<color=black>The Dark Knight Rises - A Review
Disclaimer: I have never read the comics and am by no means a professional reviewer. Opinions are subjective, but this is my one.
http://www.movieblogbuster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/The-Dark-Knight-Rises-2.jpg
My girlfriend secured tickets for the two of us to a free preview screening of The Dark Knight Rises, which turned out to be in an almost-empty IMAX screen. I was pumped, though a little wary of the legacy the movie had to live up to. Got to say, I really liked that I could watch this in IMAX without having to suffer through 3D - better in every way, for me.
To put it simply, I bloody loved this movie. Perhaps even better than The Dark Knight, for me, though a fairer assessment of that will come with a re-watch of the two. To help you out, I'll put even the mildest of spoilers in spoiler tags (I won't comment on any specific plot points, but I might comment on say, how the ending felt).
Now come on, let's get started!
<color=black>The VillainI'll start off with this one, as it's probably the biggest worry most people have in terms of the film living up to its predecessor. Heath Ledger's Joker was incredible, a great villain that you'll remember for a long time after you've seen the movie. Bane is not. In full credit to Tom Hardy, he does a brilliant job here - he is unrecognisable from his other stuff, and the pure menace of the character is told brilliantly. The flamboyant and deranged nature of Joker is just fundamentally more interesting as a villain, but I felt the film did a good job of not attempting to rival that dynamic.
<spoiler=Mild Spoilers>Bane acts more as a plot device here - a menace who is stronger than Batman, and who forces him to grow stronger in order to overcome him. He makes his mark through his violence - he kills people with zero fuss, and carries on as though these things had never happened.
<spoiler=Slightly Bigger Spoiler>I personally felt his end was extremely anticlimactic, and almost worryingly so. He is dealt with, and then forgotten in the same minute.
NB: I could hear Bane's voice just fine - whatever trickery they did with getting his voice out worked pretty darn well.
<color=black>The StoryMy gut feeling is that this plot will be divisive, for reasons I will discuss in slightly more depth in the spoiler tags. The central plotline of Bane and his crew is excellent, but has been almost entirely spoiled through trailers. That's almost all I can say without spoilers, so to the boxes!
<spoiler=Spoilers>Bane's takeover of Gotham feels very similar to what Joker attempted to do with his two ferries, though on a much wider scale. However, I felt it was no longer attempting to show that the people were a force for good - in fact, at one point the words 'Innocent is a strong word to use for Gotham' are said - which makes this film possibly an even darker Batman than the previous one!
<spoiler=The End - Big Spoilers Inside><spoiler=Do Not Click Without Watching The Movie First>The end left me feeling ridiculously elated. Though some might have wished for a darker ending, and one a little less phoned-in, I was personally thrilled at what they went with. There were nods to most of our favourite characters (although I missed anything more about Fox, might just have been me), and a satisfying conclusion to almost all of the various plot-threads.
<color=black>BatmanBatman manages to be a slightly more interesting part of the story this time - his development arc is his own, and his care for his life, and those around him, is of a slightly more interesting depth than simply being about 'that one girl I like'.
<spoiler=Small Spoilers>There's a bit of confusion over the fact that some people can identify Bruce Wayne as the man behind the mask, and others can't without being explicitly told it.
<color=black>CatwomanI don't predict too many people having an issue with Anne Hathaway's portrayal of Catwoman. She's sassy, smart and surprisingly flexible - and she's got the looks of Anne Hathaway.
http://www.flicksandbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/anne-hathaway-catwoman-the-dark-knight-rises-selina-kyle-suit.jpg
<color=black>Other CharactersAll our old favourites - Alfred, Gordon and Fox - are back, though Alfred and Fox take more of a backseat in this story. Plus, we also get a new character, policeman John Blake, portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt - JGL is as like-able as ever, and gives us an alternative perspective of the little man trying to make a difference. There's clearly an absolutely massive support cast, and all do a fantastic job towards creating the image of Gotham through the bad times.
(Note: I feel like Scarecrow was there, or at least the actor who played him. Bit confusing.)
<color=black>MusicI wouldn't be at all surprised to see Hans Zimmer get another Oscar nomination for this, perhaps even win it. It's a suitably epic soundtrack, and the drum-beat/chant he created (you've heard it in the trailers, again) will get your heart pounding and adds to the tension.
<color=black>Cinematics Things that should have felt big felt big. Action felt fast-paced without feeling sickeningly jerky. All-but-one of the scene changes were very smoothly done. Not a great deal more I can say here.
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This film has a lot to stand up against - its predecessor, Avengers Assemble and its own hype train - so how does it compare? Personally, I felt it more than beat its own hype, that it stands up well to The Dark Knight, and is equally as good as Avengers Assemble - the two evoke a very different feel. The Dark Knight Rises is a dark and tense storyline, with a plot full of emotion and suspense; Avengers Assemble is much lighter, funnier and more character-driven than it is about the plot.
Go and see this movie.
Opinions, disagreements, corrections? Post them below! In fact, if you liked my review at all, please say so!
