As most of you know, I love Batman. He's my favorite fictional character ever (suck it, Jesus). I love Christopher's Nolan's first two Batman films, although I have some qualms and quibbles about how he handles the character-- the fact that he grounded him so heavily in reality seems like a hindrance at times, but I understand why he did what he did to tell the Batman stories he wanted to tell.
Like some of you, like Nolan himself, I was left with a lot of questions and concerns about where a third film would take us after Heath Ledger's death. Should there be another movie? Would it stack up to the first two films? What about Harvey Dent?
I'm happy to say that The Dark Knight Rises is a fantastic movie, and a perfect ending to Nolan's trilogy. Not only that, but it makes Batman Begins a better movie in hindsight, tying everything together in a nice little package of Batman Awesomeness.
The Dark Knight left Batman as the fall guy for several murders, the most important being Harvey Dent's. For eight years, Bruce has secluded himself in Wayne Manor, not even leaving the house, leaning heavily on a cane. Dent's and Rachel Dawes' death have left Bruce broken, thinking he can sink no further.
Enter Bane. Tom Hardy's presence in this film is powerful, as powerful as Ledger's Joker but for different reasons. Like the Joker in The Dark Knight, Bane has a point to make. Unlike the Joker, who wanted to show that anyone is capable of madness and destruction given just the right push, Bane wants to rob Gotham of hope. He wants to show Bruce Wayne/Batman that he doesn't understand what being broken truly is. He wants to show the world that even their symbols can be broken.
Anne Hathaway plays Selina Kyle with relish. I had concerns about her in the role (and yes, the Julie Newmar-esque costume still looks really fucking stupid), but her performance sells it. The first time she meets Bruce, wearing his mother's pearls and kicking his cane out from under him to jump out the window, I was sold. She has a few good moments in the movie, and isn't wasted or an afterthought or given a stupid origin like Batman Returns, which was a huge relief.
Nolan wastes no time getting into the action or establishing any character's backgrounds; the recurring characters are known to the audience and the new ones are pretty easily figured out. No character is wasted, no scene runs too long, and it's all wonderfully realized in the end.
I'll save the detailed plot summary and just get into the things that really made this movie shine. Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Gary Oldman as Gordon, showing that the lies told about Dent truly weigh upon him. Michael Caine, as always, the best Alfred ever. Liam Neeson's and Cillian Murphy's respective cameos. The last-minute plot twist.
Bane's fight with Batman mid-movie is brutal, and I'm surprised Nolan actually broke the Bat. Bane being kicked out of the League of Shadows was a nice touch, and having them square off--the star pupil who 'graduated' and rejected his mentor's mission, who surpassed his mentor and even brought about his death versus a man who came to finish what Ra's started-- was really cool to see. "Theatricality! Misdirection! Powerful tools to the uninitiated! But we are initiated..." Bane's handling in the movie was one of its many triumphs. The Joker gave Batman a psychological run for his money; Bane levels the playing field.
Honestly, the mid-movie reveal that Bane might be Ra's al Ghul's son almost lost me. For a moment there, I thought Nolan was doing something really fucking dumb and going all Spider-man 3 on us, but Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate's last-minute heel turn saved it. If I had any harsh criticism to level at the film, it would be her character. I suppose the twist with her wouldn't have worked nearly as well if the general audience saw it coming, but I did. I'd heard the rumors that she was supposed to be Talia al Ghul and thought several times throughout the movie that it was only a rumor. Good on Nolan for keeping us guessing.
There are so many callbacks to Batman Begins that it's almost impossible to go into this one without having seen it recently. I'd recommend brushing up on at least Begins before heading to the multiplex for sure.
Nolan has crafted an excellent movie (he's never made a bad one, in my opinion) and set the bar very high for comic movies in the future, and that may not be a good thing. Although the tone is perfect for Batman, I fear too many movie studios will think every superhero has to be dark and gritty and grounded in realism. But I digress. What Nolan has done is take some of the best ideas from the Batman mythos and made them relevant to our times, and for many generations to come.
This is Nolan's answer to The Dark Knight Returns. A retired Batman has to come back, but not to fulfill his own selfish, facist asshole tendencies like Returns. Batman comes back because Gotham needs him to come back. Because Batman is necessary, as a symbol, to Gotham and to us, to prove that one person can make a difference and instill hope even when the world is literally crumbling around us.
Gotham always needs Batman. And John (Robin?) Blake may not immediately inherit the cape and cowl, as the last shot teases, but the nods to Grant Morrison's Batman, Incorporated are there and made this Batman fan smile. I keep thinking of Batman's words toward the end of The Dark Knight:
"Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded."
As a fan of both Batman and Christopher Nolan, I definitely feel like The Dark Knight Rises was a rewarding experience.
It goes without saying that I'm going to see it again. Cheers to Nolan and company for a great three films.
-Swift
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