- The Dark Knight Rises…and impresses.
It’s hard to believe that just twelve years after the release of the internationally panned and mocked Batman and Robin that we would be here now, witnessing the release of the final in Christopher Nolan’s groundbreaking, genre shattering Dark Knight Trilogy. What was once a comic book synonymous with colour, campness and cliché has now become entwined with a dark, intimate, sometimes witty, sometimes heartbreaking, but always enthralling set of storylines. The Dark Knight Rises completes the trilogy with fear, chaos, pain, action and an awful lot of heart. Christian Bale excels once more as Bruce Wayne, who in the eight years since the events of Dark Knight has become a recluse, shut off in his mansion with only the company of butler, and full time moral compass, Alfred (Michael Caine). That is until he is forced back into the Batsuit by the arrival of masked villain Bane (an exceptional Tom Hardy) who threatens to turn Gotham to ashes. With new characters including Anne Hathaway’s sexy, but vulnerable Catwoman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s fiery policeman and Marion Cottiard’s mysterious Miranda Tate lining up against the already stellar cast, it really is a fitting ending for Gotham’s Dark Knight.
Best bit:
It’s hard to select just one, but watching Bane begin his reign of terror during a packed football stadium and the epic race-against-time climax are definite highlights. Also, watch out for some subtle comic book references and cameos from earlier films.
Worst bit:
Again, it’s hard to choose, but for the opposite reason. There’s no denying there are definitely plot holes and lots of questions left unanswered. How does Batman’s knee fix so quickly? Where did Catwoman, a struggling thief, get a specially made costume perfect for burglary? And possibly the biggest question of all: how on Earth does Bane eat? But as Nolan has worked so hard to situate this Batman in such a plausible, realistic world it isn’t too much of a struggle to accept “well he is Batman” as the answer to more than one question posed!
Amy Reith
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