Disclaimer: I have never read the comics and am by no means a professional reviewer. Opinions are subjective, but this is my one.
http://www.movieblogbuster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/The-Dark-Knight-Rises-2.jpg
My girlfriend secured tickets for the two of us to a free preview screening of The Dark Knight Rises, which turned out to be in an almost-empty IMAX screen. I was pumped, though a little wary of the legacy the movie had to live up to. Got to say, I really liked that I could watch this in IMAX without having to suffer through 3D - better in every way, for me.
To put it simply, I bloody loved this movie. Perhaps even better than The Dark Knight, for me, though a fairer assessment of that will come with a re-watch of the two. To help you out, I'll put even the mildest of spoilers in spoiler tags (I won't comment on any specific plot points, but I might comment on say, how the ending felt).
Now come on, let's get started!
<color=black>The VillainI'll start off with this one, as it's probably the biggest worry most people have in terms of the film living up to its predecessor. Heath Ledger's Joker was incredible, a great villain that you'll remember for a long time after you've seen the movie. Bane is not. In full credit to Tom Hardy, he does a brilliant job here - he is unrecognisable from his other stuff, and the pure menace of the character is told brilliantly. The flamboyant and deranged nature of Joker is just fundamentally more interesting as a villain, but I felt the film did a good job of not attempting to rival that dynamic.
<spoiler=Mild Spoilers>Bane acts more as a plot device here - a menace who is stronger than Batman, and who forces him to grow stronger in order to overcome him. He makes his mark through his violence - he kills people with zero fuss, and carries on as though these things had never happened.
<spoiler=Slightly Bigger Spoiler>I personally felt his end was extremely anticlimactic, and almost worryingly so. He is dealt with, and then forgotten in the same minute.
NB: I could hear Bane's voice just fine - whatever trickery they did with getting his voice out worked pretty darn well.
<color=black>The StoryMy gut feeling is that this plot will be divisive, for reasons I will discuss in slightly more depth in the spoiler tags. The central plotline of Bane and his crew is excellent, but has been almost entirely spoiled through trailers. That's almost all I can say without spoilers, so to the boxes!
<spoiler=Spoilers>Bane's takeover of Gotham feels very similar to what Joker attempted to do with his two ferries, though on a much wider scale. However, I felt it was no longer attempting to show that the people were a force for good - in fact, at one point the words 'Innocent is a strong word to use for Gotham' are said - which makes this film possibly an even darker Batman than the previous one!
<spoiler=The End - Big Spoilers Inside><spoiler=Do Not Click Without Watching The Movie First>The end left me feeling ridiculously elated. Though some might have wished for a darker ending, and one a little less phoned-in, I was personally thrilled at what they went with. There were nods to most of our favourite characters (although I missed anything more about Fox, might just have been me), and a satisfying conclusion to almost all of the various plot-threads.
<color=black>BatmanBatman manages to be a slightly more interesting part of the story this time - his development arc is his own, and his care for his life, and those around him, is of a slightly more interesting depth than simply being about 'that one girl I like'.
<spoiler=Small Spoilers>There's a bit of confusion over the fact that some people can identify Bruce Wayne as the man behind the mask, and others can't without being explicitly told it.
<color=black>CatwomanI don't predict too many people having an issue with Anne Hathaway's portrayal of Catwoman. She's sassy, smart and surprisingly flexible - and she's got the looks of Anne Hathaway.
http://www.flicksandbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/anne-hathaway-catwoman-the-dark-knight-rises-selina-kyle-suit.jpg
<color=black>Other CharactersAll our old favourites - Alfred, Gordon and Fox - are back, though Alfred and Fox take more of a backseat in this story. Plus, we also get a new character, policeman John Blake, portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt - JGL is as like-able as ever, and gives us an alternative perspective of the little man trying to make a difference. There's clearly an absolutely massive support cast, and all do a fantastic job towards creating the image of Gotham through the bad times.
(Note: I feel like Scarecrow was there, or at least the actor who played him. Bit confusing.)
<color=black>MusicI wouldn't be at all surprised to see Hans Zimmer get another Oscar nomination for this, perhaps even win it. It's a suitably epic soundtrack, and the drum-beat/chant he created (you've heard it in the trailers, again) will get your heart pounding and adds to the tension.
<color=black>Cinematics Things that should have felt big felt big. Action felt fast-paced without feeling sickeningly jerky. All-but-one of the scene changes were very smoothly done. Not a great deal more I can say here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This film has a lot to stand up against - its predecessor, Avengers Assemble and its own hype train - so how does it compare? Personally, I felt it more than beat its own hype, that it stands up well to The Dark Knight, and is equally as good as Avengers Assemble - the two evoke a very different feel. The Dark Knight Rises is a dark and tense storyline, with a plot full of emotion and suspense; Avengers Assemble is much lighter, funnier and more character-driven than it is about the plot.
Go and see this movie.
Opinions, disagreements, corrections? Post them below! In fact, if you liked my review at all, please say so!
