Movie Review: "The Dark Knight Rises"/PG-13/Warner Bros./164 min./Dir. by Christopher Nolan

(Note: I have decided, after considerable thought, to write this review strictly as a critique of the film and not as a commentary about its association with the horrific events in Colorado.  While that tragedy will, unfortunately, forever be associated with this film, it should not define the way the film is seen.  My prayers, as have been yours, are with those dealing with the aftermath of those events.)

In 1997, director Joel Schumacher did the seemingly impossible....he killed Batman.  Not the character, but the franchise.  With the ridiculously campy "Batman and Robin", complete with armor nipples and an endless supply of ice related puns, Schumacher took one of the most profitable film series in motion picture history and (forgive me for this) gave it the deep freeze.  "B&R" isn't really a "so bad it's good" movie, it's just bad.  The acting, the set designs, the costumes, the music, the direction, every creative gene of the movie is vapid and insulting.  It is also the first film I've ever walked out of in the theater because of the film's stupidity.  I saw it later on home video and realized that my initial feelings were far from harsh.... the movie is really horrible.

However, considering the amount of money the Caped Crusader made for Warner Bros., it was only a matter of time before they tried to resurrect him on the big screen.  Hiring auteur Christopher Nolan for the job is one of the smartest decisions ever made in film history.  Joining forces with screenwriter David S. Goyer (Nolan clearly brings out the best in Goyer, as the "Dark Knight" trilogy is easily the best thing with which his name has been associated), Nolan not only set out to put his stamp on the series, but he set out to redefine the the boundaries of what a superhero film could be.

Where Tim Burton's Gotham was a clearly matte-painted take on the film "Metropolis", and Schumacher's was a day-glo colored, 24-hour rave party, Nolan made it a real city.  It's an amalgam of Chicago and New York, where the real villains are rarely the ones in costume.  

Given Nolan's new take on the tone and interpretation of the material, it was very wise to make it a pure reboot and start with a new origin story.  "Batman Begins" did a wonderful job setting up the situations, emotions, and motivations that led to the existence of the Batman.  However, "The Dark Knight" raised the realism and the stakes.  Lead by the iconic performance by Heath Ledger as The Joker, TDK was surprisingly dramatic and somber for a superhero movie, and that's because, at its heart, it wasn't one.  It was a gritty crime thriller, with far more in common with "The Departed" than with "Spider-Man".

Which, of course, brings us to "The Dark Knight Rises."  (Warning: There are spoilers for the first two Nolan/Dark Knight movies and light plot-based spoilers for "TDKR" ahead)  It's been eight years since Batman took the blame for the grief-driven murders committed by Harvey Dent, and Gotham has made Dent the martyr and the symbol of good in the city.  The "Dent Act", which was passed shortly after his death, has successfully rid the city of organized crime.  Gotham doesn't seem to need Batman anymore, which suits Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) just fine.  After the events surrounding The Joker and Dent, his body is crippled and his spirit still mourns for the life he could've had with his fallen love, Rachel.

However, underneath the city in the sewer systems, a new threat to the city is building.  Rookie cop, John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is slowly piecing together connections to smaller crimes that could be signs of something bigger brewing.  While the Chief of Police (Matthew Modine) thinks he's just a hot-headed kid, Comissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) also is concerned about what may be coming.

It turns out that what's coming is Bane (Tom Hardy), a ruthless brick-wall of a villain who seems to be leading a social and economic revolution against the elite of the city, but whose end game is far more insidious.  Also added to the mix, for reasons that are unclear at first, is the slinky cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway).  As Bruce begins to investigate the brutal Bane and the mysterious Kyle, it becomes all the more apparent that the Bat has to come out of retirement, whether or not Wayne feels equal to the task.

That's a brief rundown of what's going on, but it can't begin to describe the twists and turns in the plot.  Once again, Nolan provides a script that is rich in atmosphere, emotion, and character.  Almost every character, no matter how seemingly unimportant, fits into the grand design of things.  The sole exception is Kyle's sidekick, Holly (Juno Temple), who could've easily been written out of the script and her absence would not have been noticed in the least.  Otherwise, Nolan has given every character a key role in the development of the plot.

The acting is superb across the board.  As the tortured Wayne, Bale gets to show so much more of his terrific acting chops as Wayne gets broken and reborn.  He wears the grief and anger from the events of the last film with such conviction that he truly rises above the often vanilla-bland characterization of Wayne in past interpretations of the character.  

Everyone knows that a superhero movie is only as good as its villain and Bane is a brutish success.  Part WWF wrestler, part Darth Vader, Hardy portrays Bane with a calm and ominous singularity of purpose.  A chill enters the theater whenever he appears.  

However, for me, the stand out performance was Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (she's never referred to as Catwoman in the film, although one newspaper headline does refer to her as "The Cat").  Near the beginning of the film, she seems to be playing her standard character....sweet, shy, and a little clumsy, but there is a moment early on when you see that facade drop and her cunning, street-wise seductress leaks through and from that moment on, Hathaway owns every scene she's in.  Riding the line of hero and villain throughout the movie, she is fantastic and the perfect person for the job.

Production values are pretty amazing throughout.  Nolan's go-to guy for cinematogrophy, Wally Pfister, brings the grit of the city to vibrant life and Hans Zimmer's musical score does a terrific job combining the darkness of the previous installments with the hopeful atmosphere required for this trilogy finale.  As would be expected, the special effects are jaw-dropping with n'er a seam to be seen.

There are two questions one may have about "The Dark Knight Rises":  Is it as good as "The Dark Knight?" and Is it as good as "The Avengers."  To answer the first, absolutely.  While it doesn't have a performance as surprising or buzz-worthy as Ledger's in "TDK", it also isn't dependent on one performance.  It couldn't have been a better or more fitting ending for the series.

Secondly, and I know I might get some flack for this, but I really think that "The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight Rises" are in the same league as far as quality.  However, comparing them is really unfair because they are really different genres.  "The Avengers" is a special-effects extravaganza, a wildly entertaining action-comedy.  "The Dark Knight Rises" is a crime drama/political thriller, with a palpable sense of dread and a potent sense of humor.  I supposed if pushed to it, I'd say "TDKR" is the better movie, but "The Avengers" is the one that'll get the more play on my blu-ray player, however, both are a great time at the movies.

In the end, I think my favorite thing about this film and the entire "Dark Knight" trilogy, is the idea of faith in the common man.  Nolan recently stated that he had developed elements of the entire trilogy around one line from the first film, spoken by Bruce Wayne's father:  "Why do we fall, Bruce?  To learn how to get back up."  I think this quote not only applies to Wayne's character, but to the entire populace of Gotham.  Nolan has shown many instances of a city willing to work together to fight the evils that threaten it and that is a hopeful and inspiring thing to see in film, especially a "superhero" film.  The idea of being protected by a hero is nice, but the idea of being your own hero is empowering and that is the idea I believe this film trilogy endorses.  It's a terrific ending to one of the greatest film trilogies of all time.

Final Grade: A