(Anyone who knows who this is gets extra brownie points!!)
I really should have realized that when I was walking into the theatre at 2:40 PM to view today's movie, The Dark Knight Rises. I suppose it was rather naive of me to not see that I was about to watch a Christopher Nolan movie. Silly me! I mean, the man has made some very thought-provoking movies in such a short span of time... by filmmaking standards. (Let's face it; seven years is considered very little time to make four excellent movies by Hollywood standards.)
Now, of course, his movies may not be for everyone. I know for a fact that my family weren't too terribly fond of the first two films in the Dark Knight Trilogy and they have never seen Inception. Of course, I have seen Inception and it was surprisingly easy to follow-- even though most of the character's names got "lost in translation" for me. Even with the incredible ideas of dreams thrown in to process and think about, the story of it manages to be very engaging and Leonardo DiCaprio's character was very interesting and his tragic story about his guilt over having caused his wife's death. This shouldn't be a spoiler since it's an important story element and because the movie has been out for quite some time, so don't bitch about it!
However, this movie has not been out for awhile and you probably want to know what it is like. Alright, here it goes. Despite having to think alot, having to go to the bathroom towards the end and missing a scene, and losing my sunglasses and having to get a new pair, the movie, as stated before, is excellent.
The story is very complex and difficult to explain. I cannot do it justice because I'll make it sound really confusing; but, then again, that's Christopher Nolan for ya. I'll only say this; it is well-written and is tense, dramatic, and action-packed. Of course, much like in the previous movies in the trilogy, there is a deeper, more realistic feel to this "comic book movie" and makes everything seem that more plausible. Also throughout the film, there are many conversations about the psychological meaning of being a masked vigilante working outside the law. There's also some great twists in there that will probably make you go: "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"
Speaking of action (Oh, wait...), the action is very well shot and much larger in scale from the previous film. The final battle in front of town hall is especially large in scale. All of the other action, especially the hand-to-hand combat is shot cleanly and very lacking in "shaky-cam". Some people might like that, because it makes a scene more tense, but if there's too much, it's hard to tell what in the holy hell is going on. If you've seen the first Transformers movie or The Hunger Games, you'll know what I mean.
The cast and the characters are still awesome. I especially really loved Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. She reminds me alot of Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal in Tim Burton's Batman Returns. I was also very intrigued by Bane, played by Tom Hardy. The way he speaks and acts is very reminiscent of Heath Ledger's role as The Joker in the prior film. I was also really fscinated by how he manages to manipulate Gotham's citizens into uprising against itself so his plans can be accomplished. What are his plans, you may ask? That's spoiler territory there, son! You best stay away from there, 'less you wanna spoil the movie for y'erself! Besides, that's not why I'm here and it's certainly alot more fun piecing it together yourself. There's also a cop, John Blake, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who has pieced together who Batman is and also has a similar past to Wayne, and helps him regain that title, as well as look into Bane's plans. The characters that were still around, like Micheal Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman as Commisioner Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox still give Grade A performances. If I had any complaints about the cast, it'd be that Alfred is hardly in the film. Seriously! He leaves about 30 minutes-or-so into the film after he finds that Bruce has become Batman again and doesn't want to see him kill himself and lose the only remaining member of the Wayne family.
(Okay, that sounds a tad shallow, but it sounds better in the film.)
As for complaints, most of them are nitpicks, like with the cast and some of the names of the characters being lost in translation and not brought up again until much later. My biggest complaint is probably the ending. I have an idea as to what they were going for, but it's really wierd. I will also do you the generous favour of not telling you the ending to make my point more clear, because that would contradict my no-spoiler pact-- the part about Alfred doesn't count.
The final verdict for The Dark Knight Rises is...
4.5 out of 5!
It is definitely a must-see for Batman fans, comic book fans, and Christopher Nolan fans alike. It is an excellent endpoint of the trilogy... Pfft!!! I'm sorry! I couldn't type that with a straight face! A comic-book film franchise ending! HA hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! Oh, ho ho! I crack myself up! So, when's the next Batman movie coming out?! I'll sign up for the director's chair if no one has already! Who wants to help me make a new Batman movie?!?!
Hey, guys? Guys?! Where're you all going?! You seriously won't help?! C'mon!! I got the script all-written out and everything! Now, who to cast as Bruce Wayne?...
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