The Dark Knight Rises

After The Dark Knight rose above all other superhero movies to give us the best bad guy EVER in the form of the Joker, and one of the best films of all time, film fans were not alone in thinking “This can’t be beat”.  And to be honest, The Dark Knight Rises doesn’t beat it.  But it sure packs a punch; delivering explosions, wit, a more fragile side to Batman, and a perfect end to the trilogy.

In TDK, no-one can argue that the best card in the pack was the Joker.  Heath provided an unforgettable performance, and in TDKR it’s Anne Hathaway who steals the show.  While the film doesn’t have as many comedic moments as TDK, a lot of the witty retorts come from the cat burglar (never explicitly referred to as Catwoman, just with the ears and reflexes).  Female fans will be desperate for Hathaway’s heels, killer stilettos which come in handy in tricky situations.  

All this talk of costumes has distracted from an even more kick-ass part of TDKR. FIGHT SCENES! The first is an impressive plane heist glimpsed in trailers, only let down by the horrific sound quality.  This is something that unfortunately mars the entire film, with significant amount of Bane (Tom Hardy) scenes leaving the audience saying, “Huh?”. Luckily it’s still possible to follow the plot, although DVD subtitles will come in handy for further viewings.  When noise isn’t blaring from the sound system, silence is used to good effect.  The most dramatic moments in the film are allowed to stand on their own; with the audience in stunned silence as well it’s goosebump worthy.  Watch out for the haunting US national anthem at a crucial moment.  

The fights and explosions are appropriately epic, and it makes an interesting change that Batman’s adversary is physically superior.  For the first time, we see Batman’s weak side.

TDKR is epic, both in style and length.  At 164 minutes make sure to splash out for the comfy seats.  

Now comes the time to hail the hero.  As an audience member we truly take a journey with Batman, experience the ups and downs and feel his struggle.  That dramatic trailer line “You’ve given them everything” could easily be the audience crying out to Batman to for once think of himself.  As the Bat symbol burns over Gotham city you can’t help but feel a sense of pride - and the desire to bust out the tights and join the action.

Not to be overlooked, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the upstanding beacon for the future of the Batman series.  He manages to snap Bruce out of his 8-year exile, but really the kudos for caring go to Alfred.  Batman’s relationship with Alfred is both the most heart-warming and heart-wrenching aspect of the film.  Batman protects the city, and Alfred does his best to protect Bruce.  

TDKR is the perfect end to the trilogy, with some neat nods to the previous films (the hellish pit Bruce ends up in clearly mirroring the well in which Batman discovered his namesake).  Nolan can do no wrong, and although this series has come to an end, we can look forward to his hand in 2013’s superhero flick Man of Steel.