price to pay for being a hero. "The Dark Knight Rises" doesn't do any of that.
Finally, the film lacks the intensity of the earlier films because Bruce Wayne is out of action for the middle third of the film. This segment is meant to teach Bruce something, but what that is is vague.
But like in all of Nolan's films, the acting is consistently strong, and the action scenes are terrifically exciting. The film is going to make boatloads of money, and regardless of what I say, everyone is going to go see it. They won't get any argument from me, but just don't expect this to top "The Dark Knight."
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