Over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending a screening of the final chapter of Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy.
Let me start out by saying that I have really enjoyed the other 2 movies in this reboot of the batman series. Both Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight, were solid films that put an interesting, dark, modern spin on the Batman franchise. These films stand alone from the early 1960's television show, and the 1980's films that featured a host of hollywood actors in the title role.
Dark Knight Rises takes all of that to another level. It really is an incredible triumph for a comic book movie franchise. And as it managed to rake in $160 million at the box office on its Opening Weekend, I'd wager that alot of fans are going to be mouring the end of this take on the Batman mythology.
Once again, the cast is phenomenonal, with Christian Bale returning for his 3rd and final time as the caped crusader. Bale's Batman is a cagey, aggressive crusader who has sacrificed everything for the city he loves. Bale's quiet fury at this latest attack on Gotham, and the sense of determination that he excudes while attempting to set things right, create a performance that is both dark and incredibly uplifting. Morgan Freeman, Michael Cain, and Gary Oldman are also back to reprise their roles as Bruce Waynes trusted friends and confidants, all of whom do an excellent job with their supporting roles. New comers to the series include Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Tom Hardy as Bane, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, a young Gotham City Police detective. Hathaway earns special mention for being both easy on the eyes, and remarkably layered in her performance. It was great to see an attractive, strong female character finally make an appearance in this franchise.
The plot is both immersive, and fast paced enough to keep you deeply interested in the fates of the myrad characters that you are introduced to throughout the film. Nolan really widen's the perspective with this film, focusing a large amount of screen time not only on the title charater, but on many inhabitants of Gotham, over the course of the film. This movie really does focus on the elevation of an individual to the status of Hero through the course of the story.
The cinematography is beautiful, every shot seems crisp, clear, and infused with just a hint of sepia filter that adds a subtle reminder of comic book-esque art to the the big screen.
Ofcourse, there are also some wicked action sequences, and as always, Nolan puts a few of Batman's new toys on display. The Bat (think Quadrotor adaped Bat-plane) being the one that gets the most screentime, while Bane's minions cruise around town in 3-4 stolen Batmobiles.
The Batsuit also gets an interesting reworking, although one has to be paying attention to notice the differences from previous incarnations.
I was thouroughly engrossed with the film from its engaging beginning to its remarkable ending.
While I won't give anything away, I will say that if you haven't yet, you should go out and see this film on the big screen. It has been well worth the wait. In fact in my mind, it is the movie event of the Summer.
