So, Batman is back. The Dark Knight Rises is the final instalment in the Batman Trilogy that started with Batman Begins and continued with The Dark Knight, which I would like to point out is one of the best films I've seen. The success of the Batman series has given The Dark Knight Rises a lot to live up to and in a lot of ways it does the franchise proud however there are a few moments where it falls flat. Everyone should still see this film, it's really very good but it isn't as god like as I personally hoped and there are a few problems that are difficult to overlook.
The Dark Knight Rises continues on the plot from The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has retired from being Batman after taking the blame for a crime committed by Harvey Dent at the end of The Dark Knight. He has become a recluse and refuses to leave his house. After an incident with Selina (Anne Hathaway) A.K.A Catwoman, Bruce Wayne begins to realise that he has to return to being Batman and thus the whole story begins. The villain is Bane (Tom Hardy) and both Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman return to play their parts as Fox and Gordon. The plot revolves around the idea of revolution and anarchy with Bane's plan to destroy Gotham right at the centre of it. Batman of course, must save the day.
The characters in this film really are the highlight. All roles are played incredibly well with Anne Hathaway's performance as Selina surprisingly being one of the best things in the movie. Everyone has brought their all to this you can tell and it pays off. Tom Hardy does his best as Bane, attempting to create an interesting and unique villain however I think that it is an impossible task with The Joker being so iconic. I would still say that Bane is interesting and worth paying attention to since his personality and actions hint at a character worthy of Joker status although he never quite gets there on screen. The posh accent behind the mask is also amazing and if I could have that voice my life would be complete.
A couple new characters have entered the scene as well who leave a lasting impression. The first is Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a cop who believes in Batman and has a unique connection with Bruce Wayne. I would even say (HINT) that a film with him as the protagonist would be well worth seeing (END HINT) . As well as him, Miranda is a character that becomes surprisingly important and engaging throughout the film.
More positive things are the music which compliments the action on screen perfectly, the action scenes themselves which are enhanced by the awesome helicopter type machine "The Bat" and of course Gotham looks as wonderful as always. These things are why you should see this film.
It is still unfortunately flawed. The plot although interesting and detailed and obviously written with passion just doesn't always work. Without spoiling anything, it felt like a lot of the middle section of the film felt disjointed. It's still entertaining and well written but there were moments where I thought that something deep and important would happen and then...it didn't. This film frustrates me because I wanted it to explore social issues, the ideology of anarchism and the effect of terrorism on society but it just never really happened. I can speculate on those things myself and I will but I wanted to know what Gotham thought about it and I didn't find out. That being said, there are a number of twists in the plot that are really incredible and give it merit.
The other thing that is noticeable, although not personally a problem is that if you haven't seen the two previous instalments you re going to miss a lot in this one. Although the plot is still understandable, returning characters aren't reintroduced and some of their actions may not make sense to a Batman newbie. If you want to get the most out of this film and make more links, you must see the other two first.
Overall The Dark Knight Rises is a worthy addition to the Batman trilogy, although not as good as the other instalments. Bane seems second rate to The Joker but when judged without any Joker bias he is actually a fairly interesting character. The cast stands out and it is full of talent. The Dark Knight Rises is entertaining and fun to watch. I recommend it to everyone even slightly interested in Batman as a fantastic way to spend part of your weekend.
