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| Image: Warner Bros. |
And so Christopher Nolan’s Batman
trilogy draws to a close. It’s made a ton of money and quite possibly won more
critical acclaim and fanboy devotion than any comic book movie franchise. But
could the filmmaker and his team make a final chapter that would live up to our
expectations?
After taking the fall for the
crimes of Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has not only retired Batman
but has become a recluse in Wayne Manor, neglecting Wayne Enterprises and its
charity work. He’s not the only one letting things slip, however, as Gotham is
in a similar state of profligate carelessness. But masked mercenary Bane (Tom
Hardy) is building an army underground and plans to bring the city to its
knees.
Does it live up to our
expectations? Well, not quite. While The Dark Knight Rises is a highly
entertaining, ambitious blockbuster, it does have the most immediately obvious
problems of the Nolan trilogy. Those expecting things to kick off with the same
bang as TDK’s bank heist will be wrong-footed, as the script (by Nolan
and his brother Jonathan) sets a deliberately sluggish pace for the bulk of the
first half, presumably to allow the viewer to become as relaxed as the
characters who are in for a shock. There’s an overall bleakness at work here
too, as Bruce isn’t struggling to work through his grief, but not even trying.
It’s interesting, but it does drag.
This isn’t helped by a
not-particularly exciting (but necessary) focus on the Wayne Enterprises
boardroom, with environmentally-conscious Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) and
scheming bastard Dagget (Ben Mendelsohn) vying for Bruce’s ear and power
respectively. Bane flits in and out during these early scenes, lacking any
truly great dialogue but making a big impression thanks to his size and Hardy’s
presence. On the plus side, the long running time allows Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s
beat cop Blake room to develop. Finally, as the film reaches the half-hour
mark, Nolan starts to tighten his grip on the audience. As Bruce dusts off the
cape and cowl and gets closer to Bane, there’s a definite sense of excitement.
TDKR really finds its wings when Bane’s plan is revealed
and the second half of the film begins. As Gotham plunges into chaos, Nolan is
following a clear path from TDK and again aims for relevance to the
current state of things. It (as well as Bruce’s emotional storyline) will be a
little on the nose for some but it’s certainly powerful, with the scenes of
devastation stunning in IMAX (enough to ignore the plot holes). While the
events of TDK directly feed into this film, it’s nice to see that the
script also draws heavily on Batman Begins, a film that occasionally
gets overlooked in comparison to its sequel.
In terms of the cast, Anne
Hathaway makes for an excellent Selina Kyle, nailing the combination of slinky
playfulness and survival instinct. Gordon-Levitt is on predictably good form as
the only cop in Gotham who can see what’s coming, and series regulars Michael
Caine, Morgan Freeman, and particularly Gary Oldman continue to work well.
While their vocal choices will raise eyebrows, Bale and Hardy’s confrontations
are absolutely fantastic.
As a final third, The Dark
Knight Rises is ultimately satisfying. At its best, it’s thrilling and
hugely impressive in its reach. But the first act is undeniably slow and a
little muddled in places. For fans of the franchise, this is a worthy finale to
a landmark series while still probably being the least impressive instalment.
It’s not the best of
the trilogy but TDKR ends the series on a high note. Once it moves past
the script issues of the first half, it’s an ambitious, visually stunning and
emotionally affecting blockbuster.
4/5
JH
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