Batman: The Dark Knight Rises (12A)

The Dark Knight Rises Film Review by Jack Flahavan

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises (12A)

The stage is set for the grand finale of Christopher Nolan’s epic trilogy. Gotham is experiencing a rare period of peace time, a welcome hiatus after the carnage left by the now vanquished Joker. The Batman is a fugitive and eccentric billionaire Bruce Wayne has gone into hiding, but The Caped Crusader will be forced to emerge from the shadows once again, as Gotham’s existence is about to be threatened by a new super-villain bent on mass destruction.

A Worthy Adversary

Fresh evil comes in the herculean body of Bane, played by Londoner Tom Hardy ('Warrior', 2011), an actor famed for portraying muscle-bound characters over the years. But it is not merely Bane’s size that provides an intimidating opposition to The Batman, for he is also the possessor of a profound intellect, compiled with the organizational skills of a tutored terrorist. Over the years, The Batman has faced many formidable opponents like The Scarecrow (Cilian Murphy) and Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson), and has been successful in his efforts to protect the citizens of Gotham from certain doom. With Bane, however, it appears he has finally met his match.

Familiar Thrills

To begin with, I was happy to learn that the film wasn’t in 3-D, and other audience members seemed to share the same opinion. Without the heightened expectations that 3-D technology brings, I knew that I could sit back and be absorbed by the film without any nagging complaints. I was immediately taken in by the skilled cinematography that characterised the previous two films, and it was highly pleasurable to see the vast landscape of Gotham once again, and I would begrudge anyone to not feel at least a pang of anticipation of the forthcoming action when looking at the towering spires and the sea of cars.

The Dark Knight Rises film poster.

Bringing in the Stars

The casting of the film was, as always, on the grand scale. The most prominent new editions being the aforementioned Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway ('One Day', 2011), Joseph Gordon-Levitt ('Inception', 2010), and Marion Cotillard ('Contagion', 2011). These new faces all played crucial parts in the story, with Hathaway taking on the role of the notorious Catwoman, further compounding the complications for The Batman to face. Familiar faces such as Morgan Freeman (Invictus, 2009), Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 2011), and Michael Caine (Harry Brown, 2009) all returned to their positions, helping to catalyse the various twists and turns in the film. The most profound contribution of course, came from Tom Hardy’s Bane, who’s physical duels with Batman were the by far the more arresting scenes. Christian Bale ('The Fighter', 2011) was back to his commanding best as the hero, providing the most palpable intensity as has become routine in all of his films.

The Joker Looms

Additionally, casting and performances aside, the special effects were genuinely enthralling, while the ending of the trilogy was surprising, if not a tad histrionic. I would recommend that both DC enthusiasts and Batman fans alike go to see the culmination of Nolan’s work, as they will most certainly experience a high level of entertainment. However, in my personal opinion, I would advise people to not expect too much, as it may blight their overall reception of The Batman’s journey. For me, I could not help but wonder what the final instalment would have been like if Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight, 2008) had not sadly passed away, as his portrayal of The Joker was quite simply astounding. To be fair to Nolan, the open-ended climax of The Dark Knight and Ledger’s death would have certainly caused him to make significant editions to The Dark Knight Rises, so he cannot be entirely blamed for the subsequent holes that many people will notice in the narrative. Saying that, I couldn’t help but feel a little unfulfilled as the ending credits came into view, as I was hoping for more after the hype had promised so much.