On Thursday
night, I went to Harkins Theatres with a group of friends to view the final
film in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, The
Dark Knight Rises. Going into the film, I didn’t want to get my hopes up
too high. The Dark Knight, in my
eyes, is one of the most flawless films I’ve ever seen in my lifetime
(storyline, casting, music, cinematography, and so on). When the soundtrack to The Dark Knight
Rises was released on July 17th, I downloaded the entire album
right away, and knew Hans Zimmer had worked his magic again, with the final
installment. It gave me hope that the
film might live up to its predecessor, The
Dark Knight.
If you have seen any of the numerous previews, you already know that the main villains are Bane (Tom Hardy) and Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). Out to protect Gotham in the place of the Batman (who has now been missing for 8 years, since taking the wrap for the murders Harvey Dent committed) are Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and police officer Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). When Bane proves to be much too powerful for the Gotham police force, after his long absence, the Dark Knight… Rises.
In the course of this film, I realized how much there was to the story. It almost seemed like the storyline was overcomplicated to the point where it was too much. I’m not saying it was hard to follow; it was just a lot to take in during the course of one movie. I understand that Nolan really had to tie up loose ends with this being the final film, but that, combined with the introduction of Bane, Catwoman, and Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), felt almost overwhelming.
Christopher Nolan really knows how to cast his films. Tom Hardy doesn’t look all that terrifying as himself but he was by far the most horrifying of all the Batman villains in this series - There was nothing redeeming about him. When he broke Batman’s back (which you would already know if you read the comics), I just sat there in shock. He shows no mercy.
I know a lot of people were unsure of Anne Hathaway being cast as Catwoman, but I couldn’t see anyone else playing this version of Catwoman. I loved Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, but in this specific trilogy Anne was perfect.
And I have to give credit to Michael Cane for managing the break my heart in every single scene he was in. Another special credit to my main man, Morgan Freeman, for being Morgan Freeman.
I felt unsure of the timeline throughout the film, and I kind of gave up trying to figure it out towards the last hour of the film. Other than that and the storyline being jam packed, I enjoyed the film. It was NOT by any means better than The Dark Knight, but I left the theatre satisfied with how Nolan ended the trilogy that I’ve been attached to since Batman Begins came out in theatres in 2005. Christian Bale was a great addition to the legacy of the Batman, and Hans Zimmer was the perfect movie score composer for these films. His music really set the tone for all the films. Thank you, Christopher Nolan, for these films. I may not have been super impressed with The Dark Knight Rises over The Dark Knight, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see it.
I suggest that everyone who has seen the first two films to go see The Dark Knight Rises and judge for yourself. SEE IT. It’s worth it, especially if you’ve followed the films up to this point.
One last thing: At the very end, when the girl is like ‘’you should go by your legal name, I like _____”.
REALLY?
If you have seen any of the numerous previews, you already know that the main villains are Bane (Tom Hardy) and Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). Out to protect Gotham in the place of the Batman (who has now been missing for 8 years, since taking the wrap for the murders Harvey Dent committed) are Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and police officer Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). When Bane proves to be much too powerful for the Gotham police force, after his long absence, the Dark Knight… Rises.
In the course of this film, I realized how much there was to the story. It almost seemed like the storyline was overcomplicated to the point where it was too much. I’m not saying it was hard to follow; it was just a lot to take in during the course of one movie. I understand that Nolan really had to tie up loose ends with this being the final film, but that, combined with the introduction of Bane, Catwoman, and Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), felt almost overwhelming.
Christopher Nolan really knows how to cast his films. Tom Hardy doesn’t look all that terrifying as himself but he was by far the most horrifying of all the Batman villains in this series - There was nothing redeeming about him. When he broke Batman’s back (which you would already know if you read the comics), I just sat there in shock. He shows no mercy.
I know a lot of people were unsure of Anne Hathaway being cast as Catwoman, but I couldn’t see anyone else playing this version of Catwoman. I loved Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, but in this specific trilogy Anne was perfect.
And I have to give credit to Michael Cane for managing the break my heart in every single scene he was in. Another special credit to my main man, Morgan Freeman, for being Morgan Freeman.
I felt unsure of the timeline throughout the film, and I kind of gave up trying to figure it out towards the last hour of the film. Other than that and the storyline being jam packed, I enjoyed the film. It was NOT by any means better than The Dark Knight, but I left the theatre satisfied with how Nolan ended the trilogy that I’ve been attached to since Batman Begins came out in theatres in 2005. Christian Bale was a great addition to the legacy of the Batman, and Hans Zimmer was the perfect movie score composer for these films. His music really set the tone for all the films. Thank you, Christopher Nolan, for these films. I may not have been super impressed with The Dark Knight Rises over The Dark Knight, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see it.
