Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises
Friday, July 20, 2012 at 3:37AM | SortaGeek Okay, this will have to be brief as it is 3:30am, and I'm exhausted. But the new Batman movie is a strange phenomenon with people in line when I left the theater at 3am. People were in line to see this movie at the crack of dawn. It was amazing.
I will do away with what was bad. Bane was a ridiculous villain, mostly because of that damn mask, and well, he just would not seem like the penultimate anti-hero. Sure he was there for iconic scenes from the comic book, but as a main villain he was subpar at best. He was supposed to be a hulking brute, not a criminal mastermind (CORRECTION: Thanks to Roy for pointing out that Bane was a criminal mastermind. Damn "Batman & Robin" movie ruining everything that is good and just in the world.). Then there was Catwoman, and the bad thing about her was that there was NOT enough of her. I wanted more Anne Hathaway, doing what she does best. Finally, the overall feel of the movie. This is a long ass movie, and I think it needed all that time in there, but it just could have been paced better. I was interested throughout, but yeah, the reintroduction of Batman just seemed lackluster, and some plot points seemed to fall short.
Now onto the good stuff. Fan service everywhere with nods to the comic books throughout. Throw away comments here and there smiled at those in the know and it was definitely nice to see those little geeky easter eggs. Commissioner Gordon was all over the place, and I liked it. Gary Oldman got to flex his chops as one of the best Gotham PD has to offer, and it showed. The Batman, Alfred dynamic was great, Christian Bale used less raspy voice for a much more fun Batman. Then there's the guy that came out of left field with Joseph Gordon Levitt who I cheered for from the beginning. Such a good guy.
via - WhoGotTheRole.com
The way that all three movies are interwoven, as I did see the special trilogy screening in theaters, and I have to admit, it was golden. Sure if you were following the Dark Knight Rises news and spoilers you kind of knew what was going on and what was going to happen, but did not make any scene less impressive. All around it was a great movie with a great cast, everyone getting time in the sunlight and showing off their strength as actors and actresses.
My final positive thing about the movie, which was a huge complaint in the past, were the blurry fight scenes. In this film, you can see the Batman fight the baddies with a stationary camera watching all the action. The only problem is, you can see how slow Christian Bale is with his martial arts, so it is not as convincing as the blurry cam from Batman Begins.
A fascinating, if not long story, crazy fans, plenty of easter eggs, and...oh wait, I didn't get to the absolute best part. The ending! The final minutes of the film were worth the journey alone. It was a fantastic way to finish a trilogy, especially one as complex and fun as Batman. Things happen for a reason, and if I didn't know this was going to be the last film, I would have thought more would be made.
Go watch it now. I'm going to watch it again. I'm giving it 8 batarangs out 10.
UPDATE: Unfortunately, also tragedy struck for this premiere as people lost their lives trying to watch this movie. An event no one could see coming, and our prayers go out to the families who lost loved ones this morning.
Alfred, Anne Hathaway, Bane, Christian Bale, batman, catwoman, comic book, dark knight rises, geek, movie, nerd, review in Movies, Review | Permalink 
Reader Comments (6)
Dude, Bane IS a criminal mastermind. He was one of the few people to figure out Bruce Wayne = Batman. He has intellect that rivals Batman (not Christian Bale Batman, mind you), and has on more than one occasion outsmarted the Bat.
He is known for his brute strength, yes, but the mental prowess is usually overlooked, so the fact that it's included is actually a nod toward the fans.
Thank you Roy. Yeah, I may have based my bias on Bane from what little I remember from Knightfall and other iterations of Bane. I appreciate the correction. I also blame the horrid 1997 Batman and Robin movie for implanting the more brutish Bane into my mind. Personally I don't like Bane as a final villain for the trilogy. I still think another choice would have been better; like a more staple villain from the Batman universe (ie Penguin, Riddler, etc.). Either way, your info on Bane being a mastermind makes me appreciate him more.
Glad I could do that for you, and you have helped deepen my bitterness toward those older movies.
As far as final Batman villains go, they already used the two biggest ones: Ra's al Ghul and The Joker. Penguin and Riddler are smalltime comparatively. I feel Bane is the best compromise between famous villain and challenge for Batman. It's interesting you mention Knightfall considering it was there that Bane made the greatest mark on Batman history there by literally and figuratively "breaking the Bat." The whole thing was a scheme created by Bane to weaken Batman so that Bane could finish off his weakened foe.
I can't really say more since I haven't seen the movie, though, so expect another reply after I see it (which would probably happen in about a week.)
Well Roy, happy I can foster a growing hatred for those mediocre Batman flicks. You're definitely much more versed in the Batman mythos than I am, so I appreciate where you're coming from with Penguin and Riddler, though I still would have liked them better as villains. Either way, I hope you enjoy The Dark Knight Rises, and I look forward to your thoughts on the movie.
Well, I've finally watched it, and I can say that I was not disappointed. I'm someone who enjoyed the two previous movies, so I was holding this one to some high expectations. Bane, I felt, was done pretty decently. His backstory was adapted from the comics to fit the movie's plot better, but was still fairly faithful, so that was good. As a character, he was exactly what he needed to be: intimidating. He was charismatic and he was a man firm in his beliefs, which is a dangerous combination. Throw in his physical and mental prowess and you've got yourself someone who's all but unbeatable. Still, the way he was portrayed could have been almost comical if not for the actor. Tom Hardy brought his A game and the presentation, the presence of the man was undeniably overwhelming.
Moving on from Bane, Selena Kyle was also done wonderfully. A masterful social engineer armed with a dexterity score that would make even Houdini blush, Catwoman stole every scene she was in. There's really nothing more to say that wouldn't be me gushing about how fantastic she was, so we'll skip right past that.
Blake was a total good guy, just like you said, and there was something you couldn't help but like in him.
The plot was quite fun, and, although the pacing was a bit awkward, it tied itself together pretty nicely. This is definitely a movie worth watching, even if you weren't a fan of the preceding films.
Great review of the movie, and I couldn't agree with you on many of those points. I too enjoy the trilogy as a whole, and I actually enjoyed this movie the best of the three because of Selena Kyle and Bane's ridiculous accent. It was able to fit so much movie in what did not even feel like 3 hours. I'm glad this series ended on a high note, as another person I spoke to about this movie, was hoping that it would end on a downer. Still, happy to get your insight on the film, and thanks for giving me your take on it. One of my favorite things about film is how easy it is to get into a good discussion about it. I hope to find another film that will fit into that wheel house and look forward to your take on it.