Ryan McNeil
Some heroes are born from greatness, and some are born from defiance. Others are born out of desperation. As a hero takes his or her place on the pedestal we have built for them, they can count on the cost for their heroism being steep.
These are the heroes we need to cling to the most – The ones that understand how much they have to sacrifice, and then do so willingly. They are the ones who we should try to emulate – the ones who can inspire us to band together as one, and rise.
It’s been eight years since the events of THE DARK KNIGHT, and Gotham is at peace. Into this peace comes Bane (Tom Hardy), a hulking masked terrorist bent on reducing Gotham to a smouldering pile of ash. Bane was trained by Ra’s al Ghul and The League of Shadows, so his repertoire of tricks to terrorize Gotham is the same set of tricks Batman would use to protect it.
Speaking of Batman, he has gone missing since the night of Harvey Dent’s killing. Some think he’s gone for good, others think he just needs people to believe in him again for him to rise up again. Along with the bat being m.i.a., very few have heard from Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) who is rumoured to be in a Howard Hughes-like state of recluse.
This reclusiveness sparks Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) to pick his pocket for valuable This reclusiveness pushes Commissioner Gordon to take on Bane without Bats’ helps. And this reclusiveness nudges beat cop John Blake (Joseph Gordon Levitt) to confront Bruce head-on about what happened to Harvey.
Meanwhile, deep below the surface, Bane sets the wheels on a dastardly plot to pull Gotham down to the ground.
The very best stories have a way of closing the way they began. They remind us that from the start they were always about one thing, one key detail that underlined everything else we were told as each chapter unfolded. Somewhat surprisingly, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES does that in a way that brings the three Christopher Nolan films full circle. By returning to The League of Shadows’ effort to bring down Gotham’s every trace of civilization, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES stands not only as a chapter unto itself, but also as another reminder of how close we as a society are standing to the edge of the cliff. Our cities can turn to anarchy in a matter of moments, and it wouldn’t take a ‘roid raging goon to do it – all it could take is a crisis at a major financial nerve centre. BATMAN BEGINS threatened to bring Gotham to its knees through economics, so it’s poetic that the stock market is Bane’s first point of attack.
The other moment in BATMAN BEGINS that we come back to is the concept that a hero can be bigger than any one person – a hero can be a symbol. The person can be corrupted, the person can grow disillusioned, and as exemplified by Bruce Wayne when we first rally up with him, a person can be broken. The symbol has the ability to be whatever people need it to be; for example, a symbol can be a rallying call. This movie shows us that Batman is more than Bruce Wayne surrounding himself with wonderful toys. “Batman” represents us as a people banding together to fight back. That’s what makes John Blake’s chalk markings so subtly powerful – they tell the enemy that Gotham hasn’t given up yet.
It should be no surprise that these ideas exist within this summer blockbuster, after all it’s concepts like these that have built the franchise up to where it stands in the collective conscience. Some might even say that it’s these ideas that make these films the best comic book movies ever. What is surprising, is the way the film successfully uses pure epic scale. Everything about this film – from its megalomaniacal plot to it’s IMAX presentation – is about doing something grand. Studios are known to do this with franchises, but not know when to say “when”, and because of that, they drive properties into the ground with overabundance. With THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, Christopher Nolan has used the studio’s goodwill to map out a deliberate and methodical movie, but on the largest scale seen since THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
That deliberate and methodical storytelling might be too much for some though. The film’s ambitious story not only puts a lot of pieces on the board, but it actually sidelines the main player for much of it. This movie is Bane’s more than it is Batman’s (or Bruce’s), and while that played remarkably well for me, Bane isn’t the one that everybody is coming to see. Further, Bane’s plan is convoluted, and seems to lean heavily on almost every character in the story doing something “just so”. This film isn’t about inciting human anarchy like we saw in THE DARK KNIGHT, it’s about crippling humanity entirely. Nolan walks us there the long way, and it might not be a walk everybody wants to take.
I, on the other hand, was more than happy to walk every bumpy step of this last mile. The film is dotted with individual totems as great as anything the series has offered so far, and shines a light on why a movement to upset the order of things must come with clear leadership. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is a tale of family, resilience, and legacy, and is a fitting conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s caped crusader series.
