Dark Knight Rises Review

Good, but not nearly as good as the other two. I found this film pretty awesome, but some major issues stuck out for me.

So this is a weird one to react to. The film was good; good story well put together, well acted, but there was something lacking.

After much time spent thinking in my procrastination cave, I’ve come to the conclusion that this film essentially lacked the underlining message of it’s predecessors. Now I’m not saying that the fist two Nolan films had the same message, but that they both had a message that manifested by the end of them. Batman Begins was about how Bruce Wayne had to learn that it wasn’t who he thought he was on the inside that mattered, but what he did about it that was his defining feature. The Dark Knight was about, seeing oneself become a villain or symbol thereof and by extension the dangers of power.

In this film, we get kind of half a message of not giving up in the face of a set back or initial failure, but that runs thin so quickly that by half way through the film, Batman has to be re-crippled so that he can seemingly learn the whole lesson all over again. This comes at the expense of the second act of the film, which, in itself, is the reason that this one drops below the other two on the quality scale. Too much time is spent retreading old steps and literally learning the lessons that have been learnt four seconds ago.

Another thing that really bugs me is Catwoman. Anne Hatheway does a sterling job in the role, but the problems come in the love interest element to the character. Namely that she’s more of a friend/begrudging enemy of Batman, up until the end where she suddenly decides she’s a love interest. Given the pretty significant reveal about the other main female of the film, it’s clear why she had to step up to the plate, but the rate that she goes from using Batman for safety and snogging him seemed a bit contrived, as though it’s been tagged on to the script very late on.

Christian Bale continues to deliver as both Batman and Bruce Wayne, bringing new elements to both. For example, he frequently dials back the Bat-voice while in costume, to be more recognisable to those who already know his secret identity, which, incidentally, seems to be almost everyone, and shows a far more damaged version of Wayne to the world.

YAWN….tired now, this is a good film, but the second act lets it down royally, but other than that, it does a fine job of completing the Nolan trilogy. Performances all round are good. Actions good and gadgets are AWESOME!