Tuesday, September 29, 2015

The Dark Knight Rises (2012, PG-13)

The Dark Knight Rises really hammers home how much the trilogy is, in fact, a trilogy.  It’s not a series that just happens to have three films in it.  Viewed together, the story they tell of Batman is a self-contained one, and the final installment is most definitely an ending.  (Some basic premise spoilers.)

We open on a Gotham that, in recent years, has been policed by the actual police force rather than the caped crusader.  The events of the last film have served a twofold purpose:  1) they’ve enabled stronger legislation to give Gordon and other cops a fighting chance at cleaning up the streets, and 2) they’ve shaken Bruce to the point that he’s hung up the cowl.  But as the saying goes, just when he thinks he’s out, he’s pulled back by the arrival of Bane, a mysterious figure with immense power, warped ideals, and tangential connections with Bruce’s old friends/adversaries the League of Shadows.  As he breaks out the old Batmobile again and starts tentatively getting back in the game, he tests the waters of a few potential allies – namely, a passionate young cop, a determined philanthropist, and a clever cat burglar who may have a greater propensity for good than she realizes.

As always, the cast is to die for.  Christian Bale does a marvelous job as a rustier, more guarded, banged-up Batman.  As for the newcomers, Tom Hardy is a great Bane, a sort of hulking comic-book Robespierre (and all but unrecognizable – I know he’s got the mask and everything, but still.)  Anne Hathaway brings a neat mix of self-interest, calculating misdirection, and cat-and-mouse playfulness to Catwoman.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard both do well as Blake and Miranda, respectively.

The plot, while more than a little on-the-nose, is enjoyable.  Bane’s vision is greatly influenced by the French Revolution (the DVD should probably come with a spoiler warning for A Tale of Two Cities,) and it’s really neat to see how that dynamic is realized in a place like Gotham.  Meanwhile, it’s cool to see Bruce rejoining the fight after being out for so long.  He sort of has to rebuild himself from the ground up in order to take Bane on, and the side of good is a real team effort here, more so than any other film in the franchise.  I like watching Batman working with others, as well as watching how the rest of the good guys get by on their own when he’s not around.  In a way, his temporary retirement/refusal of the call forces those like Gordon, Blake, etc. to step up their own capabilities, which is good, because in this fight, Batman needs all the help he can get.

Like all the films in the trilogy, it’s definitely too long.  This one is a whopping 2 hours and 45 minutes, and especially on rewatch, it can feel like a beast of a movie.  It could’ve easily stood to lose half an hour.  However, it’s an undeniably fine film that brings the series to an excellent close.  It reminds me a tiny bit of the Breaking Bad finale in that, before I saw it, I couldn’t have told you what I was hoping for, but afterwards, I was decidedly satisfied.

Warnings

Heavy comic-book violence, a little sexual content, drinking, swearing, and thematic elements.

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