Batman: The Dark Knight Rises
"There is a prison in a more ancient part of the world. A pit where men are thrown to suffer and die. But sometimes a man rises from the darkness. Sometimes the pit sends something back."
release year: 2012
genre: dark action
viewing setting: home Bluray 1/17/20 and 2/6/16
synopsis: Years after taking the blame for other peoples' actions, Batman has vanished...but a new threat comes to Gotham.
impressions: As with the one before it, this movie was good - well-done, great acting from many people, plenty of action, part of a greater body of work. But for some reason I can't call it "great"...I don't know. Well, actually, I do know - it came to me as I typed these words. These last two Batman movies have involved the regular people; last time, mobs of them had to make major decisions, and this time, mobs of them are shown to be judging others. I can't say exactly why this sort of thing doesn't fully click with me, but that's the case. Another thing, again: unwillingness to use guns. If Batman had just pulled out a pistol and shot Bane - even just wounded him - in their first encounter, hundreds or even thousands of lives would have been saved. Yes, Batman, you did fail the city; you failed it because your choices about how to fight the bad guys caused innocent lives to be lost. Anyway. This movie incorporates the physically imposing villain Bane as well as some elements from classic Batman stories of the past. It's well worth seeing (though almost three hours in length) and absolutely packed with action and cool gadgets.
something this movie has that no other movie has: A pit which defies all attempts to climb out.
acting: Christian Bale is Batman and Bruce Wayne, who must find the willpower to go back to his old ways (and then find it again after he suffers a setback.) Gary Oldman is strong as the police commissioner. Once again, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are great in supporting roles. Anne Hathaway is a cat burglar who becomes an ally for Batman. Tom Hardy is the hulking Bane, whose voice sounds a lot different than I'd expected (and he's basically a revolutionary.) Marion Cotillard is an executive who turns out to be more than she appears.
final word: It's a strong Batman movie, but with some aspects I didn't like.
back to the main review page