I really enjoyed this, and I was with a great audience who clapped and cheered at many points. I guess that in itself shows how great this film is because we were all so invested in it.
This indeed is the epic conclusion, because the scale was much bigger than the first two films. It was also flawed, because I felt it ended up having just too many characters and stories. The end of the end was a bit blah, since it was dragged out and became almost predictable. Also Bane, though brilliantly played by Hardy, ends up being a lesser villain than he is originally thought of to be, which is kind of sad because for me a superhero movie is nearly always about the supervillain, especially in case of Batman. I never watch a Batman movie for Batman.
But then again, this film has plenty of Gordon and Fox and Alfred and the totally scene-stealing newbies, Blake and Selena Kyle, which makes the experience so much richer. Hathaway was the stand-out in this film for me- loved every second she was on screen. JGL was excellent too, and Blake, his final scenes notwithstanding (where I face-palmed so hard), was such an endearing character. Loved the action and the score!
Though I would give all of them top ratings, for me- The Dark Knight > The Dark Knight Rises > Batman Begins. I don’t think any superhero movies will reach the heights of this trilogy for a long, long time.
I think what I will take away the most from this film is the way it brings so many threads together and turns the three movies into one complete story (whereas before, BEGINS and KNIGHT felt a lot more disconnected).
The thing about Bane is that his big moment comes pretty early in the story. That fistfight in his lair – where he breaks the bat – in many ways feels like it could be a bleak climax to the story. This is the first villain we’ve seen really pose a physical challenge to Bats, so in that respect it’s pretty shocking. However, because so much is left to come when that happens, the blow is lessened (pardon the pun).
You bring up a lot of great points Nik – I’ll be sure to go and read your post on it today for more great points!
I Love what you said about Nolan taking the long way. Even I thought that he introduced bunch of new characters and used them pretty well to bring it to a closure and it was every bit Epic as you can imagine. It isn’t flawless but after first two installments, it is pretty much exactly what I hoped it will be.
I agree with Nikhat in that it makes Bane a little less of a villain in the end. I also had a little issue with his voice, it needed getting used to and understanding clearly his political aspirations but that might just be me. I anyways need multiple viewings to any Nolan film to really ‘get’ them.
Yes, it isn’t better than Dark Knight but I really can’t hold it against it. An almost Perfect conclusion to by far the best Super Hero Series.
I’m not sure when I’ll see another film that tries to be as grand as this. There certainly isn’t anything I can think of in the pipeline that has that sort of ambition – perhaps THE HOBBIT.
I think we’re undercutting what Bane manages to *do*: This is a villain who traps Gotham within itself, knocks out the police force, cripples its economy, and turns its citizens against one another. That isn’t the work of a lesser villain! In many ways, he takes The Joker’s game and goes pro.
I think what’s holding us back from truly connecting with him is how he – by design – has less charisma than Joker or Scarecrow.
No, the problem with Bane ends up being that it was obviously not him who does trap Gotham- it was Miranda’s plan, wasn’t it? He was just the scary, bulging, masked villain dude. Like yes he had leadership and the totally frightening-you-to-submission quality, but that’s it. He’s the brawn, not the brains. I don’t know how I feel about that.
Although, I can spin it in the sense that he too was a symbol like Batman, but that nagging voice is at the back of my head still.
Loved it.
I am hesitant to call this a Superhero movie because 1)Batman has no superpowers, 2) the movie isn’t about hero vs villain or good vs evil. It’s about what could happen if a world is in anarchy, about a man trying to find something worth living for. Like you, I actually like the pacing of the film.
I think Anne Hathaway gives the best performance in the movie, her Selina Kyle gives a much needed counter balance to a heavy plot. Hardy’s Bain is not the strongest villain, but I think it’s by designed, and not Hardy’s fault. The movie is more interested in the idea Bain represent than Bain himself (and having the mask doesn’t help).
It’s not a perfect movie, there are parts that an audience member would need to take a huge leap of faith, but I wasn’t bothered by it while I was watching, and that’s all it matters.
I will definitely see this again in IMAX (see the film in IMAX, otherwise it doesn’t count:))
I know it won’t happen, but I actually wish we could get a Catwoman film starring Hathaway. I really loved the way she played her character, and especially how well she played off her fellow actors.
loved your review of this. totally agree with your summation of the heroic themes in the movie. TDKIR had an excellent exploration of those themes.
