Let The Games Begin! A Review Of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

Prepare to have all your expectations met and more. Much like I stated in my piece that took a look back at the other films… some had their doubts about The Dark Knight Rises‘ casting. I am here to say have no worries. This is Christian Bales finest performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Forget about Heath Ledger as The Joker and do not try to compare  that performance to Tom Hardy’s Bane. This is an entirely different beast and Bane is both menacing and vicious. The muzzled voice due to the mask makes the character all the more real and for me made him even more threatening. Anne Hathaway is great as Selina Kyle and pulls the role off quite well. The standout performance to me, thought, is Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake. Going in, I underestimated the importance of the character. He brings humanity, decency, and probably a bit more physicality than you might be expecting to the story. The only person I expected more from would be Marion Cotillard, but I am going to avoid spoiler territory here. She is good but I expected a bit more from her.

Is the movie better than The Dark Knight? In some ways… yes it is. There definitely is more action in this one. That’s for damn sure. Some of the interaction between characters is really touching, especially between Wayne and Alfred. It’s really hard to compare the two because they truly are two different films that are going to be incredibly hard for many to pick between as the best chapter of the trilogy. It is a satisfying ending that lives up to all expectations. Whoever makes a Bat-film after Nolan is going to have their work cut out. That ending alone is going to be talked about for weeks on end. Whether it be praise of the whining of the internet purists who are never happy with anything. I hope they realize that this is an interpretation just like the many we have seen in the comics over the years and a damn good one. We can’t see the same stories and endings we already know because as cool as it would be…they’d grow stale and boring. I already expect that there are some out there cracking their fingers getting ready to type angrily. But let us move on past that and to the end here.

I cannot comment too much on the ending because I refuse to spoil anything. The last fifteen or so minutes of the movie are phenomenal. There was a really short period where I was almost angry at Nolan until the first plot twist eased my worries. You will get it when you see it. I am still thinking about it right now as I write this. Some have even gone on to state “Holy fuck!” after. No, really. The person that I went to the theater with absolutely did.

This movie goes out with the appropriate bang that was needed to conclude Nolan’s trilogy. I agree with those praising it and stating that this could be the first comic book movie to win an Oscar. Between the writing, the performances and the incredible visuals, the movie is on par with anything we can expect to see come Awards Season. So, why are you still reading this? Stop reading reviews (and definitely avoid spoilers) and just go see the damn movie, already!

5/5. Hands down. Bravo, Nolan and Company.