The Dark Knight Rises – KP Movie Review

Rating: 9.3/10 (IMDB: 9.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes: 87% critics, 93% audience)

Cast: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard

Synopsis: Batman goes one-on-one against Bane, who is not only superior to him in every aspect, but also has devastating plans to bring Gotham down. The Dark Knight must rise against the greatest threat he is yet to face, for the hopes of an entire city resting on his broad shoulders. His failure can only mean one thing: The destruction of Gotham, the destruction of humanity.

Review:

Christopher Nolan had remarked after the success of The Dark Knight that he would not direct a sequel if he didn’t have that kind of script which surpasses the last. How very true! This is a script that surpasses all expectations around the globe to deliver a supremely grand, not to mention a realistically colossal cinematic experience. Make no mistake; this is arguably Nolan’s finest work to date, exceeding the likes of The Prestige, Inception amongst others. True to the title, The Dark Knight does Rise, and my word, he does.

Read what Anurag has to say about the Dark Knight Rises!

The plot is a fast-paced interlaced with flashbacks and with Bane unleashing havoc on Gotham within the first hour itself. Bruce Wayne, who has been in exile for eight years now, has little option but to come out of retirement as the caped crusader, when the stakes rise drastically over the course of the movie. Anne Hathaway as the Catwoman is a delight to watch, her chemistry with Christian Bale is one of the things to really look forward to. Acting as expected is top-notch, Bale doing what he does best, playing the psychologically broken Batman. Tom Hardy is a pleasant surprise, and has delivered a sensational performance as the muscular Bane, who is not only superior in strength to the Dark Knight, but also able to outwit him on several occasions over the movie. Taking into consideration that he will most definitely be compared by critics with Heath Ledger’s Joker, Hardy’s performance is an amiable one. Watch out for Bane’s Darth Vader-esque voice, it’s pretty cool if you can understand it. Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Jospeph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard round off a terrific and talented cast.

 

The background score is scintillating, the cinematography ever so innovative. Nolan uses camera angles brilliantly to ensure that the viewer remains spellbound, something he has perfected since Inception. A special mention to Jonathan Nolan, who alongside his brother Christopher is responsible for the scripts of most of his movies, here the duo have done a fantastic job. The movie is not without its share of chase sequences, explosions, action scenes and they have been carried out with much aplomb, almost lending a magnum opus feel to it. The dialogue is very Batman-esque, more focused on raising philosophical and moral questions throughout in favor of witty one-liners. Although a long movie by Hollywood’s standards, not for a moment does the movie feel even a tad bit boring. For those who have been following Nolan’s work in the last decade, there are a lot of twists and turns, tying even the smallest details here and there.

Verdict:

In a nutshell, they don’t come better than this. The Dark Knight Rises might just be the finest movie to have come out this year, do not miss this one. I repeat, do not miss this one.

 

Tags: batman triology, christian bale, christian bale anne hathaway, Dark Knight Rises, review, The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy