EXCLUSIVE: The Dark Knight Rises Review

Can Christopher Nolan's Batman finale possibly live up to expectations?
Third acts are challenging to get right to say the very least, both in terms of standalone films' pacing and indeed in entire movie franchises. To put it bluntly, I didn't think that director Christopher Nolan would ever be able to sate both my appetites as a film fan and superhero fan in delivering a conclusion to his Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises. Not for the first time this year, I could not possibly be happier to have been proved completely and utterly wrong in this respect. Not only does Nolan give each and every surviving (and new) character of his trio of gothic superhero thrillers a beautiful crescendo, he ensures that everyone has a substantial role to play in the way that his hero's legend ends, tieing in plot elements from both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight to give a satisfying feeling of well-roundedness to the entire viewing experience. This inevitably could be seen as hampering the piece were it to be viewed as a standalone movie, but quite frankly I feel that it's safe to assume the vast majority of film-goers have at least experienced the now-legendary second entry with Heath Ledger's final stunning performance.

As such, the weight and gravitas which the odes to the past give the film as a whole are deep and compelling, to the point that it seems incredible that the heavy promotional campaign managed to hold back so many of the major twists in the tale that come our way here. Despite being stretched over nearly three hours of presentation, the narrative and its pacing is handled near-perfectly, balancing intermittent action sequences and setpieces with some of the most emotional, heartbreaking and uplifting scenes you'll see in a movie this year or otherwise. Fundamental to the substantial effect of Rises, though, is undoubtedly its stellar cast. Christian Bale steals the show this time around in his finest performance as the titular Caped Crusader, actually spending much of his on-screen time in the guise of Batman's human alter-ego rather than as Batman himself. While fans might start to raise their pitchforks and torches, crying that this makes the film less entwined with its superhero heritage, I would go so far as to argue that in fact it's this increased focus on the man behind the mask and indeed the legend that has surrounded the guise he takes in times of need that could give Rises more of a chance than either of its predecessors at achieving Oscar and/or BAFTA nominations and awards.

Truly, this trilogy has been portrayed as the story of Bruce Wayne's fight to rid Gotham of crime as justice for his parents' murder, and indeed his attempts to stop those who want to do the same by destroying or corrupting the city, an overarching tale that is wrapped up magnificently over the course of 165 minutes here. Anne Hatheway and Tom Hardy make spectacular debuts as the elusive Catwoman and the physically overwhelming mastermind Bane respectively, both adding new layers of intrigue to the way in which the legend of the Dark Knight will meet its end and what will become of Gotham in the fire's aftermath. There were no actors who could replace Ledger as the better villain for the franchise, and it is true that perhaps Bane's first scene doesn't quite impact on us as heavily as the late Joker's reveal, but Bane's influence and menace reveals itself over time, and Hardy does an incredible job of representing this sheer specimen of domination and destruction. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman make impactful returns for the third instalment too, as do a few other acclaimed guest stars from the previous flicks whose names I won't spoil for you here. Aesthetically, the soundtrack and special effects don't disappoint either, only adding to the sense of the sheer class and dedication that have clearly gone into the production of this masterful finale. I could go on forever singing this near-perfect film's praises, but to wrap things up, I want to answer a few questions I've heard.

Is it better than The Avengers? Yes- there's far more of an emotional chord struck here that sends this above and beyond even one of the best ever superhero films ever created. Is it better than The Dark Knight? No- but it matches it for sheer quality. Oh yes, while I can't quite place this up and above its immediate predecessor, I can safely say that TDK and TDKR are my joint-favourite entries in the trilogy, and together they stand as two of my favourite films of all time. Is it perfect? There's no such thing in the film industry, and debatably it's possible to argue that the opening 20-30 minutes or so are slower than we're used to from the franchise, yet all of the plot elements that they raise that are then payed off later on are so intricate and masterfully implemented that I cannot fault the piece for that oh-so-minor niggle. The Dark Knight Rises uses every shot, every character, every locale and every event to its advantage, as here Christopher Nolan has crafted the perfect conclusion to the perfect Batman trilogy, a staggering cinematic achievement the likes of which is unlikely to be matched anytime soon. Oh, and that final shot- what an incredible note to end on...
5/5