The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises is the third and final installment in the Dark Knight trilogy from Christopher Nolan. This final installment ends up being the ultimate culmination in my mind of the Dark Knight story arc. Batman has always been one of my favorite super heroes, so a trilogy of Batman that really took his character places it has not been in previous movie installments. So from the first teaser trailer I have been excited to see how Christopher Nolan would finish this work. The Dark Knight Rises had huge expectations to fill based on how well the previous two had done as well as what the entire super hero genre has been doing as of late on the big screen. I was pleased to have it exceed my own expectations and even though it is a long movie, the audience is taken on an amazing journey.

Christian Bale reprises his role of Bruce Wayne/Batman and he has given once again a marvelous performance. Bale has had a great ability to give his character more depth in each go around and he has humanized the role in a way that no other super hero has done. With this film taking place eight years after The Dark Knight it only makes us wonder what has happened during that time that has taken Bruce Wayne/Batman on a journey to who he is now. Bale plays the role in such a way that we can speculate what he has been through and yet we still want to know more because of the way Bale has made the character flawed and relatable. To contrast Bale we have Tom Hardy in the role of Bane. Hardy completely transformed Bane into a great villain. His character was one that was perfect to combat against Batman, yet he serves a hidden purpose that really makes the movie all the more intriguing and a perfect way to end the trilogy. While initially I did not love the way they made the voice for Bane as the time has passed it made for a perfect villain in the end. Hardy took the role and really transformed himself into the terrorist of Bane that had I not known that it was Hardy in the role I would have not known it was him in the role of Bane. Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle was a huge surprise for me. I was not sure if Hathaway would be able to pull off the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman because of the mixture of finesse yet power required I did not know if she had it in her. I thought in the end she played the femme fatale role perfectly. I loved the way her character was written in this installment, as she was doing what she had to in order to survive and was working for a way to erase her current life and have a clean slate. The supporting cast do great jobs as they all serve a purpose and they embody their roles that I think that it is like they are not acting but are actually the person in Gotham. Personally, I loved Cillian Murphy in his small role as it is one that is kind of light hearted and meant to make the audience smile. Nolan has a great ability to cast in such a way that the chemistry is so fluid.

The story for The Dark Knight Rise was written perfectly and executed perfectly as well. While there are those critics that still felt the story was very similarly dark as to The Dark Knight, I felt that the story was not as dark, but was one that was in between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Nolan told the story in such a way that we are taken on the journey of progression for the finishing of the trilogy story arc. While, we are taken on this journey for Bruce Wayne to who he wants to be in the end, Nolan allows the audience to make our own determination of what will happen as nothing ends with the typical sappy type ending that happens in so many different movies. Instead, we are left to draw all of our own thoughts. While many may think that the ending is to leave things open for future movies, I think the ending was one that was similar to Inception, in that it was meant to let the audience decide how the story ends and that is fitting for the end of the Dark Knight trilogy. The Dark Knight Rises comes in at just under three hours, the pacing was set perfectly in such a way that The Dark knight Rises does not feel like it was that long of a movie. Nolan has a great hand to pace his story perfect with the action and from that we feel like each scene serves a purpose and is not just put in to be put in. The musical score for The Dark Knight Rises is one that is tribal and is a driving force throughout the movie. While, I am not sure if it was the theater I saw the movie in or how the sound was mixed, but there were a couple of moments where the soundtrack was so loud at times that it drowned out the dialogue that was taking place. Even with that the score fit the theme and feeling for The Dark Knight Rises.

The action for a summer blockbuster is a vital key and The Dark Knight Rises does not disappoint. All of the action fits into the story and with everything it all seems to be well thought out and choreographed with such a great fluidity. The opening action sequence was one that was not only well planned but was very unique as it was a sequence I had not thought to do before in a movie. To do a mid flight escape from custody using a cargo plane was completely unexpected. An aspect that is great in this movie is the realism, whether it is trying to using science to explain technology or the simplicity of the fighting sequences it is another way that the trilogy humanizes itself. The technology that we see from The Dark Knight Rises does not disappoint. In the final installment we are introduced to the Bat. While the re imagined batmobile and batpod were great for the previous installments, introducing a flying vehicle for the final installment takes them all and worked precisely as needed. The design and concept is unique and yet it fits in with the line of Batman vehicles. Everything within the technology fits with the tone and feeling for The Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises is the perfect ending to this trilogy. The villains for The Dark Knight Rises being from The League of Shadows brings the story full circle in a way and that just works to give the audience the right amount of resolution. Bale in the role is once again perfect as he brings so much to the role that secretly I am hoping that he will not hang up the cape and will hopefully take up the cape once again. The entire cast really embodied their roles in such a way that it truly feels like they are not acting but are actually the character. The story and the action work together so well that the action that takes place in the final thirty minutes along with the climax are perfect and left me wanting more. The technology that made up the final installment was well done and the Bat meets expectations. The Bat ends up being a great piece of technology for Batman to use and ends up being vital in the movie. I am giving the Dark Knight Rises four and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. The Dark Knight Rises is one that is well worth seeing in the theater and it is one that will end up in the movie collection when it is released to Blu-Ray.

-The Movie Man