Christopher Nolan can now finally move on in his profession, able to leave behind his take on the Batman mythos. As the last entry in his Dark Knight trilogy, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is a fitting grand finale, with a great ending to send everyone off, both the characters and the audience. As a film of its own, however, is another story. Nolan certainly had his hands full to try and come up with something after the immensely provocative second entry, THE DARK KNIGHT, and it seems here that he was able to squeak by, making an interesting piece of relevant social commentary among the brief appearances of heavily uniformed individuals. Unfortunately, the bombastic prose, predictable story, and sometimes joyless execution made for more times waiting in your seat instead of cinematic arousal. After a film where chaos and anarchy overcoming a city felt real and honest, you can't just microwave it and expect it to be thrilling once again.
Many years have passed since Batman become a martyr for his beloved Gotham. He took the blame for killing off the so-called new protector of the city, Harvey Dent, and now Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is a recluse from society, even for special events held on his own grounds. The first one to wake him up from some of his stupor is master manipulator and expert cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), who steals his mother's signature pearl necklace. The next person is John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a "hothead" police officer who is aware of Wayne masking his emotions and has the spunk to seek to change Gotham's future for the betterment. Since this comic-book movie is to be a blockbuster, it then must have a deadly antagonist to awaken the Batman again. Enter Tom Hardy as Bane, a genetic freak with a demented breathing mask who wants to successfully annihilate the social infrastructure of Gotham, making everyone equal under his own rule and separation from the rest of America, before literally turning into ashes.
This is a film that absolutely feels like its running time and yet still truncated. Despite having 165 minutes of material, many plot developments are scuttled around, lacking any true sense of danger, and some scenes go way too fast and unexplained. When they move more slowly and easy to digest, they can be filled with Nolan's now-expected heavily laden monologues or twists you expected back in the first reel. Then there are the subplots that reach beyond bafflement into being daffy. One such plot is that Bane is being helped by someone with mob and money ties. If you watch the film, you will know who it is in less than half a nanosecond. Seeing how we all know previously that the Joker partnered up with such individuals before ultimately betraying them in the end, you would think this person also wouldn't err. This person also brings up another crucial problem: Nearly all of the new cast of characters are futile and transitory. For instance, though she is played by the talented and lovely Marion Cotillard, Miranda Tate is a snore, a wavering flower we are supposed to care for and take serious later in the picture. Matthew Modine is wasted opportunity as a police commissioner while Juno Temple is sadly given just a cameo role as Selina's best friend and ally, Holly Robinson. As for Bane, Tom Hardy looks the part and has the fun swagger of the methodical killer, constantly walking with his hands on his armor suspenders, but a lot of times his body language doesn't match up or synch with his ADR voice-over, which was done due to early testing reports of people mishearing all of his words. The voice further comes into question, as it is very sinister at times or can sound like Tod Slaughter just entered the booth.
The only two that get to shine out and make the material worth something are Hathaway and Levitt. Hathaway was a perfect casting decision, not just for being Catwoman but also as a suitable companion/equal to Christian Bale. Like Bale, her "normal persona" is all about subtle movements and quirks while her alter-ego walks the borderline between campy and seriousness. Her rendition of the female tweener is a mixture of Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt; a woman who is approachable while being a bit high-class, yet purrs her way into hearts and violence. Levitt, on the other hand, is thankfully able to continue his advancement as a future leading man and action hero. His reformed orphan turned caring soldier in blue really brings the human warmth to the film, which sadly is not as prominent as it needs to be for this conclusion. Then, of course, you have Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman reprising their welcomed roles to great effect, though Caine is only given a couple of powerful scenes before being removed from the proceedings.
Anyone who enters into the imagination of Christopher Nolan are aware that composer Hans Zimmer is the true superstar. Once again, he delivers a pounding blitzkrieg of noise and triumph, making many memorable pieces of music, especially the signature theme of rising and rebirth. The sound mixer seemed to agree but made the bad decision to often let the music wreck the wall of sound, as actor's lines and sound effects are mere whispers during several key moments. The action sequences are hit or miss, with the important motorcycle chase at the end of the first act, which features the re-appearance of Batman and many dangerous stunts, being the stand-out. Nevertheless, those fun diversions become eclipsed by goofy acts of coercion, such as the sequence where two armies rush at each other, somehow often unable to shoot each other despite being on a one-way street, while at the same time making ample room for two people to fight it out and deliver corny dialogue.
I didn't walk into this film with high expectations or bitter distrust after a week of mean-spirited online debates. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is enjoyable at times but a little too overtly fluffy and laughable solemn. It works in conjunction with the preceding two films and is the second best among them. For some, this will be a big deal for them and/or a momentous masterpiece. I'm glad for what Nolan has done to comic-book films and he does well to an extent here. I might not want to re-watch this over and over again, or truly worth the asking price to see it in IMAX, but it is fine last hurrah.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
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