The final part of director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, opened on July 20th to epic levels of anticipation. Tragedy quickly clouded the anticipation as result of the heinous actions of a cowardly psychopath in Aurora, Colorado. By now, we all know what 24-year-old James Holmes did at the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises at the Cinemark Century 16 Theater - 12 dead, 59 wounded. While the world mourned the tragic loss of 12 lives in Colorado, The Dark Knight Rises still had a record-setting opening weekend of $161 million; the largest opening ever for a 2D film and third largest opening weekend in cinema history. I watched The Dark Knight Rises last weekend and, after a week to absorb what I watched, I firmly believe that The Dark Knight Rises is the culmination of the greatest trilogy in cinema history.
Spoilers are below so you may want to avoid the remainder of this post until you see The Dark Knight Rises. While we are at it, why have you not see The Dark Knight Rises yet? What is wrong with you? There are NO excuses. Go to the theater now.
The Dark Knight Rises is a masterpiece. The culmination of director Christopher Nolan’s take on the Batman story unfolds perfectly over 160 minutes that felt like 20 minutes. That is the beauty of incredible filmmaking, when you can take a lengthy period of time and turn it into a blink of an eye that is still meaningful and powerful. Christopher Nolan is an amazing filmmaker. The story of The Dark Knight Rises sees Bruce Wayne return to society and Batman return to crime fighting after a self-imposed exile in the aftermath of the events of The Dark Knight. A new love interest in Miranda Tate (played by Marion Cotillard), a new enemy threatening Gotham in Bane (played by Tom Hardy), and a possible frenemy in cat burglar Selina Kyle (played by Anne Hathaway) motivate the return of Bruce Wayne of society and Batman to the role of Gotham’s protector. While Lucius Fox (played by Morgan Freeman) and Commissioner James Gordon (played by Gary Oldman) return to aid Batman, officer John Blake (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) joins the team as loyal Wayne butler and Batman confidant Alfred Pennyworth (played by Michael Caine) leaves out of fear of burying the final member of the Wayne family. The cast of characters in this film make for a star-studded lineup without a weak link in the acting chain. Everyone involved play his or her role to perfection. I cannot stress enough how Nolan did not waste a single performer’s talents throughout this film (or the trilogy for that matter). As for the film, The Dark Knight Rises casts aside the notion of being another summertime action film (i.e. cinematic junk food) and provides viewers with the thrills and explosions of typical mindless action fare combined with dialogue and plot points that appeal to the most cerebral of viewers. Bane’s attempt to destroy Gotham City using the power of the people and the idea of liberation (a warped version but a version equally warped as that of our own political leaders) reflects greatly on today’s society. Despite not intending on a social commentary, The Dark Knight Rises provides an excellent example of social commentary while also remaining true to itself as an action film of the highest regard.
Unlike the previous film The Dark Knight, Christian Bale’s portrayal of the Caped Crusader is not lost in the shuffle of overwhelmingly powerful performances. Instead, Bale gives a tremendous performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. I feel the rehabilitation of Wayne inside the Pit, after his assault at the hands of Bane, mirror his training sessions with Ra’s al Ghul in a positive manner. Bale brought his A-game for the final installment of the trilogy. Two other performances stole the show. Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt both deserve award recognition for their roles in The Dark Knight Rises. Hathaway breathed a life into Selina Kyle (a.k.a. Catwoman) like no other has before. Gordon-Levitt’s turn as officer John Blake (first name: Robin *hint hint*) brought another heroic figure to believe in alongside Batman. In both cases, a spin-off and new series of films would be a great joy for fans as their characters are simply too good to be limited to one film. If there is any legitimacy to the Academy, we will hear their names in January when Academy Award nominations are announced.
The best praise I can give The Dark Knight Rises is that this film concludes the greatest trilogy in cinema history. There are many trilogies rich with praise heaped upon them. I love The Godfather trilogy. I enjoyed the Dollars trilogy and the original Star Wars trilogy. However, for my money, the greatest trilogy ever to grace the silver screen is Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. From the beginning of Batman Begins through The Dark Knight to the final moments of The Dark Knight Rises, every scene is dedicated to telling one complete story - one of the best stories in cinema history. Together, these three films make for an epic unlike any other action film series or superhero series in cinema history. Nolan’s Batman trilogy makes every other superhero film look like a children’s film. Whatever you have to do in order to see The Dark Knight Rises, do it and DO IT NOW!
Superstar of The Dark Knight Rises: Anne Hathaway
Among the many incredible performances in The Dark Knight Rises, the one that stands out the most is that of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman. Her performance added an undeniable sex appeal to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy that Katie Holmes and Maggie Gyllenhaal did not bring. However, Hathaway maintained the high quality set by Gyllenhaal concerning female performances as Hathaway simply stole the show. Her on-screen time with Batman showed a unique chemistry between two characters that should be at one another’s throats and yet find a common ground. In a film full of terrific performances, Anne Hathaway was the gold standard of The Dark Knight Rises.
Jerk of The Dark Knight Rises: James Holmes
This monster murdered 12 innocent people and wounded 59 more as they tried to enjoy a film. A special place in Hell awaits this young man. In my opinion, he cannot get there soon enough.
Babe of The Dark Knight Rises: Anne Hathaway and Marion Cotillard (TIE)
Power Rankings - Top 5 Actors to Portray Batman
5. George Clooney - Batman & Robin
4. Val Kilmer - Batman Forever
3. Adam West - Batman (1966)
2. Michael Keaton - Batman (1989) and Batman Returns
1. Christian Bale - Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises
Power Rankings - Top 6 Actresses to Portray Catwoman
6. Halle Berry - Catwoman
5. Eartha Kitt - Batman (TV series)
4. Julie Newmar - Batman (TV series)
3. Lee Meriwether - Batman (1966)
2. Michelle Pfeiffer - Batman Returns
1. Anne Hathaway - The Dark Knight Rises
Power Rankings - Top 10 Villains in All of the Batman Films
10. Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) - Batman Begins
9. The Rogues Gallery of Villains: Catwoman (Lee Meriwether), The Joker (Cesar Romero), The Penguin (Burgess Meredith), and The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) - Batman (1966)
8. Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) - Batman Returns
7. The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) - Batman Begins
6. The Penguin (Danny DeVito) - Batman Returns
5. Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) - Batman Begins
4. Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart) - The Dark Knight
3. The Joker (Jack Nicholson) - Batman (1989)
2. Bane (Tom Hardy) - The Dark Knight Rises
1. The Joker (Heath Ledger) - The Dark Knight
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