The Dark Knight Rises

**Plot** :

8 years since we saw Batman (Christian Bale) vanishing into blinding light in ‘The Dark Knight’. He has completed the inevitable transformation from hero to fugitive.
Bruce Wayne decides that the best policy would be for Batman to accept responsibility for the death of (two face) Harvey Dent, sacrificing everything for what he believed would ensure the better welfare of the citizens of Gotham.

However, following a short period of crime rates plummeting, the emergence of a mysterious cat burglar (Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman) and the ruthless terrorist Bane (Tom Hardy) unleash the chaos his sacrifice had intended to prevent, back on to the streets of Gotham.
Despite the numerous characters and subplots within the film, the main focus lies on the plight of Bruce Wayne, his struggle to exorcise his inner demons of guilt and realise his true path and potential.

**Review**:

From the moment Christopher Nolan’s monumental Batman sequel ‘The Dark Knight’ ended, cinemagoers around the world have been waiting for the final chapter to arrive.
Four years after audiences first witnessed what would turn out to be the last great performance from the late Heath Ledger and the dramatic conclusion to Nolan’s Batman trilogy has finally arrived.

I’ve always been a big fan of Christopher Nolan for attempting to raise the standard of Hollywood blockbusters by establishing the foundations for his films firmly on a set of specific ideas. Nolan’s work has sought to remove itself from the belief amongst many, that summer cinemagoers are simply passive audiences seeking to be thrilled, instead providing films that demand concentration and understanding to be truly enjoyed.

Batman films of the past have been ridiculed for their tongue in cheek execution, which seemed to disregard the darker underlying potential the franchise had always held. Nolan’s films have truly embraced these underlying themes and as a result have elevated the comic book hero to a far more complex and intriguing character.

For all those worried whether Nolan has been able to maintain the standards of his outstanding 2008 sequel, fear not, for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ surpasses expectations in almost every department. Delivering an incredibly satisfying piece of mainstream cinema with a narrative founded upon ideas, though those that are far more palatable than that of Nolan’s sometimes-impenetrable ‘Inception’.
The film most closely resembles a film noir, with a frequently caustic screenplay complete with richly developed characters and the ideas that drive them.

Bane though not as psychotically unpredictable as the Scarecrow or Joker is arguably the most worthy nemesis the dark knight has ever faced, conveying his ruthlessness through a series of plans to tempt Bruce out of his self imposed exile.

Tom Hardy delivers a psychologically intimidating performance that will no doubt garner a great deal of critical acclaim, as his star continues to rise within Hollywood. Though Christian Bale’s performance, often forgotten beneath the obsidian like suit of Batman, is one of great subtlety, playing the tragic hero searching within himself for his true purpose and place within the corrupted city he once called home.

Within any blockbuster of such grand scale and prohibitive cost, most directors would be inclined to give in to the overwhelming pressure to deliver special effects filled final chapter. However, Nolan maintains an impressive balance between jaw dropping set pieces and moments of real poignancy, made possible due to the rich character development throughout all three films of the trilogy.

{{ quote ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ surpasses expectations in almost every department. Delivering an incredibly satisfying piece of mainstream cinema with a narrative founded upon ideas.}}

There will no doubt be accusations of pretention as there have been throughout Nolan’s body of work, yet whilst ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ often feels desperate to emphasise the importance, urgency and stakes involved in its plot, it doesn’t come across as overly preachy. Instead one is left to contemplate the obvious references to the wider encompassing socio-political problems in our own society.

Nolan’s trilogy ends not demanding a greater intelligence and understanding from cinemagoers, but instead expects it. The goal that continues to fuel his ambitious work is a simple yet rarely pursued one (in modern Hollywood): that Hollywood can craft big money blockbusters that deliver as much in ideas as they do in innovative special effects and state of the art filming techniques.

In ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Christopher Nolan provides perhaps his most persuasive and coherent example yet of how this can be achieved.