The Dark Knight Rises

A mushroom cloud settles over Gotham City as “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012) races to its conclusion. The city under attack from an evil force manages to survive a possible nuclear catastrophe. Even though peace is restored, the city looks like a war zone, with scattered rubble demonstrating the utter destruction and chaos absorbed by the city.  These dying minutes in the film made me wonder if Nolan’s enterprising conclusion to the trilogy delivers on the promise shown by an attention-grabbing, vertigo-inducing, outlandish opening sequence. More so the bigger question from fans: Is the final entry a satisfying end to the series? Certainly, between the opening scene and the all-action climax, “The Dark Knight Rises” covers a lot of ground while unlocking crucial story elements and references from “Batman Begins” (2005) and “The Dark Knight” (2008). For me, “The Dark Knight Rises” is a fitting and entertaining end to the epic series that is even bigger and better on IMAX.

It’s been eight years since the caped crusader’s last adventure, saving Gotham City from Joker’s threat.  The city seems peaceful as a result of the Harvey Dent Act that cleared criminals from the streets of Gotham City. Now the city comes under attack once more from a menacing and enormously powerful villain, Bane (Tom Hardy).  Bane arrives in Gotham City and takes out the stock exchange, bankrupting Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in the process. At the start, we also gather that Batman has disappeared from Gotham City, and Wayne has secluded himself in a rebuilt Wayne Manor. We have Catwoman, a.k.a. Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), who steals Wayne’s fingerprints and later has a link to Bane. Meanwhile, Bane’s men manage to cut off Gotham City from the outside world, and Bane plans to exercise the nuclear option on the city when he gets possession of a nuclear bomb.

This is the basic premise of the film’s story; however, there are many subplots that intersect with the main story. As with his other films, Nolan again invests heavily in the characters, developing important characters by expanding on their situations and bringing everything together under one common plot line. Indeed, the character development makes the story much grander and more epic in every way. New characters are introduced, and I specifically found the character of a morally strong policeman, John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as the most interesting of the lot. As Gotham City is ripped apart by Bane, Blake is at a crossroads with the justice system, making a critical decision for the future. He doesn’t hesitate to undertake risks to save lives, and he is willing to die in the line of duty. He is smart and motivated at all times, enabling him to finding a way around the crisis. Blake’s character is fitted well in the story, getting good screen time, and as a result, Gordon-Levitt is able to deliver a worthy and likeable performance.

Then, we have Catwoman, who gets a nice makeover in this edition. Without a doubt, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman character in “Batman Returns” (1992) is still the best rendition of the character, but Hathaway’s character comes very close to Pfeiffer’s characterization. Hathaway is dazzling in a tight leather outfit, and she mostly magnetizes us with her tricks, swift movements, and smooth talk that drips with sexiness. The double-faced Selina’s character is unpredictable, though, adding tension to the plot, along with a few exciting moments with Batman. Even though she is convincing as Catwoman, Hathaway never eases herself into the role as Pfeiffer did in “Batman Returns.” Nonetheless, I think Hathaway’s expressionless face represents Nolan’s take on Catwoman, in which Nolan wanted a controlled performance from Hathaway, devoid of the animallike tendencies seen in the Tim Burton’s version. Still, Hathaway is not a bad choice to play this role, if one can get past her facial expressions in some scenes.

Just like the other movies in the series, the central attraction remains an astonishingly villainous character, which in this case is Bane. From what we have witnessed in the past with this series, the villain pretty much overshadows everything in the plot, including the performances and other characters. The focus on evil grabs one’s attention, making superheroes almost secondary to the plot. Gotham City has a bigger threat to deal this time, when a malevolent Bane unleashes his wrath on the city. Bane is supremely muscular and unemotional, leveling his foes with brute force. As we are introduced to his imposing physique in the opening scene, we know the stakes are higher this time from this deadly threat. He literally beats Batman like a rag doll in their hand-to-hand combats, and with each battle Bane looks invincible and unscathed. Bane’s indestructibility succeeds in building tense moments in the action sequences and maintains our deep interest in the story line. Tom Hardy as Bane gives an incredible performance, mainly driven by his on-screen persona. For the entire film we never see Hardy’s face, yet just by using his hands and body, he is able to convey malice expected from his character. Digitizing Bane’s voice and his face, Bane shocks us in some scenes. As the scenes play out, we see Bane more than we see Batman, and by the time the movie ends we still remember an unbeatable Bane.

“The Dark Knight Rises” has a dark undertone, for sure, as it draws parallel to the current political and social structure. In one scene, Bane remarks that he is against social repression and how the rich have forever fed on the poor. The class oppression is put to justice by Bane’s court, and when he decides to take down the stock exchange, Bane’s statement against the rich and Wall Street traders shadows today’s rancorous debate about class warfare. There are other references in the film, too. As a burglar, Selina steals from the rich, and she believes if the rich cannot appreciate certain things, then they should not possess them.  But, neither Bane nor Selina represents a Robin Hood image in any way. They do what they do for their own personal motives. In terms of a nuclear fallout, the film raises the current concern of a terror threat against the big U.S. cities. The constant danger from terrorist organizations getting hold of so-called weapons of mass destruction is always present now since the aftermath of the 9/11 events. As a terrorist, Bane creates an army of criminals that helps him set off a nuclear bomb on the city. Nonetheless, like today’s terrorist groups, Bane’s motives are completely political, even if driven by personal vendetta.

Nolan certainly knows how to make a polished-looking movie. His last two films, “The Dark Knight” (2008) and “Inception” (2010), offered amazing action sequences, and “The Dark Knight Rises” is no different.  For each action, Nolan has composed beautifully staged sets, and within these sequences he has injected plenty of drama and character development. In spite of a number of action scenes, however, the sequences never feel overstretched. Even with its long running time, the film never slows down, maintaining a tight pace with superb editing. As I said earlier, my only minor quibble with the film is that I wish it had more Batman moments. In the end, “The Dark Knight Rises” is an exhilarating summer blockbuster that has everything, and it certainly lives up to the hype.

Final Film Rating = 8/10