Retro Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Writer's Note: My Word Online was down over the last two days- A Google Chrome update seems to have rectified that (whatever the case, it's working)- and I wasn't able to post my last two intended articles, so I'm giving you two-for-the-price-of-one today to make up for it.

First up, in honor of actor Christian Bale's birthday, here's my review of the final installment of director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. It was originally published in UAB's Kaleidoscope on July 21st, 2012.

Ah, the trilogy. They really can go awry, not matter how talented the filmmaker behind the lens may be. Think about it: “The Godfather III,” “Return of the Jedi,” “Spiderman 3”…the list goes on. 

There are a few who have doubled back and opted to make it a quadrology, so that things end on a better note, if still no great shakes: “Alien: Resurrection,” “Scream 4,” and, um… “Friday the 13th, Part 4- The Final Chapter” (yeah, right… final). By and large, though, it’s rare to find a satisfying one…until now, of course. 

“The Dark Knight Rises” gets so much of it right, it’s hard not to think writer/director Christopher Nolan intended it this way all along. Rather than try and risk the Herculean task of directly following up the masterpiece that was “The Dark Knight,” Nolan cleverly doubles-back and goes back to the original, “Batman Begins” and ties everything up in a nice, little, hermetically sealed package, and I mean that in the best possible way. Of course, Nolan can’t help but leave the door ever-so-slightly open for another potential spin-off character…probably not who you’re thinking it is, safe to say.

You’re really going to want to watch the first two again before seeing this one. I watched both the night before I saw it, and the trilogy really plays like one big, long movie. Yes, the Joker’s absence is an issue, but I’d rather miss his presence than see him played by anyone else than Heath Ledger, so I’m okay with it. Instead, Nolan connects it back to the main “Batman Begins” storyline involving Ra's Al Ghul, complete with a cameo by the always-welcome Liam Neeson. (Another main character from that film makes a humorous cameo in TDKR as well that I won’t spoil here.) 

The film opens with Batman retired, still in a shambles emotionally and physically, thanks to the disastrous events of “The Dark Knight,” much of which he shoulders the blame for, with the help of Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman). Nonetheless, crime has dropped to an all-time low, so Batman’s services aren’t really needed until the arrival of Bane (Tom Hardy, unrecognizable), a villain so bad he was kicked out of the organization the League of Shadows, aka the one formerly run by Ghul.

Determined to finish what Ghul never did- destroy Gotham completely- Batman must come back to save his city or see it go up in flames. Also along for the ride is the morally questionable Selina Kyle, an- ahem- literal cat burglar played by Anne Hathaway. I questioned this casting most of all, but I’ve got to hand it to her, Hathaway pulls off Catwoman surprisingly well, considering her complete and utter lack of fanboy-friendly past material. I mean, she’s no Scarlett Johansson- but who is, really?

Also joining in the fun is Joseph Gordon-Levitt (also in Nolan’s “Inception”) as a wide-eyed policeman/would-be detective John Blake and Oscar-winner Marion Cottilard (“Public Enemies”) as a wealthy Clean-energy advocate seeking an investment from and serving as a potential love interest for millionaire Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), aka Batman.

Not that this film is “fun,” per se. The subject matter is pretty heavy, and a sense of doom pervades even the early scenes before the Bane hits the fan. To be honest, the film gets a little poky here and there, particularly when Wayne is down-and-out on two separate occasions, but it’s almost necessary to encompass all that’s going on. You’ve got to fall before you rise, and all that…

Indeed, you almost don’t need Catwoman here, though I get why they do include the character. She brings a much-needed sense of the aforementioned fun to the proceedings that wouldn’t be there otherwise. It’s hard not to smile at the Bat-cycle & Bat-a-copter scenes, as Catwoman and Batman play…well, cat & mouse, racing through the streets. It wouldn’t be Batman without those fabulous toys, after all. It’s the last film, and, as Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Batman’s toy-master, puts it: “Well let me show you some stuff, anyway. Just for old time's sake.”

Once the film gets past the necessary bring-Batman-down-so-that-he-may-rise-again stuff, the end sequences are appropriately epic, as Bane lays siege to Gotham in earnest, blowing up bridges, buildings, and anyone or anything that gets in his way, and threatening blowing up Gotham entirely with the help of a nuclear bomb after he literally sanctions off the city from outside help. It’s up to Batman to save the day, with an able assist from Catwoman.  

This being the end of a trilogy, there’s lots of unexpected revelations and the like, with some plot twists you may not see coming, and at least one you probably will. Either way, it’s a fitting and enjoyable end to Nolan’s masterful vision that totally makes up for those last two unfortunate post-Burton entries to the Batman franchise back in the 90's. Well, maybe not the bat-nipples and codpieces…shudder.

This is how you end a trilogy, people, with style and substance to spare, the way only Nolan can do it. And there was much rejoicing amongst the fan-boys and girls, and we all lived happily ever after!  

Or at least until the inevitable reboot...