It was a cool Friday morn and The Chief had wiped the sleepy dust from his eyes, stuffed his bag with a particularly sour selection of pic n mix, a bag of sour cream and chili popcorn (amazing) and an sparkling apple drink and headed off to the 7:45am showing of The Dark Knight Rises.
In 7 words or less: Is the Bat breakable? Let's find out
What's it all About? Set 8 years after events from The Dark Knight, the Batman has been strangely absent from Gotham City but when a mysterious new foe appears in the guise of international mercenary and terrorist Bane, the cape and cowl come out of the closet and a bitter, punishing war is fought for the soul of Gotham.
Best bits? The initial punch-up between Bane and Batman is visceral, raw and unflinching. Bane is a seemingly possessed mountain of a man who exudes confidence and venom in every way. Before they even fight, he is convinced that the shadowy man in black will fail and submit to his unrelenting pressure. Batman however feels that even against insurmountable odds he will succeed purely based on the notion that he has to. This adds a certain gravitas to the scene.
I love good moment of redemption and salvation and the scene where Bruce Wayne 'rises' is full of emotion and fist pumping satisfaction.
I almost forgot the opening kidnap scene which is a balls wild affair that will have you ooing and ahhing in equal measure at the sheer audacity of the events that unfold before your eyes.
Did it make you think thoughts? Ok, so here's the skinny. It's no secret that The Chief didn't like the previous installment, The Dark Knight. Too much bad plotting and clumsy, sloppy film making conspired to make me feel it was all a big waste of time. I had been advised by fellow slumpers to go into this trilogy ending act with an open mind and 'remember that I like Batman'. Even so, the travesty that was TDK was still fresh in my thoughts like a child's scraped knee but like that child I was ready to jump back on the bike and take her for another spin. If truth be told I kind of wanted this to be a big fat Penguin like failure to prove that a grim and gritty Batman movie just appeals to the lowest denominator. Like a victim of a bank robbery my hands are up. I've been caught in a bat-trap with egg on my face........This film is ace.
One of the main reasons this film succeeds is because of the lack of the main protagonist. It might seem strange but because Batman has minimal screen time it means the remaining cast of characters has to step up their game and step it up they do. There are strong performances, especially Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as well as a compelling story that features emotional highs and lows. It rattles along at a frenetic pace that includes no fluff or padding and resembles a lean, mean, sculpted six-pack flaunting hunk rather than a flabby, overweight gym-needing 30 something it could have become in the wrong hands.
I have a few quibbles about some of the content here. Firstly, whereas the punch sound effects in TDK had a horrible thud to them, the producers here seem to have gone the other way and every back hand, right hook and uppercut clanks like the sound of an iron coffee pot being being slammed onto a draining board. Not good. Secondly, the final confrontation between Bane and Batman is somewhat limp when you consider what has gone before and the soul changing events that have lead both characters to this point. A final twist is also seemingly tacked on towards the end but will have Batman aficionados, who know their bat history, offering up a wry smile as a certain character makes a key appearance.
There are lots of nods to the Batman comic mythos mainly focusing on the 'Knightfall' storyline and although some of this history is slightly altered it won't, or shouldn't, have the fanboys up in arms (I know this for I am one such fanboy having read Batman comics for over 20 years).
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| 1993's Batman Knightfall story arc |
Several other points had me worried pre film but by the end my concern had melted into a gooey pile of relief. I initially thought that the 2hr 45 minute run time would not only crush my spirit but also leave me with a dead bum in need of a massage but I never actually felt the film dragged. Whether or not the eye bleeding sharpness of the IMAX screen or the, oft times, ear splitting thumping score by Hans Zimmer helped me to stay in the moment I can't say. Only an 'at home' viewing will help me determine if 165 mins is too much. The appearance of a bat copter in the trailer had me groaning and it didn't actually seem a necessary inclusion whilst watching the film but it's purpose was rectified by the film's closure. Lastly I was worried that Anne Hathaway's super thief Catwoman character would derail the main plot revolving domestic terrorism. It should be noted however that the name 'Catwoman' is never actually mentioned and the Selina Kyle character proves to be a demur, sexy, high kicking femme fatale that moves the story along in the right ways. She's smoking hot as well!
As far as the end goes, it manages to be massively unsatisfying and then wholly satisfying all in the space of a couple of minutes and brings all the characters full circle.
Would you watch it again? Hot damn, yes I will.
Rating (out of 100%): This trilogy has been wildly up and down as far as I'm concerned (the general public love them all mind you) but Nolan et al have definitely saved the best for last. A fitting send off that actually stands on it's own without needing the first two. I give The Dark Rises an unexpected 92%
