"Dark Knight Rises" Over the Top

I must start out by saying "The Dark Knight Rises" is an amazing film. In fact, it's the best film I've seen in the theater this year. Not only does it live up to the first two films in Christopher Nolan's Batman film trilogy, but it also exceeds them in some ways.

"The Dark Knight Rises" takes the best of "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" and rolls them up in one over-the-top package, serving as a very fitting conclusion to the series. It has a madman villain and a massive scale plot to take down Gotham City. Then again, what good Batman story doesn't have those things.

Picking up eight years after the events of "The Dark Knight," the film sees most of Gotham's citizens remembering Harvey "Two Face" Dent as a hero and believing Batman to have killed him. Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale, reluctantly returns from a self-imposed exile from society after a terrorist named Bane stages attacks in the city.

In "The Dark Knight Rises," Nolan once again does a masterful job of mixing together themes and events from the Batman comics in a more realistic setting. The film draws from some well known story arcs, especially Knightfall--the arc that introduces Bane to the comic--and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns--an alternate world story where an older Bruce Wayne returns from retirement.

"The Dark Knight Rises" is a pretty fast paced film. It has a complex story and plenty of action so, while it does feel like a long film, it's the type of film that makes you want it to keep going. (Unless of course you drank too much soda and really need to use the restroom.)

However, even though I did love "The Dark Knight Rises," I don't think it is as good as the previous film. "The Dark Knight" is such an excellent film on so many levels that it is very difficult to top. Heath Ledger's chilling and disturbing portrayal of the Joker mixed with the right amount of humor in "The Dark Knight" is perfection. Of course, there is a reason why the Joker is considered to be not only one of Batman's greatest foes, but also one of the greatest comic book villains of all time.

"The Dark Knight Rises" focuses more on Bruce and his personal struggles than it does on his alter ego so the film doesn't include as many scenes of him in the cape and cowl than I expected. The film also doesn't feature as much of the character Selina Kyle--better known as Catwoman in the comic--as I hoped for. Selina's back story is hinted at as being similar to that of the comic book version but isn't explained in any real detail. In the film, Selina is a cat burglar and con artist who gets wrapped up in Bane's plot.

Speaking of Catwoman, a lot of people questioned whether actress Anne Hathaway could pull off the role of Selina Kyle. I'll admit Hathaway wouldn't have been my first choice, but I think she is a phenomenal actress and I trust Nolan's casting choices. Many, including me, thought the same about Heath Ledger and of course he proved everyone wrong. I'm used to thinking of Hathaway as the "nice girl" in movies but she completely captures Selina's sultry, sarcastic attitude and toughness. She doesn't go as over the top with the sexuality (nope, she doesn't brandish a whip) or affinity for cats as most previous portrayals such as the 1960s "Batman" television series and the recent "Batman: Arkham City" video game.

Julie Newmar's Catwoman costume

I also have to take a moment to discuss the costume. To me, it appears as if the Catwoman costume is mostly inspired by the one made famous in the 1960s series by Julie Newmar. I think the costume used in the current comics looks realistic enough to be used in the film. Actually the costume in the film seems to incorporate elements from different Catwoman costumes, including the goggles from the current comic costume. I think the thigh high boots with the six inch heels are a bit much, even though it turns out they do have a pretty cool use.

Tom Hardy also does an amazing job embodying the character Bane, even if he doesn't provide as chilling or compelling a villain as Ledger's Joker. The film mixed parts of Bane's back story with its larger, overall plot and made Bane as imposing intellectually as he is physically.

It goes without saying but I'll mention anyway that Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman all repeat their stellar performances from the first two films as Bruce Wayne, Wayne's butler and closest confidant Alfred Pennyworth, lawman Commissioner Jim Gordon and Wayne's second closest ally Lucius Fox.

Many of the film's events and plot twists are predictable, especially if you are familiar with the Batman comic story lines. While predictability might be a major flaw in some other movies, it works in the favor of this film because it adds to the excitement. When I was watching the movie, there were a few points where I was anxiously anticipating certain events that I knew were coming. In every instance the film provides a more than satisfying pay off. 

From this point on I'm going to discuss a few last thoughts involving some specific plot details from the film so here is the obligatory spoiler alert.

I'm somewhat of a purist so I like a film to stay as close to the original material as possible. I don't mind some deviation, especially when the translation is a different take on the original book or comic as is the case with the Nolan Batman films. 

I think Nolan did a great job adding some small nods to the comic in the films but I have to mention the whole Robin thing. Only because I am a major Nightwing/Dick Grayson fan, I would have so much loved if it turned out that Joseph Gordon Levitt's character John Blake's birth name was Richard Grayson. If that happened, my head might have actually exploded. I know that is too much to ask for because it wouldn't necessarily make sense for the character to have changed his name but I couldn't help hoping for that the entire time I was watching the movie. 

Throughout the film, it is strongly foreshadowed that Blake would eventually take over for Bruce Wayne. I realize that his characterization and background--being an orphan and a cop and figuring out Batman's secret identity--is an amalgamation of the various Robins from the comic, namely Grayson, Jason Todd and Tim Drake. So in the end, when we find out that John Blake isn't his birth name I was just waiting to hear "Richard" or "Grayson" or something. Hearing his real first name was Robin is a decent nod to the comic but I wish they took it one step further and used one of the names from the comic.

Speaking of supposedly original characters, the fact that Marion Cotillard's character Miranda Tate turned out to be Talia Al Ghul was the worst kept secret in recent movies. Despite all the denials from Nolan and Cotillard, everyone knew. The only problem I have is that "Miranda" was suddenly in a League of Shadows (or League of Assassins in the comic) style outfit before the reveal, which made it even more obvious. But I'm just glad it turned out to be true because it was the perfect way to bring the story back to Ra's Al Ghul's plot to destroy Gotham from "Batman Begins."

I think the ending tied up the trilogy in a very fitting way while leaving the story open, which illustrates how life goes on and the war on crime is never ending. I do like that Bruce faked his death and ended up with Selina. I always liked her better as a love interest for Bruce than I did Talia. And whether Robin ends up using the name Nightwing or becomes Batman or just uses his own name isn't important. It's enough to know the he is taking up the mantle and that the story goes on even if this film series is over.