Went to stupid lengths to see The Dark Knight Rises, but ... it was worth.
1. In light of the tragic shooting event at this film's premiere in Denver, just sitting at the movie and enjoying the big screen was no longer something we can take for granted. Paranoia is now part of going to the movies.
2. Because the first two movies of this trilogy are so good, and there was so much hype leading up to this film, there was no way The Dark Knight Rises could be viewed as an equal, or worthy. It's not. This is a very good movie that stands on its own, but it will lose in the comparison game and on the "hype worthy" meter.
3. Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle and Catwoman steals every scene she is in. She is not as commanding as Heath Ledger's Joker, but every time Hathaway is on the screen she grabs it. Hathaway must have worked out 25 hours a day to fit into that Catwoman outfit. Like Christian Bale's turn as Bruce Wayne, Hathaway gives you the sense that Selina Kyle is very smart, and seriously damaged.
4. Unlike every other comic book turned movie, The Dark Knight Rises establishes a level of credibility despite the nature of its content. It feels real. Some of that has to do with the A-list cast, beginning with Christian Bale who convinces you Bruce Wayne could be real.
4.5 It may have been the theater, but the score was so loud I was unable to hear all of the dialogue.
5. Beginning with the opening action sequence on a plane, director Christopher Nolan once again comes up with a series of breath taking fight scenes that are well designed and choreographed. The last 40 minutes of this film are a slow, pulsating race up a flight of stairs.
6. The movie is about 20 minutes too long and has one too many characters. But who is going to tell Nolan to cut this scene or that scene, and drop this guy or that girl? Right. No one. Not even the studio. You almost got the feel Nolan didn't want the movie to end.
6.5 Does the movie try really hard to make a statement about our political system being in bed with Wall Street? Uh. Hell. Yes.
7. The movie effectively wraps up the story arc that started in Batman Begins in a way that brings to mind The Lord of the Rings saga.
8. Speaking of ... not sure that it will happen, but the movie is set up for a new trilogy. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Robin is calling. Don't say no.
9. One of the film's biggest problems is that Tom Hardy's "Bane" is good villain but he isn't Ledger's The Joker. There are certain standards that are simply too high. Hardy can be hard to understand with that mask, which is not entirely explained, and he is a menacing nut case ... he just isn't The Joker.
10. I'll see it again. And I'll buy it on DVD, Blue Ray, VHS, Betamax.
MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
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This film was far better than the first two. The Joker symbolized chaos lashing out against order, Bane represents humility to an order gone complacent, and based on lies - as such, Bane is more complex, more evolved. He is, as he said, "reckoning," not merely reaction. Each character experienced in themselves what Gotham did as a whole - from Lucius losing his armory to villains, Alfred abandoning his charge as caregiver, Selena coming to terms with the reality of the illusion of a classless society, even what's his name throwing his badge off the bridge after being shot at by the police - yet all of these characters regain hope and aspiration. Even Gotham, class warfare aside, knows full well it doesn't want rich or poor destroyed by a nuclear bomb. These are meaningful issues played out well in a brilliant film.
Posted by: marc | 07/23/2012 at 09:22 AM