“There's a storm coming”
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer
Cast: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman
No, I'm not just slow on the uptake, this was in fact my third viewing of the final instalment in the Dark Knight trilogy. After the adrenalin rush and excitement of the first viewing have faded away, I can now attempt to write a more impartial view on the...well, not exactly impartial, don't expect to find too many criticisms of Nolan, a.k.a God, here.
With the release of The Dark Knight four years ago, a film often hailed as the best superhero film of all time, thrilling both audiences and critics alike, Nolan created the challenge to surpass himself. In the build up to The Dark Knight Rises' release, I thought this to be impossible and even though I don't believe it was fully achieved, the film rises to the occasion even more than I thought it could.
The running time of two hours and 45 minutes has been one of the main causes of criticism for the film but I have to say, I don't completely agree. On my second viewing, I thought that the pace of the first half was perhaps a bit slow, but this time I found each scene to be just as important than the last. A few moments around the half way mark are perhaps lengthy as our protagonist seems to take a back seat during his time in prison - a stay that could have possibly been shortened - but it was still necessary to see Bruce Wayne get back on his feet and find the strength, of body and soul, to return to Gotham and beat Bane. It is after his return that the film's pace really picks up and a the sense of urgency arises with shots of the ticking time bomb creating suspense and fear in the audience. This film more than its two predecessors really steals away the audience's faith in Batman and the masked greatness of Gotham as one is really unsure if Batman can actually save his city.
The other characters were also better than expected. The images and clips of Hathaway in the film's trailer did not do her justice as she added a sultry edge not yet seen in the trilogy. Gordon-Levitt as Blake was also a more interesting character and without giving away too many spoilers, I actually hope that Nolan doesn't get roped into a spin off by Warner Brothers.
The music was spectacular, as is to be expected from Zimmer, its crescendos creating suspense in dramatic moments and being effectively stripped away for emotional scenes with Bruce and Alfred as the latter's painful confessions echo through the walls of Wayne Manor. It is such scenes, Alfred's unsuccessful hopes for a better life for Bruce beyond the mask and a little bit of the classic fatherly banter we love ("Well you're welcome to try it, Alfred"), that give a special something to the trilogy's finale: emotion. Yes, we saw it in the other films as Bruce's parents and his true love die but it is here that we really seen the pain in Wayne's existence. As Nolan has dubbed the films themes: Fear, Chaos and Pain respectively.
I still hold The Dark Knight in higher esteem due to the thrill ride it gives the audience: the ups and downs, the unexpected deaths, the havoc the Joker causes along with his chilling performance and the comedic elements it entails. Amusing lines are not excluded here nor is the element of surprise (Marion Cotillard couldn't have just played the love interest, could she? ) and luckily it is the desire to reach the finish, the need to discover what happens to our Dark Knight that keeps the audience hooked. I'm glad to say, however, that even after discovering all of the above and starting the film again, it's still an exciting, epic conclusion to what I believe to be the best trilogy of our time.
9/10
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