Movie Review - The Dark Knight Rises

Hello, movie fans! I had the pleasure on Saturday of seeing the most anticipated movie in my summer movies preview - The Dark Knight Rises. We tried to see it a couple times in its first week of release but at a run time of almost 3 hours we had to plan this viewing accordingly. 2:40 in the afternoon why not?

Where to start...

Main Characters

Batman/Bruce Wayne - Bruce has fallen on hard times, having had an accident as Batman a few years prior to the start of the movie. Bruce has been away from his company and most social functions as well. He walks with a cane and looks like a guy on a desert island who works out. Batman hasn't been seen since Harvey Dent died a "hero" from the last movie. Bruce eventually meets Catwoman Selina Kyle when she tries to steal from him. She sends some messages to Bruce about the have-nots wanting to revolt on his kind and will eventually rule Gotham again. He gets his shit together and goes to a fund raiser, goes back to his company, and tries to be himself again. At the same time, the call for Batman arises, specifically when I believe Bane takes over the stock exchange. The police officer decides to chase Batman rather than Bane. Batman gets away and eventually finds Bane, only to learn that Bruce/Batman are just getting old and slower. Bane destroys Batman and breaks his back. Bane puts Bruce in a prison somewhere far away in which he heals and escapes from. Batman is better than ever and returns to Gotham to be the hero that the people who knew he was all along.

Selina Kyle/Catwoman - The most dreaded part about going into this movie. I hate Catwoman. The character is the lamest thing. Anne Hathaway as a villain/hero/villain is not intriguing to me. However, she is presented very well in the movie. She has one cheesy movie at the very end fight scene between Batman and Bane, but I won't ruin it for you. Otherwise, her character was really good, both as her criminal self and in the Catwoman costume. Thankfully the movie didn't have Gotham City just straight up call her Catwoman. She was instead listed as a mysterious "Cat Burglar", kind of like how Batman was referred to as "The Batman". She does some fighting which is believable and is a cunning bitch. Like I said, her character is good and the movie makers made the right choice.

Bane - I see some people who think Bane sucked, and others like me who thought he was awesome. Not as good as the Joker from the last movie, but who can be that good? Bane is far more believable than the Bane portrayed in the abortion of Batman and Robin from the 90s. Bane is introduced immediately as a tactical terrorist/killer. He is supremely intelligent and is loyal to an unknown cause. His followers are equally as loyal. He does not use guns, but rather his bare hands. He is also huge, but not in a cartoonish way. His voice is indeed muffled through his mask, but it is bearable and adds to the character in my opinion. He explains little pieces of his plan as he kills people. My favorite part is when he enters the collapsed football stadium in front of the remaining crowd and introduces himself and his gang along with his plot. He took the creator of his special bomb out to say to the people that this professor is indeed the only person on the planet who knows how to dismantle the device. Bane then kills the scientist in front of everybody after the proclomation, securing that Gotham will not be safe. He breaks Batman once and meets up with Batman one more time towards the end of the movie where he keeps pace easily again.

Miranda - She is some actress I do not know, but she looked like a Persian Jessica Albah. She was okay but is crucial to the movie plot. Bruce bangs her on the floor in front of one of his many fireplaces.

Talia A'Ghul - Seeking revenge for the death of daddy Ras A'Ghul, Talia proves to be the mastermind behind everything

Commissioner Gordon - He falls and can't get up towards the beginning of the movie and spends the second and third quarters of the movie in the hospital recovering. He is still a balls to the wall commissioner who treats his job like he is at a war and actually pulls through to be pretty bad ass (for a short, older man that Kim profiles as "rapey"). He actually gets disgusted at the Gotham police force being a bunch of wimps since the death of Harvey Dent.

Detective Blake - A younger cop promoted to detective by Gordon after he shows the Commissioner some passion that is missing from the current police force. He is a decent fighter and pretty ballsy. He is an orphan, just as Bruce was. While Bruce is away from his company, Wayne Enterprises stops donating to the home that Blake was in. Blake pleads with Bruce to man up and do what is right again, partly implying that his friend Batman should come back as well. He becomes Gordon's favorite player in the war against Bane and is responsible for getting as many people out of Gotham as possible in the end of the movie.

Alfred - Alfred is happy that Bruce is back in the manor, but becomes highly distressed when he decides to don the cape again. You see him cry, and it is sad watching an old man cry.

Plot Analysis

I am by far no movie aficianado if I consider "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises" as my top two movies ever. But I thought the story for the movie was pretty cool. Bane, a mercenary, who has been training for years to be who he is carries out a plan that you first think he is behind, until Talia shows up. Bruce is empty and it shows. Batman is now legend rather than vigilante. Peace is grand in Gotham, but it is becoming very much an "Occupy Gotham" type scenario. When Bane gets to Gotham, he destroys it. Worse than what the Joker tried to do. He had a bigger scheme to eradicate the entire city, and was willing to sacrifice his life to do so. He breaks open the prisons and determines that the city is given back to the people. Gotham I guess is symbolic to the world like New York City is, so he thinks it will make a statement. The criminals are broken free after Batman is presumed lost forever. They pull out the "haves" and make them live in the sewer city and roles are reversed. If a "have" is found outside the sewer, they are put on trial. They are given a choice by the returning Scare Crow of death or exile. Nobody would choose death, but they have to choose exile. Only all the bridges are collapsed. The exile consists of the accused to have to walk across the icy river to get to the other side. I doubt anybody would make it. Even Gordon gets exiled, after he chose death for him and his police force. When he goes to walk, he finds a flare that he lights and drops on a puddle of gasoline. It lights a fire across the ice that travels up to the bridge and, in flames, lights up the bat symbol. Then shit gets real and a humongous fight between the cops and Bane's citizens occurs in the streets. It was pretty cool looking in my opinion. Talia reveals the plan and confronts Batman and explains Bane even further. Some final fights and then the payoff at the end of the movie.

Overall, this movie was incredible. I liked the story, but it had many moving parts. Some characters vital to the story progression were introduced only to be killed off just as quick. I personally like, albeit it was a little cheesy, when the higher up cop who is okay with peace time and decides to pursue Batman over Bane, and hides in his home when the convicts/have nots rise up, decides its time to do what's best for him. Again, I won't ruin it, but I liked it.

You do not have had to seen the first two Batmans of this trilogy to follow it. If you know somebody who saw it just ask them what happened. In fact I will tell you. Batman Begins - he begins. The Dark Knight - He captures the joker, Harvey Dent was a hero to Gotham and eventually went crazy and on a murderous rampage and Batman and Commissioner Gordon protected Dent's legacy by letting Batman take the fall for it all.

I give this movie a 98 percent, A+(+). I was never bored, but that is also because I love these series of Batman movies. I thought this was better than the Avengers, but it may just be tied with a slight nod over the hero gang film. Go see it, it is worth every penny.