The Dark Knight Rises – The Review

The Dark Knight Rises – The Review - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjcKjSDxgww

My utmost and deepest condolences to all the victims and families of Colorado… It was horrible to hear of what happened… May such barbaric acts never happen again… God bless all…

So this is really IT…!!! After4 years since 2008 with The Dark Knight making 1.1 Billion at the Box Office Worldwide, people have been literally dying to see Christian Bale reprise his role as the Millionaire, ultra spaced out Mr. Brue Wayne who fights crime as a caped crusader using the name Batman to create an aura of invincibility to save people of Gotham…


2012 has been an epic year to say the least…!!! We just got over the 1.4 Billion Avengers and then the re-booted Amazing Spider-Man which has made 614 Million till date… Still we are more than happy to watch another Super Hero movie, boy what an appetite…???




So the anticipation has been fever pitch… Everyone’s been on the edge to watch the film… That the movie will definitely gross around 800 Million is a given by any standard… The Nolan and Bale combination is ruthlessly good at portraying a deep and dark world that is very different from most other Super Hero flicks… The only question then is – how good is the movie??? That it can’t be bad or negative has already been settled, that’s what I’ve been trying to say so far…

The Nolan Bale Trilogy... Batman Begins in 2005 made @ 150 Million made 372 Million... Appreciated by most and authenticated as class, this became the stepping stone for greater things to come... The Dark Knight made @ 185 Million made 1.1 Billion... Outrageous performances from the star cast with a simple yet effective plot the movie was a blockbuster breaking several records and firmly created The Dark Knight Legend...

 

 

For me the experience of The Dark Knight Rises was good but not epic or outrageously setting my world on fire types… There were certain aspects which I loved a lot and a few which left me a little disappointed… So first the good…

The cinematography, shooting angels, larger than life shots, less use of CGI, brilliant back ground music, excellent editing, lack of 3D (I am not a big fan of 3D) were a treat to watch…

Most Super Hero action sequences are 90% CGI but it is well known that Nolan is not a big fan of CGI and as a result the fight scenes between Bane and Batman are very very good to watch… That Bane pummels Batman more often than not is another matter altogether, but I really enjoyed watch a Super Hero and a villain go hand to hand and show their real strength… Full marks on this aspect… Zimmer’s music and Nolan’s vision for anarchy have to be appreciated…

Christian Bale as Brue Wayne/Batman is simply superb… 5/5... If Heath Ledger as The Joker was the highlight of The Dark Knight, I have to admit that in this movie, Bale has pushed himself beyond the ordinary… His looks, dialogue delivery, graceful fighting scenes, look of despair in the eyes when facing failure and charm are noteworthy… At 38 Bale is an Oscar winner and has proved he is the complete package… Loved his acting and wish to see more of him soon…

Anne Hathway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman is hugely impressive… For me this was a surprise… I don’t think Hathway got a very good character build up or history link up but her rather suave and highly agile performance was very good… She lent a lot of grace to Catwoman…

 

Bruce and Alfred... In the eight years gone by Bruce has aged a lot and hardly meets anyone... His relationship with Alfred is classic... Nolan hit the sweet spot correctly... There's just the right amount of love and respect and disagreement between the two regarding the need for Batman to rise...

Lucius Fox and Bruce... Fox is back with all the classy tech for Batman... The Bat is unique and a wonderfully executed concept... Watch it and enjoy Batman's latest toy...

So… On the good part I guess that’s where it ends…

Now on the not so good part… And let me be crystal clear… I am not saying it was bad… But what I am saying is that it was just not that good…. In comparison to let’s say The Dark Knight or Batman Begins or even Iron Man or The Avengers…


The script… Sometimes it’s a bit too much is happening for my comfort and there are some lose ends…

Batman’s entry scene lacked genuine “shock and awe”, it should have been better… After all he was coming back after eight years…!!!


Catwoman’s origins could have been exploited more for showcasing her ultimate choices…

Bane’s mask was too big… This meant that Tom Hardy’s face couldn’t be seen at all and his acting efforts are left largely incapable of high appreciation… A few painful scenes showing Bane’s mask off and letting us see his true darkness could have helped create the aura of the Joker and wouldn’t necessarily have hurt… Hardy's performance is good...

Also I think Nolan invested a little too much to showcase the ideology of the hero and the villain… This complicated some of the sub-plots and made the length of the movie too long… At close to 3 hours there are times when you start to see around to the surrounding you are sitting in… Take The Dark Knight for that matter - how Harvey Dent becomes the crime fighter to a criminal was shown very well... The Dark Knight Rises is to many pieces in one place...


I know it’s not fair but compare this movie to The Avengers or Iron Man or anyone of Marvels movies – but I have to add that one immediately feels that Marvel’s movies are for a wider audience (kids and adults), slightly less violent, have a sense of humor aspect, more entertaining and have shorter duration… I guess the answer to this is that Nolan’s brief has always been to show case the ideology more than anything else and Bruce Wayne is perhaps a deeply hurt, still resentful and more brooding a character than Tony Stark or Dr. Bruce Banner…

Hope... Faith... Fear... Symbol... Legend... These are Nolan's trademark to define Bruce Wayne and Batman... Rather unusual and unpleasant to see Bane out match Batman mentally and physically initially... I guess for many people the Epic lies in showcasing the inner fight between Bruce and his will to save Gotham... I think that the ideology was admirably captured in the 1st movie and need not necessarily have been revisited... 

Bottom line, my point is - There’s no - “Dr. Banner now might be a really good time for you to get angry”… “That’s my secret Captain, I’m always angry” - moment in the film… To me that was the disappointment… Still not a negative, just a disappointment…!!!

All in all I was happy that I watched the movie… I enjoyed it… But I didn’t clap with excitement or shudder with fear throughout… Like I did when I watched the Avengers thrice…!!! Among Nolan’s trilogy I will rank them in the following order of preference – Batman Begins – short, crisp and logical ideology for the inception of Batman (the best amongst the movies); The Dark Knight – great action, Joker’s role, Dent turning into the villain, caste performance and the ending (it is also very long but acceptable); and then The Dark Knight Rises…

Fuzzy-O-Meter:
3.5/5 – Definitely watch it once for Bale’s brilliance as Batman/Bruce Wayne, for he may never wear the Bat suit again… It’s dark and more serious than your average Super Hero movie, so be prepared… Epic is one word I would not use for this movie… Decently entreating and thought provoking are more like it… There’s no Shock and Awe… 

A picture of most of the key characters from the Trilogy... Full credit to each... All actors have performed extremely well... They created something worth watching... Nolan and Zimmer should have to be mentioned... Not sure what WB have in mind for the Batman in the future but for anything to surpass the legend of The Dark Knight, they will have to work bloody hard, coz the bar is set very high...