Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Review: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Batman (Bale) and Catwoman (Hathaway) in Nolan's epic finale.

Directed by Christopher Nolan
Produced by Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven, and Emma Thomas
Written by Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, and David S. Goyer; characters created by Bob Kane
Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Morgan Freeman

I'm obviously late in posting this. In short, I loved the film and think it's the best of Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. If you want to keep reading, there's more after the cut. (Spoiler-free)

****

Christopher Nolan's slam-bang finish to his epic, ground-breaking Dark Knight trilogy delivers a satisfying conclusion to the Batman legacy. In this finale, Bruce Wayne (Bale) has retired from being Batman and has been living as a recluse in Wayne Manor for eight years. When his mother's jewels are stolen by Selina Kyle (Hathaway), he discovers that a new villain known as Bane (Hardy) is in Gotham and might just force him out of retirement. In the midst of this struggle are Commissioner Gordon (Oldman), Lucius Fox (Freeman), Alfred (Caine), philanthropist Miranda (Cotillard), and an orphaned cop named Blake (Gordon-Levitt). The question is: Will Batman be able to save Gotham now that he's an outcast? That's a very brief synopsis because you shouldn't know more than that when seeing it for the first time. There's a great deal that happens that I won't even go into here.

For me, most of Nolan's longer films are too packed with plot. While this film is certainly heavy on it, Nolan manages to pace the film much better and avoids being too bloated, giving everything enough time to digest without rushing ahead to the next twist. The film is nearly 3 hours long, but I didn't notice at all. Nolan has achieved a brilliant structuring here, combining the reliance on Bruce's development in Batman Begins with the ensemble format of The Dark Knight. It makes for a wonderful send-off, with an ambiguous ending on top of all the twists. Also, the film has fine performances from both the new and returning cast, with Bale continuing to highlight both sides of Bruce/Batman and Hathaway and Hardy making their mark on iconic, but somewhat underwritten, characters. With Wally Pfister's always-beautiful cinematography and Hans Zimmer's thrilling score, the film is a great technical achievement. Although some have problems with suspension of disbelief, I was totally engrossed and was able to overlook some of the questionable choices that Nolan made. I do have a few minor issues with the film, but, on the whole, it's an epic blockbuster that flies by and does not disappoint. It's one of Nolan's best, and it's the best film I've seen so far this year. Go see it, if you haven't already.

Oscar Potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Makeup, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects

8 comments:

  1. Overall, this is not only a perfectly fitting ending to an incredible trilogy; it is also my favorite flick of the year, so far. Much like The Dark Knight, this will probably shoot to the top of critic’s lists, even though some of the reception for this have so far, been a little discouraging, but that’s expected when you have so much hype to live up to. Good review Josh.

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    1. Thanks Dan. I hope it gets some serious awards consideration. If the acclaimed Toy Story 3 can get a Best Picture nomination, TDKR should have a decent chance.

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  2. I'm seeing it in 14h, already got my ticket :) I'm not a huge fan of Nolan's Batmans but I'm excited for Hathaway and Zimmer's score which I'm sure will be awesome to hear in the cinema.

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    1. Enjoy! :) It was even better the second time I saw it. I can't wait to see it again. I just love it. Having rewatched the first two films, I would put them at the bottom of Nolan's filmography. But TDKR is one of his 3 best films.

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  3. Possibly a best supporting actor academy award nomination is in the cards for Michael Caine? I'm not sure if he has enough screentime, but Judi Dench won for 8 mins in Shakespeare in love...

    I'm still not sure how I feel, as I've only watched 'Rises' once. I'll have my mini-review posted in a few days for monthly round-up. Maybe I need to rewatch the whole trilogy, the story in Rises almost demands that

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    1. Good point on Caine, but I think an acting nomination is probably not in the cards, even if the film gets a slew of nominations.

      I rewatched the first two films before I saw 'Rises', and they didn't hold up well at all. Having seen 'Rises' a second time, I love it even more than I did when I wrote this review. So, I'd recommend a second viewing.

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  4. I really loved the Dark Knight Rises, it's my favorite out of the Dark Knight trilogy and it packs allot of punch. Zimmers score is amazing and Christopher Nolan is one of the world's greatest living directors. Great review and a fantastic blog!

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    1. Thanks Jacob! The Dark Knight Rises is the best film I've seen so far this year. I've never given a Nolan film Best Picture, but this might just get it.

      And thanks for the follow! :)

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