Some of us have been waiting patiently for four years, but now the newest Batman franchise has come to an end. Despite the other major blockbusters of 2012 (The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man), The Dark Knight Rises still drew major crowds and induced great excitement and expectation.
Tom Hardy’s Bane from this latest instalment was actually more terrifying than Heath Ledger’s chilling Joker, purely through his eerie semi-calm and less overtly crazy and wild behaviour.
He was a harder villain to outsmart because he had so many safeguards and tricks and structure to his plans. It was an attack from all sides. To make things worse, he seemed like an invincible giant, a strange feeling since Batman is extremely imposing himself. So, while it was distressing seeing Batman get literally beaten by Bane, it was good in a way because you saw Batman as the underdog. It made it more of a fight and less clichéd than the good guys always winning.
Gotham was in real trouble for most of the film — it was only in the last few minutes that the good guys finally won. So, Christopher Nolan did a fantastic job with crafting it as a triumph of the human spirit (and having the good guys finally beat out the bad).
To look at the sub-text of this newest blockbuster, you can see more to it than just a Batman movie. It deals with an induced economic crisis and national panic, discusses the role of a hero, and takes a closer look at the human spirit and what inspiration, determination, and will can achieve. Obviously, Batman is seen as a hero, but his unofficial sidekick “Detective Blake” (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) was a more relatable hero.
As always, Gary Oldman put on a great performance as “Commissioner Gordon”— especially when he was in the hospital and he took down those two guys without breaking a sweat.
[Spoiler warning here!] Full points have to go to Marion Cotillard “Miranda” for playing an innocent and then turning out to be a villain in league with Bane! That was a twist I hadn’t seen coming.
Other notable performances were “Alfred” (Michael Caine) who you can’t help but love and support; and “Mr. Fox” (Morgan Freeman) who had some seriously amazing gadgets and vehicles.
I was a little apprehensive going into the movie because Anne Hathaway didn’t seem right to me as “Selina/Catwoman”, but she pleasantly surprised me. All the actors and actresses involved did an incredible job.
Another joy of this movie was the advances in technology, especially automobile related. I’m yet to see a motorbike that can trump Batman’s. There’s nothing like an action movie with cool gadgets.
All in all, The Dark Knight Rises somehow manages go from terrifying to amusing, awe-striking to sweet. It is a fantastically crafted film with twists and turns that constantly keep you at the edge of your seat. I give it five stars.