I suggest that everyone who has seen the first two films to go see The Dark Knight Rises and judge for yourself. SEE IT. It’s worth it, especially if you’ve followed the films up to this point.
One last thing: At the very end, when the girl is like ‘’you should go by your legal name, I like _____”.
REALLY?
Overall, this is not only a perfectly fitting ending to an incredible trilogy; it is also my favorite flick of the year, so far. Much like The Dark Knight, this will probably shoot to the top of critic’s lists, even though some of the reception for this have so far, been a little discouraging, but that’s expected when you have so much hype to live up to. Good review Alexis.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI'm just trying to get a hang of this film review art, since I always have so many opinions!
I was curious how you would put this.... I have to say I agree with you on it, as well. I'm curious though: Will they make the bad move of continuing the storyline in another movie? Financially speaking, it would benefit them, but.... I'm not so sure it should be done.
ReplyDelete-The Ginger One (you know who this is)
P.S. I agreee with your p.s. :)
You know, I really don't think they would do a 'Robin' series of films after this point. The Dark Knight trilogy is what it is, and Nolan has said he wouldn't continue with it.
DeleteIf they ever decide to do a series, and Nolan isn't on board, I will be very disappointed.
Dan O. posts: "Overall, this is not only a perfectly fitting ending to an incredible trilogy"
ReplyDeleteThis was the most anticipation-shattering ending that I have seen in a long time. It was a crap ending with a bullshit inclusion of Robin, which was NOT the original (or any other) Robin's name in any way other than the superhero aspect. It was a poor setup for another movie in a trilogy that already had it's third chapter. Christopher Nolan cannot expect to keep this franchise going if these are the decisions he is going to make concerning film production: Hey, we're getting close to the end... let's just wrap it up and get it out there. NOT a good philosophy.
I don't think it was a ''crap ending'', it just didn't go how anyone expected. We all thought Batman was dead, and I know that I personally had accepted it.
DeleteNolan has said that he will not continue with the series, so no need to worry about that.
I feel like it was a cleverly thought-out ending, I just think it had to many elements to it.
TDKR was absolutely meant to bookend the trilogy with Batman Begins. It felt more like a sequel to Begins while TDK was more of a single episode in Batman's career between the Begins and TDKR. That being said, there are going to be those who say that TDK was the best of the three and this was always doomed to be the worst of the three because of the hype generated after TDK.
ReplyDeleteGive it this though: TDK had the luxury of a pre-established universe and the inevitable promise of a sequel, thus allowing Nolan to flesh out the villans and major characters without having to worry about establishing a world/characters (Begins) or tying up all the major plots and characters (TDKR). You cannot compare TDK to TDKR, they are simply different animals in terms of the trilogy's arc
TL;DR: TDKR should be viewed as the arc-sequel to Begins while TDK is a detour/simply an episode between the two bookends.
It isn't just an episode to a lot of people. TDK changed Batman in so many different ways, that it moved the story along, even if there was an 8 year period where he was gone.
DeleteI think it's perfectly fine to compare the films, they ARE in the same trilogy. A lot of people are going to be disappointed because TDK was so amazing, but that's why I didn't really try and do that. It's hard to NOT compare the 2, but everyone needs to take a step back and look at this last installment for what it is.
oh and personally, I didn't really interpret the Robin reveal to mean that this is supposed to be the boy-wonder from the comics we all know so much as it was just a fun homage.
ReplyDeleteit doesn't make much sense for a person named Robin to become a Superhero named Robin. His identity would be plain as day, which Batman tells him he shouldn't do with his line about using a mask to protect the one's you love.
I interpreted the ending as John Blake, or Robin, taking on the responsibility of becoming Batman. To become the symbol of Gotham, hence why Gordon strokes the restored Batman symbol at the end. Blake is going to continue the legacy to give the city hope as he alludes to during the bridge scene.
That being said, Nolan specificaly said he's stopping his Batman with TDKR. When I saw the movie in theaters and the lady said his "real name, Robin" everybody cheered like, "hey! I know that guy! that's robin!" That's why it's there, not as a way to push a Nightwing movie, just a fun little treat for the fans.
This I agree with.
DeleteIt was just one of those moments in the theatre where some people *like myself* get paranoid that they are going to drag it out. Thinking about it now, you're right about it being a fun homage.
Well said, Dylan. After reading, I completely agree.
ReplyDelete