waiting on you Jackass! (but no spoilers!)
Alright, alright, alright! I didn't know there would be a test.
First, this isn't Avengers. Don't expect a popcorn movie here.
Secondly, watch the other two Nolan Batman movies first if you can. If you can't, at least watch Batman Begins (BB) before screening Dark Knight Rises (DKR) as it really ties into the events of BB more so than The Dark Knight (TDK).
Keeping a lower expectation is a good idea entering the auditorium. I can see how DKR would be disappointing if your expectation was that it would equal TDK. TDK is Nolan's magnum opus, so do not expect DKR to be another TDK. If you want to draw an analogy to another Nolan film, DKR would be more along the lines of Inception.
Let me reiterate: DKR isn't TDK.
They are polar opposites in pace and purpose. To put it succinctly: as much as the mood TDK was about constant tension...punch-counter punch, DKR is about anticipation...the calm before the inevitable storm. TDK takes you by the scruff of the neck, leans in to look you straight in the eye, and tells you "You're coming with me!". It's a tension filled character study of freewill and morality. DKR, on the other hand, is a slow boil. It's purpose is to tell the story of the end to the Batman storyline established by Nolan.
It's three acts play out as:
1. Updating the setting (it's set 8 years after the events in TDK)-this is appropriately the slowest portion of the film
2. Setup-things start ramping up a bit, still slow but entertaining
3. Payoff!-BLAMMO!
And oh boy, what a payoff it was. The last hour (I'm estimating here, it could have been 45 minutes) is a power keg, and makes the film worth the price of admission to even the most jaded of mindless Transformers Michael Bay-splotions fanboys.
Tom Hardy does his best as Bane, but his character never really intimidated me. Whenever he was on the screen, I had to remind myself "Oh yeah, this dude is supposed to be scary."
Hardy is handicapped in this role due to the fact that 2/3 of his face is covered up by that ventilator mask he wears, and he's about 4 inches shorter than everyone else on screen. Don't get me wrong, I think Hardy is an excellent actor who is able to bring a lot of dangerous charm and menacingly quiet rage to his roles. I didn't see that here. I can't help but think they would have been better served going with a luchador mask.
Bane's voice is the biggest problem I had with the film. No, not for his accent, but for the voice dubbing! It was atrocious...far and beyond worse than Bale's Batman voicing in TDK. I understood maybe 2/3 of what Bane said. It sounded like Hardy had his head in a bucket whenever he spoke.
Bane's character does prove to be the complete antithesis to the Joker, however, as far as antagonists go. Bane was patient, cold, calculating, and cruel with a genuine purpose. It's a perfect fit, in my mind, for the pace of DKR.
I was surprised by Anne Hathaway. She did quite well as Selena Kyle. I won't call her Catwoman, because that nickname never came up in the film. I am not a fan of Anne Hathaway's work, but I really liked her in this film.
Joesph Gordon-Levitt does an excellent job as Officer Blake. I'm really happy with the treatment Nolan gave his character.
I have to add that as much as I liked this film, I feel as though a lot of the film was ruined by my familiarity with both Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" and the "Knightfall" series of comics. During the movie, there were a lot of foregone conclusions for me and it kind of felt like a paint-by-numbers treatment of those expected (yet necessary) events. Of the two major twists at the end of the film, one of them I saw coming from a mile away. The other was more like guessing on a multiple choice test than a surprise twist, as it could have gone 4 different ways and my interest was in finding out which direction Nolan would go. These are things a casual fan wouldn't catch, but I did.
I would give
The Dark Knight Rises 4 out of 5 stars. For reference I would rate
Batman Begins 4 out of 5 stars and
The Dark Knight 6 out of 5 stars.
I will save my comments regarding specifics of the film, the accursed plot-holes, et al, for later.
Hey, a friend bought me a book with $25 in free movie money, and the marathon costs...$25! I also get like a free drink or two. Brilliant!
