The Dark Knight Rises Review

 

 

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard

Running time: 164 minutes

Certificate: 12A

Synopsis: Eight years after the death of Harvey Dent, Gotham City has triumphed over its criminal underworld and branded the Batman a murderer. But when terrorist Bane arrives to destroy Gotham, Bruce Wayne returns as Batman to save the city and amend his past mistakes…

Unlike many high-profile directors, Christopher Nolan is committed to solid and thoughtful scripts. It’s something often absent from the modern blockbuster (see THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and PROMETHEUS), and it’s reassuring to know some filmmakers still recognise the importance of cinema’s most crucial element – story. Taking a major hand in the writing process, Nolan delivers refreshingly intelligent work. Take 2008’s THE DARK KNIGHT, a structurally sound film in which nothing – no scene, character or dialogue exchange – exists without bearing some significance to the core themes and overall direction. The big question is whether Nolan can do the same with an entire trilogy. But as a director who has barely put a foot wrong, was there ever any doubt he would succeed in making THE DARK KNIGHT RISES a faithful and logical conclusion to cinema’s most exciting franchise?

As Nolan’s third Batman story unfolds, what is most striking is how intrinsically tied each of the films are: eight years after the events of THE DARK KNIGHT, Bruce Wayne is now a different man, one who is about to learn his past mistakes have severe repercussions. As such, the events of the previous two films are profoundly significant, and it prompts the question as to whether Nolan had planned Wayne’s narrative trajectory from the very beginning. If not, he has done a phenomenal job in creating an over-arcing story, the developments of which feel entirely organic. Ultimately, the trilogy is about flawed heroes – examples of whom can be seen in each installment. But THE DARK KNIGHT RISES also stands alone (as each part should) using its own base ideas to great effect. The franchise is no longer concerned with notions of duality and choices – hero versus villain, chaos versus order – but with how we amend the past, and what truths we face in doing so.

Much like THE DARK KNIGHT, it’s the supporting characters that bring depth to these ideas. Last time, the story’s heart and soul belonged to Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart); this time however, it’s Gotham cop John Blake, played brilliantly by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. And he’s not alone, as Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle – otherwise known as Catwoman – plays a major role, nabbing some of the film’s best bits. The regulars are on fine form too (most notably Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon and Michael Caine’s Alfred) and it’s impressive how Nolan takes established characters and tweaks them to perfectly fit his vision, making sound choices in fine-tuning his story whilst remaining reverent to the source material. For those who know the comics, there are plenty of nods, but never at the expense of the story Nolan wants to tell.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is not perfect, however, and it’s possible Nolan has gone slightly too far is developing the film’s inherent themes, layering on a few too many subplots and characters. Consequently, there are lull periods and though it eventually explodes, the film takes a while to kick into gear. Also, the inclusion of Tom Hardy’s Bane as chief villain does make sense in the context of the overall story, but he doesn’t quite connect as Heath Ledger’s Joker did previously (and whether or not Nolan has redubbed it after initial complaints, Bane’s muffled voice is still a problem).

Though THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is perhaps the weakest of the trilogy, it’s important to remember the extremely high benchmark against which it is measured. This is, after all, the franchise that has raised the bar for blockbuster cinema over the last seven years, proving it takes more than special effects to create something of this calibre. And whilst it’s not be the most exciting installment, and lacks some of the best characters, it remains a triumphant conclusion – the result of intelligent and well-structured storytelling. Nolan must have always known the direction his version of Batman was going, which like most great stories has a clear beginning, middle and end. It’s already one of Hollywood’s finest trilogies, and is guaranteed to leave you wanting more. Though it’s frustrating that Nolan has pledged to leave it there, we can also rest safe in the knowledge it’s almost perfect as it is.

 THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is released in UK cinemas 20th July