"The Dark Knight Rises" Review

About a year ago, I made a promise to several people that I would get around to reviewing The Dark Knight Rises. A number of circumstances got in the way of me doing so. Now that I am back in full swing of the business, I feel that now is as good a time as any to review the third biggest film of 2012.

Set 8 years after the events of the previous film, The Dark Knight Rises finds Bruce Wayne in a state of reclusion. He has hung up his cape and cowl, and hides away in his mansion. But when Commissioner Gordon is hospitalized, and Gotham comes under the threat of a behemoth named Bane, Bruce realizes that his work as Batman may not be finished.

There was enormous pressure to follow up The Dark Knight with something equally as spectacular. Given Christopher Nolan's hesitance to come back unless he had a superior script, one would have expected a masterpiece. While the film isn't a failure in any sense of the word, it's never as well crafted as it should be. The story, while engaging, feels rather loose. It leaves several things up to the imagination. While suspension of disbelief is required for something of this type, several of the plot points fail logically. Though the characters are well written, and the development feels natural, the pay off at the end of the film doesn't really cut it. It strays a bit from the comics, not to the extent of Iron Man 3, but enough for you to feel as though it doesn't do them complete justice. That isn't to say it is a bad movie. It's just never as good as it could be.

Christian Bale easily gives his best performance out of the entire trilogy. While in the previous film, he felt rather dry and sidelined, in this one he is front and center, and given much more to work with. He is determined yet flawed, a quality that we haven't really seen in previous Batmen. He is much more human and grounded than we have ever seen before. Something that easily makes him stand out. Although I have complete faith in Ben Affleck, he does have a hard act to follow.

But though he stands out, Bale is not Andrew's Standout. That honor belongs to Tom Hardy as Bane. A role once played by a professional wrestler known as "The Jeep" who did little more than grunt his name over and over like a Pokemon. Hardy bulks up, and crafts a performance that already stands out as iconic. (How many of you can really say that you haven't tried to imitate the voice?) The way that Karl Urban only uses his jaw in Dredd, all that Hardy makes use of are his eyes. Yet with a villainous glare, and a grasp of his vest with two hands, he instills terror on par with Heath Ledger's Joker.

Also making her debut in the trilogy is Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. Rather than just eye candy in a catsuit, she represents a moral ambiguity that has been somewhat under represented in the trilogy until this point. You are never quite sure where she stands, but she plays it off so well. She is sleek, dark, and mysterious. She brings it all to the film.

Also included are fine performances by Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Marion Cotillard.

It's a rather decent film, but it doesn't quite live up to the standard set by it's predecessor. Otherwise, it's worth a look.

B-