Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises in Style

Director: Christopher Nolan
Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cottilard, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Morgan Freeman.

In The Dark Knight Rises the first light hits the screen as we see Gotham city has moved after Harvy Dent (Aaron Eckhart) passed away eight years ago and Batman took this crime on his name to maintain the trust of the people of Gotham in Dent’s sacrifice which only Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) knows is Batman’s sacrifice in reality. Batman along with his real identity Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has disappeared as he believes the city does not need him anymore and lives with his loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine) in exile. A lot has changed in Gotham in these eight years as no one believes in Batman but only Detective John Blake (Joseph Gordon Levitt) who still waits for the Batman to return and is unaware of another storm, Bane (Tom Hardy) who is heading towards Gotham with the aim to destroy it forever. Will the Batman be able to protect Gotham and its people from Bane and retain his glory is what conceived beautifully by Christopher Nolan in this last part of his Batman trilogy.

But if you think it’s only the ‘Men’ affair we have in TDKR then you are mistaken, as Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) and Miranda Tate (Marion Cottilard) are two gorgeous ladies who really add to the beauty of the film. Where Selina is a smart butt kicking independent burglar, Miranda on the other hand is a confident businesswoman who is the last ray of hope for Bruce Wayne as he makes way for her new role of the lead of Wayne Enterprises. Morgan Freeman reprises his role of Lucius Fox, the head of the Applied Sciences wing of Wayne Enterprises and as always he comes with some new machines ready for the Batman.

TDKR does have some weak points too including weak subplots like the scene where Bane attacks the Stock exchange to forge all the shares of Wayne Enterprises; and the slow pace of story in the first forty minutes of the film. But to me it isn’t a flaw but a demand of a hurricane of incidents which are about to follow. It’s a test of patience for the audience who are awarded with a roller coaster second half and a marvelous finish with the most unpredictable climax of the Batman series under Nolan’s banner. TDKR stands out as a winner in the end as it completes the story of Bruce Wayne in style.

Of the performances Bale once again shines as Bruce Wayne and his hidden identity the Batman. Playing Bane was always going to be a big challenge for any actor after the standards set by the late Heath Ledger who excelled as the Joker in The Dark Knight. It would be unfair to compare the two characters as Bane relies more on physical strength while Joker was more of a spontaneous psyche. Tom Hardy does works hard to get into the hulk skin of the character and his unclear vocals add new dimensions to the character. Michael Caine as Alfred is exceptional especially in his sarcastic one-liners with his Master. His performance is undoubtedly one of the best of the stellar cast as he convinces the audience effortlessly that Batman has made the ultimate sacrifice for the people of Gotham. Commissioner Gordon and Lucius Fox are two critical characters again well essayed by Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman respectively. If at all any sequel to TDKR is written then it can’t be without John Blake played by Joseph Gordon Levitt who is shown as one of the most anticipated characters in the Batman series in the climax of the film. As already stated the women are the highlights of the film as they both share the love/hate moments with the protagonist at certain parts of the film.

TDKR has its moments of gray humor well handled by Nolan which makes even the slower parts of the film interesting. The action scenes are effectively engaging especially the aircraft hijack scene and the entry scene of the Batman where he is chasing Bane on his sizzling two wheeler. Hans Zimmer’s score keeps the tempo high and helps the film to a great deal. In fact TDKR without Hans Zimmer’s score would not have been so effective. Similarly Lee Smith is the perfect editor in Nolan’s squad of extraordinary artistes. Nolan yet again proves why he is one of the most influential directors of his age. I go for a 4 out 5 and two thumbs up for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. As flaunted as the last chapter of the series TDKR has an end that gives a potential hint of another part to follow. Well for the fans…they would love that.

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