The Dark Knight Rises

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
The Dark Knight Rises
Released 7/20/12, now in theaters

Christopher Nolan's third Batman installment has finally arrived. It's hard to say what movie has been more anticipated this year, The Avengers or TDKR. I bought my ticket well in advance and I had to stand in a line that led at least a block outside the theater to get in last night. That coupled with how outstanding the first two installments were got me even more hyped as I patiently waited in the rain. I just knew this film would easily challenge The Avengers for best movie of the year. And why wouldn't I think that with Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth), Gary Oldman (Commissioner James Gordon), and Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) returning. Add two major new characters played by Anne Hathaway (Selina Kyle) and Tom Hardy (Bane) and a take on the controversial "Knightfall" storyline and you've got the makings for an epic. Without further ado, let's get this review underway.

Eight years have passed since the ending of The Dark Knight. Batman has not been seen in Gotham City since that fateful night he took the blame for Harvey Dent's death. Bruce Wayne has become a recluse and succumbed to his many injuries when he was the Batman. He's lost and seems to have no rhyme or reason to his life now. He's also made horrible business decisions by sinking much of his considerable fortune into a reactor that, in theory, produces unlimited sustainable energy. The reactor was built by Wayne Enterprises' Applied Science Division but has sat in the confines of the company's underground basement for quite awhile with Bruce not giving the go ahead to use it when he discovers the core of the device can be modified into a nuclear weapon.

Enter Bane, an international mercenary who we discover was excommunicated from Ra's al Ghul's League of Shadows for being too dangerous even by their standards. We first encounter Bane in an unknown location "liberating" a scientist from the custody of the CIA. Bane will use this scientist to turn the Wayne Enterprises reactor into a nuclear weapon to threaten Gotham later in the movie. He is brought to GC by Wayne board member, John Daggett, to destroy Bruce's reputation for Daggett's attempted takeover of WE. Bane does his job extremely well and discredits Bruce with an attack on the Gotham Stock Exchange. Bane even "breaks the bat" when Bruce digs the Bat suit out of the mothballs to go after him and takes over his personal arsenal at WE. Bane takes the gravely injured Batman to the hellish prison he once inhabited. Bane has a plan for GC. He's going to complete Ra's al Ghul's original plan from Batman Begins and destroy GC. But first, he'll declare war on Gotham and make its inhabitants suffer before he destroys them. He's also going to make Bruce watch the carnage through television feed in prison while Bruce can only helplessly watch in the confines of his own broken body.

Enter Selina Kyle, a master cat burglar and manipulator who is as skilled a fighter as the Dark Knight. She gets Bruce back in the game so to speak by stealing his mother's famous (infamous?) pearl necklace from his safe at Wayne Manor. Selina has been hired by Daggett's (and Bane's) agent to obtain Bruce's fingerprints (which are used in Bane's stock exchange attack). She becomes strangely attracted to Bruce and his alter ego. However, that doesn't stop her from leading Batman to Bane for their first encounter. Selina begins to have a change of heart when she sees the beating Batman takes from Bane and learns the full depth of Bane's plans. But can she be convinced to put herself on the line and fight by Batman's side in the end?

Commissioner Gordon knows the city has always needed Batman. It never sat well with him that Batman took the blame for Harvey Dent's death eight years ago and that Harvey is considered a hero. Dent did threaten to kill his son when he had his psychotic break after all. On "Harvey Dent Day", Gordon has prepared a speech to set the record straight but decides better of it. Gordon is the first law officer to encounter Bane in the Gotham sewers. He barely escapes with his life. But, he does drop his speech which Bane later reads to the media after he's taken over GC.

John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a young patrolman and later detective for the GCPD. He has the idealism that Gordan and Bruce seem to have lost. He puts two and two together and deduces Bruce is Batman (worst kept secret in comic book movies by the way). When Bane takes over the city, he goes underground with Gordon to help the citizens of GC. We later discover that John is Blake's middle name. His first name is "Robin." This information will be significant at the end of the film.

