Like many I eagerly awaited the release of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, and after a second viewing I decided it was the right film to start this blog with. Spoilers are indicated in red.
It’s easy to
like The Dark Knight Rises. It’s easy to sing the films’ praise because on the
surface it’s all there. This is a resounding final chapter in Christopher
Nolan’s epic trilogy, one that moves along at such a pace that you start to
wonder where the two hour, forty-five minute runtime has gone. You laugh, cry;
you’ll be lifted to great heights by Hans Zimmer’s incredible score whilst
Wally Pfister’s subtle and understated cinematography is a visual treat.
But beneath it
all, Rises is not without it’s problems, and given the strength of Nolan’s past
efforts you’ll be left feeling a little under whelmed.
The film opens
and we're eight years on from where we left off in The Dark Knight, with Batman
having taken the blame for the murders committed by Harvey Dent, to protect the
image of Gotham's White Knight. It's a noble effort, and, it seems, a
successful one as well, with Bruce Wayne in seclusion, the Batman retired,
crime is, reportedly, at an all time low. Gotham, we are told, is in peace
time, where even the cops have little to do.
But therein lies
the first problem, because as much as we can believe that Batman's efforts
might eradicate organized crime, it's harder to buy that every rapist, mugger
and murderer leaves the streets. Of course the cops are there to deal with
this, but with it all still happening can we really believe that Bruce could
sit idly by and let it? It was a simple street crime that killed his parents,
that gave birth to the Batman, but at present time both personas have been
withdrawn for years, the Batman and the public image of Bruce Wayne,
billionaire, eccentric.
And that sets
off an ongoing theme throughout; this is a Batman film in which Batman barely
does anything and not many answers are given as to why. If there’s one major
fault with Rises it’s that it feels like you’re watching the second part to a
film that doesn’t exist. Bruce Wayne is seriously injured, Gotham’s ‘silent
guardian’, or ‘watchful protector’, is non existent and even the source of
Bruce’s wealth, his parents’ company Wayne Enterprises, is floundering due to
Bruce putting all of it’s stock into a fusion reactor that we know precious
little about. These aren’t continuations of ideas established in the first two
films of the trilogy, they’re brand new ones; which wouldn’t be a problem for
Rises so much if it didn’t treat them merely as plot devices. Bruce’s injury is
conveniently overcome, the Dark Knight must, indeed, ‘rise’, and the fusion
reactor forms the backbone of the entire plot. They suit the film but don’t
comfortably conclude the trilogy.
The underlining
strength behind Rises, and indeed each of the three films, is the absolutely
stellar cast. Each actor perfectly embodies the character they’re playing;
they’re not acting out a part they’re bringing a universe to life. While Heath
Ledger is surely missed, Anne Hathaway embodies every aspect of Catwoman the
way Ledger embodied the Joker, whilst Tom Hardy’s Bane is a villain of
Vader-like presence. The problem, though, is that some of the characters feel a
little underdeveloped and the film clustered. Michael Caine’s Alfred is reduced
to little more than exposition before being written out of the film entirely,
whilst Matthew Modine’s Deputy Commissioner Foley is bland and forgettable. The
weakest link, however, is Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), whose romance with
Bruce Wayne is rushed and un-engaging; we never feel what he supposedly feels,
and we question his motives when he becomes so driven by it at the end. *SPOILER* By the
time Tate is later revealed to be to be the revenge driven daughter of Ra’s al
Ghul, in a twist so obvious you hope the film doesn’t go there, both the
romance and Bane are rendered obsolete. His story suddenly becomes hers and he
is quickly disposed of, and as the film enters the last ten minutes it’s a mad
rush to tie everything up quickly.
But to the films
credit, none of these faults matter when you’re watching it. Whether it’s a
combination of the directing, the cinematography, the score or the performances
from the cast, the film is nothing if not engaging. Questions will undoubtedly
arise (How did Bruce re-enter Gotham? Was Bane’s plan worth it if the bomb was
always going to go off? What exactly is Bane even saying?) and though they are valid concerns, only those with a weak
bladder wouldn’t sit their enthralled beginning to end.
