The Dark Knight Rises - Film Review

Film Review

The Dark Knight Rises

Director: Christopher Nolan

Producers: Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and Charles Roven

Writers: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy and Morgan Freeman

Composer: Hans Zimmer

Film Studios: Warner Bros, Legendary Pictures, Syncopy and DC Comics

Released: 20^th July 2012 (US and UK)

Running Time: 165 Minutes

Budget: $250 Million




Synopsis: Eight years on, a new evil rises from were Batman and Commissioner Gordon tried to bury it, causing Batman to resurface and fight to protect Gotham City... the very city which brands him an enemy. 

Review: The conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’ is a worthy one and a great ending to this great trilogy.

The film starts with a great action sequence which has a great set piece and is well done without special effects which makes it even better. It then switches to ‘Gotham’ and you get a bleak outlook on things and see how the events of the previous film (The Dark Knight) are still affecting people in this film. The first act is quite slow but it makes for some very good character and story development and also doesn't try rushing things along just for the sake of action.

When the action does kick in though it is well done, exciting and puts you on the edge of your seat with one of the best fight scenes I've seen in a long time where you can feel every punch and it just makes it feel that much more real.

The second act in this film sets up for the final part of the film and makes you question how Bruce Wayne/Batman is going to overcome the situation and save not just the city but himself.

The third act is the big finale and is just done so well and had me on the edge of my seat for the last 45 minutes of the film because of how intense it was and also how well the film was executed.

Now to the ending of the movie and I think it was done perfectly and while some may question the ending in my opinion it was a great ending and conclusion to the film and the trilogy.

Now to the cast of the film: Christian Bale returns to play Bruce Wayne/Batman and I think gives his best performance out of the three films. He has a lot of time as Bruce Wayne in this film and at the start shows just how broken he is and what the previous events have done to him physically and emotionally and plays off it very well. He also gets the Batman persona right once again.

The rest of the returning cast play their roles very well once again with Michael Caine having some great speeches and once again has a great performance. Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman are also very good as always and add to the story. There are also a few small appearances from previous cast members which both add to the film and makes sense to the story.

Now to the new cast members: Anne Hathaway surprised me how well she plays Selina Kyle in this movie. She’s gets all the sides of her done well including being sexy, funny and can also kick ass. Tom Hardy plays the villain in the movie, Bane and he is great in the movie and is a great physical match for Batman. He isn’t just muscle though showing he is also very smart as well as a good fighter and I liked that as it reminded me of the Bane from the comics. I also understood his voice through his mask very well and liked how the mask didn't cover his whole face and let you see his emotions which also added to the character. Other new cast members including Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard play do well in their roles and both also add a lot to the movie and show’s how much effort Nolan has put into the characters.

The script and story are both well done and pack a lot into 2 hours 45 minutes of film and don’t rush much of the film and also lets the film unravel slowly. The film is also not predictable and has some good twists with two big ones really adding depth to the film.

The score from Hans Zimmer is once again superb with his music catching the emotion and feel of the film and I can see why Nolan likes working with this guy because his music adds so much to films.

It also executes the use of practical and visual effects with a lot of great set pieces and stunts that are done in real time while some great special effects that make it look real.

I don’t really have any real complaints about the film other than maybe the second act of the film showing more and making it feel like it is over a long period of time but that’s a minor one and doesn't really bother me.

Overall the film is well made, well-acted, some great action, lots of character development, good story, great musical score and just overall a superb summer film and I advise anyone to watch this and the other two films in this trilogy because you’re missing out on some great film making.

Rating: *****