So, now, my opinion of TDKR. Drumroll please. Three things come to mind as I attempt to describe my feelings when I sat through it. The first is...Uuuuuuhhhhh. The second is...Uuuuuummmmm. The third is...Wha' happened?!! TDKR is easily the weakest of Christopher Nolan's trilogy. Nolan has a penchant for making reeeeeeaaaaalllly long movies, but at 2 hours and 45 minutes, this got a bit ridiculous. Now before anyone thinks I'm being negative because of the film's  length, that's just not true. I don't mind a long movie when the length of the movie makes sense. I like the first two Godfather movies. Both are long, especially part two. I own all three of the Lord of the Rings movies and the whole Harry Potter collection. Most are long movies. The Dark Knight was extremely long, but an excellent movie. My biggest problem with TDKR is that I just found there to be so much useless exposition. It made the movie plod along for me. Nolan could have easily wiped out 15-20 minutes and still told the story adequately.  There's just too many scenes that kind of meant nothing to the plot. The last 20-30 minutes felt like a Transformers movie. Let's prolong it to see more stuff explode.

I didn't think Bruce/Batman was in proper character.  I've never known Bruce to be conflicted about his alter ego and never would think he would do what he did at the end. I won't say much more about that for fear of giving too much away. Alfred took the role of a needling harpy. I understand that Alfred is concerned and Bruce is like a son to him. But to tell Bruce he shouldn't be Batman is like telling Bruce not to breathe.  DC Comics Knightfall storyline years ago, Alfred leaves briefly when Bruce refuses to slow down after Bane releases the Arkham Asylum inmates.  In TDKR, Alfred just doesn't want him to be Batman any longer when Bruce gets the itch again.  I think he'd want the hairy bum out of the house.  Bruce has been a recluse for years now and only starts wanting to be in the world again when he thinks Batman is needed.  And what's with Alfred's dream of one day seeing Bruce at the cafe or wherever it was he envisioned they would be completely leaving his old life.  That's just not who Bruce Wayne is.  The whole dynamic between Bruce and Alfread just struck a sour chord with me this time.

There is positive news about TDKR. The movie was saved a little in small part to Tom Hardy and in very large part to Anne Hathaway. Hardy is the definitive Bane. Of course, it's not hard to beat the rendition of Bane in Batman and Robin. Bane is portrayed as he should be.  Powerful, ruthless, and erudite. He is every bit the match for Batman mentally and physically. The brains of a scholar in the body of a gorilla. Selina is sexy, smart, and deadly. Hathaway's rendition of this character is the best one yet. The formula for success has been so simple. Take the supernatural nonsense out. Hathaway has the attitude and smoldering playfulness of Selina Kyle nailed. Liam Neeson has cameos in fantasy sequences and flashbacks as the long dead Ra's al Ghul.  His legacy is fully alive in Bane as he cuts a path of destruction in GC as the new leader of the League of Shadows.  But, Bane may not be acting alone.  Another character might be pulling his strings to fullfil al Ghul's deadly plan for GC.

Oh, how I wanted this movie to be off the chain. The movie has a great look. The destruction of the Gotham Knights football field is a spectacular effect. NFL fans should look closely at this scene as the Knights are made up of members of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hines Ward is running the opening kickoff back for the touchdown as the field begins disappearing behind him. I fully expected this movie to compete with The Avengers and Amazing Spider-Man as the best movie of the year. But, sadly it's not in their league. My review and thoughts on TDKR will likely be unpopular. But, I'm not going enter the same group think as so many other critical reviews I've read. I won't lie to anyone who reads my blog. This movie just wasn't up to same standards as the previous two. It falls into the same category as Spider-Man 3 and X-Men: The Last Stand as the worst chapter of a what was shaping up to be a great trilogy.

 Instead of a great story, Nolan gave us a great loud bang with little substance. The only things that elevate the film are Hardy's and Hathaway's performance. Those roles alone are worth enduring this disappointing marathon.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***stars


Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.