Okay, maybe that's being a little harsh. But only a little. Because for all it's triumphs, for every outstanding performance or cinematically perfect shot or wonderfully well-done practical effect, The Dark Knight Rises still has a plot that could've come from the Adam West TV show.
I'll start at the worst offender--the nuclear bomb. A NUCLEAR BOMB. The single most cliched, overdone, laziest story element ever included in cinema, right behind not looking at an explosion. It's the one thing I hated in The Avengers, despite the fact that it at least fits in the more cartoony MCU than the "grounded" Nolan Batman films. In all honesty, the microwave emitter from Batman Begins was more believable than this silliness. At least Nolan had the good sense to not go with the ultra cliche of Batman blowing up in the nuke's explosion to save Gotham. When I saw the Bat flying out over the harbor with the bomb in tow, I almost walked out of the theater. And don't even get me started on the "concrete laced with explosives" absurdity.
Another knock against this movie has to be Bane. Yes, Bane. Surprisingly, he earns this movie's silly voice award, beating out an increasingly gravely Christian Bale. He was played too theatrically by Tom Hardy--this is not to say it was a bad performance, just too out of line with the personality of the character. And don't get me wrong; Nolan's Batman movies have made a name for themselves by re-imagining the classic DC characters. But Bane was one place where they made a misstep. Hardy's Bane is a pompous ass, so self-righteous and fake that he just comes off as silly. And although that self-assured conqueror was his mask to the people of Gotham, he took it too far, he overacted too much. This is the Bane we should've had:
Self-assured and threatening, right? Oh, what could have been...
And when we do see the real Bane, and are made the sympathize with him, well, it just totally and entirely nerfs his character. By making him nothing more than a pawn to Talia (who, surprisingly, isn't wasted), all his cocksure boasting is rendered utterly toothless. He has no power beyond what Talia gives him, and even though he makes to kill Batman contrary to her orders at the very end, he still just seems ultimately broken as a character.
But this movie wasn't all bad--in fact, it mostly wasn't. And as much as the plot and main baddie were underwhelming, I still enjoyed TDKR. The number one reason? Two words: Selina. Kyle.
Anne Hathaway's Catwoman easily stole the show here (and no, not because of her figure, you perv). Her Catwoman exemplified everything that made the Nolan films great--taking a new direction with classic characters and ideas while still maintaining roots in those original stories. She was brutal, she was feisty, she was arrogant--the perfect Selina Kyle. I could rave and rave and rave about her performance, and like Ledger's Joker, has now de-facto ownership of the role. She was that pitch-perfect, and I think would do well by a solo film or two.
Another plus for this film was the emphasis on Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon. He was always a strong presence in the first two films, and this movie only benefits from his expanded role. He behaves exactly like he should under the extreme(ly silly) situation Gotham is in, but still brings a very human weight to a role that could have fallen flat with just about anyone else
Just a few more thoughts: kudos to Nolan for including the most humor of any of this Batman movies (or any of his movies, for that matter) in The Dark Knight Rises. It is one of the reasons that the Marvel films are so accessible, and it's nice to see someone finally realize that a Batman story doesn't have to be depressing ALL the time. And, as always, my highest praise to him for using as many practical effect/model/extras as is physically possible. In an industry plagued by the summer CGI smorgasbord, TDKR stands out as a beacon of what effort in filmmaking equates to. Well done.
And as for the story, well, the last 5 minutes saved it. Nolan masterfully crafted an end to his saga that was both filling and intelligent, and honestly one that I didn't see coming. It's as if he made to acknowledge our speculations, tease us with how stupid they were, and present an actual ending that made sense.
So, in the end, is The Dark Knight Rises the greatest movie of all time? No. The greatest comic book movie of all time? No. The greatest Batman movie of all time? No. But does that make it bad? Certainly not. Just fuckin' stupid.
I'll start at the worst offender--the nuclear bomb. A NUCLEAR BOMB. The single most cliched, overdone, laziest story element ever included in cinema, right behind not looking at an explosion. It's the one thing I hated in The Avengers, despite the fact that it at least fits in the more cartoony MCU than the "grounded" Nolan Batman films. In all honesty, the microwave emitter from Batman Begins was more believable than this silliness. At least Nolan had the good sense to not go with the ultra cliche of Batman blowing up in the nuke's explosion to save Gotham. When I saw the Bat flying out over the harbor with the bomb in tow, I almost walked out of the theater. And don't even get me started on the "concrete laced with explosives" absurdity.
Another knock against this movie has to be Bane. Yes, Bane. Surprisingly, he earns this movie's silly voice award, beating out an increasingly gravely Christian Bale. He was played too theatrically by Tom Hardy--this is not to say it was a bad performance, just too out of line with the personality of the character. And don't get me wrong; Nolan's Batman movies have made a name for themselves by re-imagining the classic DC characters. But Bane was one place where they made a misstep. Hardy's Bane is a pompous ass, so self-righteous and fake that he just comes off as silly. And although that self-assured conqueror was his mask to the people of Gotham, he took it too far, he overacted too much. This is the Bane we should've had:
Self-assured and threatening, right? Oh, what could have been...
And when we do see the real Bane, and are made the sympathize with him, well, it just totally and entirely nerfs his character. By making him nothing more than a pawn to Talia (who, surprisingly, isn't wasted), all his cocksure boasting is rendered utterly toothless. He has no power beyond what Talia gives him, and even though he makes to kill Batman contrary to her orders at the very end, he still just seems ultimately broken as a character.
But this movie wasn't all bad--in fact, it mostly wasn't. And as much as the plot and main baddie were underwhelming, I still enjoyed TDKR. The number one reason? Two words: Selina. Kyle.
Anne Hathaway's Catwoman easily stole the show here (and no, not because of her figure, you perv). Her Catwoman exemplified everything that made the Nolan films great--taking a new direction with classic characters and ideas while still maintaining roots in those original stories. She was brutal, she was feisty, she was arrogant--the perfect Selina Kyle. I could rave and rave and rave about her performance, and like Ledger's Joker, has now de-facto ownership of the role. She was that pitch-perfect, and I think would do well by a solo film or two.
Another plus for this film was the emphasis on Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon. He was always a strong presence in the first two films, and this movie only benefits from his expanded role. He behaves exactly like he should under the extreme(ly silly) situation Gotham is in, but still brings a very human weight to a role that could have fallen flat with just about anyone else
Just a few more thoughts: kudos to Nolan for including the most humor of any of this Batman movies (or any of his movies, for that matter) in The Dark Knight Rises. It is one of the reasons that the Marvel films are so accessible, and it's nice to see someone finally realize that a Batman story doesn't have to be depressing ALL the time. And, as always, my highest praise to him for using as many practical effect/model/extras as is physically possible. In an industry plagued by the summer CGI smorgasbord, TDKR stands out as a beacon of what effort in filmmaking equates to. Well done.
And as for the story, well, the last 5 minutes saved it. Nolan masterfully crafted an end to his saga that was both filling and intelligent, and honestly one that I didn't see coming. It's as if he made to acknowledge our speculations, tease us with how stupid they were, and present an actual ending that made sense.
So, in the end, is The Dark Knight Rises the greatest movie of all time? No. The greatest comic book movie of all time? No. The greatest Batman movie of all time? No. But does that make it bad? Certainly not. Just fuckin' stupid.
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