The Dark Knight Rises Review

Batman could be anybody. A simple premise that lies at the heart of The Dark Knight Rises.

Whilst my high level of investment no doubt skews my view to a degree, I’m confident that this film can stand proudly alongside its predecessors.

Christian Bale gives his best performance yet as Batman/Bruce Wayne. From eccentric billionaire and tortured soul through to enraged Batman, he captures each face of the character perfectly. What is most impressive is his ability to convey emotion through just his voice and eyes. Depending on who he’s conversing with, his voice moves from deep growl through to almost soft. He’s an amazing Bruce Wayne and a great Batman; an urban ninja come to life.

Bane is a beast of a man and Tom Hardy provides us with an interesting take on a character that most misunderstand from his previous cinematic version. This version couldn’t be further from that. He’s clever, calculating and truly menacing, with an effectively chilling voice. This is the most convincing portrayal of Bane I’ve seen in any medium since his first appearance in 1993 and hopefully a watershed moment for the character.

Many people argued before the release of the film that Anne Hathaway would be a terrible Catwoman. Nonsense. Hathaway’s Selina Kyle seamlessly shifts into whatever persona will help her in a given situation. She is the biggest surprise of this film, and I found myself wanting to see more. Her chemistry with Bale wipes the floor with either Katie Holmes or Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman continue to bring real quality to their roles. Gordon is heavily weighed down by the lies he concocted alongside Batman, which have brought great prosperity to a once decaying city. Fox again acts as this franchise’s ‘Q’, and still manages to raise a few smiles in his exchanges with Bruce.

Special mention must be made of Michael Caine as Alfred, Bruce’s butler, surrogate Father and partner. His scenes are overall the most emotionally charged of the whole trilogy.

Nolan has learnt regarding action this time pulling back the camera to give us a great view of both Batman and Bane. Cinematographer Wally Pfister works wonders, from the mausoleum like feeling of the rebuilt Wayne Manor, to breath-taking views of Gotham as we see the results of Bane’s machinations.

Gripes are minor, and really come down to personal opinion. If you haven’t bought into Bale’s gruff Batman voice by now, nothing here will sway you. At times it is at its most severe, and in one scene verges on becoming a parody of itself. However, this is the final film in a trilogy, and really by this point you should know if you’re going to be on board. Bane can also be hard to understand at times, though I found that you tune into this voice as the film progresses.

Sometimes you just need to go with the flow and accept that these characters are capable of crazy things. It’s a Batman film, and to quibble over such things is to miss the point somewhat. Nolan may have crafted a hyper realistic world, but it’s still ultimately based on a superhero story.

Perhaps the biggest strengths of this film (and the trilogy) are that it respects the source material whilst also forging its own path, plus it knows who this story is really about. Here, villains are challenges, used to show us how far Bruce is prepared to go to save his city.

It’s not perfect, with a particularly awful death ruining one scene, but overall it’s a fitting final film. Christopher Nolan and his team have taken my favourite character and treated it with intelligence and respect. The Dark Knight Rises avoids the ‘third movie curse’ with style and emotion. It’s bittersweet that we will never again visit Nolan’s Gotham.

The fire rises? It has risen far higher than I ever dared imagine seven years ago.

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