Thanks a mil! I’ll be clicking over to your site soon to see your take on it – since you were good enough to start following me on Twitter and all.
I agree it seemed the focus (even during the action sequences) was placed more on Bane’s character than Batman’s but I guess it was appropriate considering we’ve seen Batman’s skills all through the original Dark Knight. I appreciate what Nolan was going for with the sprawling cinematic story that put emphasis on Bruce Waynes’ metaphorsis and personal anguish along with along with the plight of Gotham. Quite a fresh perspective to conclude the trilogy.
I would compare the film to a double LP from your favourite artist; you get a whole lot more than your standard album but along with it comes it’s own drawbacks and few stutters/filler tracks. Although as the credits rolled I could only think of one thing I would change; the scene where Alfred’s wish comes true, that should’ve been a post-credits scene, and a knowning smile from Alfred would be better than a clear view of Bruce & Selina.
What I wouldn’t have given for that moment to be a post-credits scene. make everyone believe that we have gone somewhere truly bleak, only to reward the few with a wink that says it isn’t as dark as we’d thought.
Great idea good sir – great idea!
I agree it was sorta anti climatic to find Bane was being lead on by Miranda Tate and then suddenly blown away by Catwoman, not much of a ladies man huh lol. On the other hand his presence throughout the film was powerful and for me even eclipsed Batmans force as seen in their fight scenes. I also enjoyed how Anne Hathaway managed part sly thief with her own motivations and part cold unflinchin bitch ha!
I was worried about what Hathaway might do with the character, but happily Nolan removed much of the trickiness with his interpretation of the character as a straight up con-artist, and pretty much taking away all of the feline undertones.
(Note, she is never even called “Catwoman”? Great touch.)
Skimmed your review because I’m still working on my own, but I was pleasantly surprised by the film, given how the last act of TDK now lets me down immensely and BB in general I find structurally weak. I was struck how TDKR parades the worst of Nolan—the endless parade of expository dialogue*, the flat framing that mistake scale for genuinely thrilling composition, the inability to trim seemingly anything even as the story occasionally makes insane leaps over necessary information—and then somehow folds all of that back on itself and displays him at his best. His scale actually, finally tips into impressive in its own right, the realistic actually blends with the operatic without impeding it, and the much-too-muchness of it all manages to fall into place in ways that directly answer my problems with them. And sweet Jaysus the acting. Bale is still held back by an underwritten role, but Hardy’s loopy vocal styling, Oldman/Caine’s respective master classes in acting, and Hathaway’s EVERYTHING are just a delight. Hathaway in particular sells the class consciousness of the film better than anyone or anything.
*But seriously, how funny is it that with literally less than three minutes on the clock at the end, Batman, Catwoman and Gordon all stop to just listen to Tate telling us something WE ALREADY KNOW and that Nolan has already shown us through intercutting. Like, tick-fucking-tock, guys.
Skimmed mine while working on your own??!! That’s cheating!
It’s been wild to listen to the reaction to this film – if for no other reason than because I never expected this film to cause division amongst those who watched it.
Where the acting is concerned, I was also impressed quite a great deal by Joseph Gordon Levitt – who seems to get better and better with each passing film. In many ways, his role in this film is the linchpin that holds it all together.
Thanks for reading buddy.
Excellent review as always, Ryan. I am extremely excited for this one; two more days to go for me.
I haven’t looked to see if you’ve written your piece on it yet, hopefully it lived up to what you wanted it to be.
I haven’t written it, actually. But I can tell you I was pleased by it just not blown away. Still consider TDK to be the best in the trilogy.
Sorry Ryan, but I walked away with a profound sense of indifference to this entry. And I have loved this character since I first discovered him, and I enjoyed both of Nolan’s earlier entries in the series. The plot holes alone kept ousting me from my enjoyment of the film. I like the idea that a hero can be a symbol and bigger than one person… but, this wasn’t the story to tell it with. And if it was, then maybe they should have filled in the plot holes first.
I walked away with a “meh” on this one.
I won’t rehash the whole thing here, but a lot of what you called ‘plot-holes’ I see as ‘nit-picking’. The way this film’s narrative closes off the whole trilogy and the way it uses practical effects on such a grand scale make it worthwhile alone…regardless of any narrative inconsistencies.