It’s been nearly a week since the release of Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” but I figured I might as well review it anyway.
The cinematography and art direction of the film are spot on. The scenes in mansions and such are dimly lit with warm light, which creates a soft, but still oppressive, atmosphere. Many of the outdoor scenes, particularly later in the film, give a muted and empty feeling, the snow contrasting nicely with the dark, monochromatic cityscape. After the events of “The Dark Knight,” Bruce/Batman’s melancholy permeates Wayne manner, which seems like a corpse of its former self.
Christian Bale again gives a solid performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. He manages to muster the appropriate level of thinly veiled glee upon his discovery of a conspiracy and the arrival of the big, bad Bane.
On that subject, Tom Hardy does about as well as one can reasonably hope as Bane. The film’s script and direction do a good job trying to add depth and motivation to the character, and Hardy does his best to put it all together, but it’s tricky to get excited about The Fairly Strong Man, especially after the hallucinogenic fear ninjas of “Batman Begins” and the utter Chaotic Evil insanity of “The Dark Knight”‘s Joker.
Anne Hathaway’s portrayal of the cat burglar Selina Kyle (never referred to as Cat Woman) is quite believable, and she does a good job of acting as though she cares about larger events despite herself. The character itself is nicely formulated, with her talk of class warfare and corporate excess coming off as intentional delusions to justify her ongoing life of crime.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt shines as the up and coming cop, Blake, and probably does the most legwork in the movie. While most of the other characters remain mostly static (With Bruce Wayne/Batman rehashing earlier story arcs), Blake develops a great deal over the course of the film’s two hours and forty four minutes, coming to terms with harsh realities and making choices about the man he wants to be, etc. etc. etc.
Michael Cain, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman reprise their roles as Alfred, Lucius, and Commissioner Gordon, respectively, each maintaining their high standards. Marion Cotillard, a franchise newcomer, passes well as Miranda Tate, an energy financier and partner of Wayne Enterprises.
Unfortunately, despite the excellent cast and great ambiance, the plot is this movie’s weak point. Now, the film is good, mind you, but the content doesn’t really live up to the depth of previous installments. While a good deal of lip service is paid to Occupy-esque sentiment and class warfare, the only indication the audience is given as to why the villains are anything other than anarchist thugs are a few brief remarks that there are some eight hundred inmates being held at a high security prison without parole. If this is supposed to fill the viewer with outrage, it does a poor job, considering it is established that the inmates are all in there because they are dangerous, violent criminals, and that they are armed with assault weapons immediately upon their release. Weak rationale for violent uprising aside, the film does make the good point that, regardless of what you might think about the top 1%, the bottom 20% are unlikely to be an improvement.
Aside from the class warfare framing device, the plotline is fairly simplistic. Bane shows up. Batman shows up. The two have a mid-film fight. The two separate and hatch their respective plans, then there’s a finale. There are a few neat plot twists, some nods to earlier installments in the series, and the plot formula does its job, but the story isn’t especially compelling.
Final thoughts: As one might expect from the final installment of the Christopher Nolan “Batman” saga, this is a good movie. It features a great cast, and they all do wonderfully. The art direction is good and works great with the mood. The storyline isn’t really anything to write home about, and its class warfare talk feels more like an attempt at a real world tie-in than an actual reflection on the subject, but it’s enough to carry the film along and take you for a great ride. Definitely worth seeing.
Popkilt 