The Dark Knight
Rises - (July 20th, 2012): PG-13
Distributor: Warner
Bros. Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office:
#1 with $160,887,295
Domestic Box Office
Gross to-date: $243,061,000
Gross Revenue: $419,161,000
Production Budget:
$250 million
Director: Christopher Nolan
With a stunning reboot and
modernization of the classic character in 2005’s Batman Begins and the lightning-bolt redefinition of the superhero
genre that was 2008’s The Dark Knight,
Christopher Nolan cemented his reputation as a master filmmaker and had fans clamoring
for another chapter in his cinematic interpretation of The Caped Crusader; so
when The Dark Knight Rises was first
announced, a record-breaking box office presence was virtually guaranteed. Based on the franchise’s reputation, everyone
knew that The Dark Knight Rises was
going to be amazing, so the entire buzz saturating the social media networks
was simple fan curiosity concerning exactly how Nolan was going to execute his
masterpiece, and the casting choices were invariably going to be a huge part of
that formula. When it was first revealed
that Catwoman was going to be making an appearance, longtime Batman fans were
understandably thrilled, but a large amount of skepticism hit when Anne
Hathaway accepted the role and photos of her streamlined costume were leaked;
personally, I knew that Hathaway could play an ass-kicker after her performance
as Agent 99 in 2008’s Get Smart, so I
was confident in her ability to ably portray the complex cat burglar. As for the announced villain, no one was
going to be able to surpass Heath Ledger’s Oscar-Winning performance as The
Joker, but many did have high hopes for Tom Hardy’s Bane, especially after the
notoriously complex and threatening character was thoroughly run through the
mud with Joel Schumacher’s Batman &
Robin. Either way, barring a massive
and damn-near impossible cinematic failure, Warner Bros. knew that they had
cinematic gold on their hands, and thanks to an aggressive and expansive
marketing campaign and the added appeal of the IMAX format, absolutely everyone
was looking forward to this newest superhero film. Christopher Nolan had repeatedly maintained
that The Dark Knight Rises would be
his last Batman film and that both he and his brother Jonathan Nolan (the two screenwriters
for the film) were thoroughly pleased with the ending presented; with a promise
like that, how could any fan not rush to the theater?
Set eight years after the events of
The Dark Knight, this final entry in
Christopher Nolan’s trilogy opens with Gotham City in a state of peace; thanks
to Batman taking the blame for the murders of Harvey Dent, the late District Attorney’s
legacy and reputation have cleaned up the streets and there is no longer any
need for a masked vigilante. In the
interim between movies, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has become a recluse,
supported only by his faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), all
the while allowing Wayne Enterprises to fall into shambles after a failed clean
energy project. However, after Police
Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) is injured by a mysterious and brutal
mercenary, Bane (Tom Hardy), Bruce is thrust back into action and seeks to
learn all he can from his new enemy with the help of a zealous young Gotham
cop, John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and a brazen and thoroughly alluring
cat burglar, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway).
However, upon encountering his formidable foe, Bruce discovers that Bane
assumed control of the League of Shadows after the death of Ra’s al Ghul (thereby
referencing events from Batman Begins),
and because of that kind of shared physical training between the opponents,
Bane is able to thoroughly incapacitate the rusty hero and banish him to
foreign prison. In Batman’s absence,
Bane imposes martial law in Gotham, trapping the police force underground and
freeing all prisoners from confinement, all the while obtaining a nuclear
weapon that he threatens to detonate should anyone try and escape the
city. Forced to retrain his body to
health and find a way to escape his imprisonment, Bruce must find the strength
to “rise” and return to Gotham, enlisting the help of his allies, including
both Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and new Wayne Enterprises board member Miranda
Tate (Marion Cotillard), in order to formulate a plan that can save his city
from destruction.
With so many strong elements
present, it is almost unfair to try and identify any single or standalone
component that makes The Dark Knight
Rises brilliant; suffice it to say that everything, from the acting and the
writing to no-holds-barred action and subtle instances of humor…it all just
works. From a directorial standpoint,
Christopher Nolan proves himself as a master filmmaker, as the epic tonal
energy of the narrative takes off like a rocket, thereby making room for
amazing action, all while some of the deeper themes presented are handled with
elegance and depth; for instance, Bruce’s time in the prison is executed as a
remarkable character study, but when Batman suits up and gets ready to face-off
with Bane, you find yourself pumped. As
for the new characters, the sexy Anne Hathaway steals nearly every scene she is
a part of (thereby representing the perfect embodiment of Catwoman), while
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is endearing as a noble police officer that you cannot
help but support. And when it comes to
action alone, the creativity of the special effects and the usage of IMAX
cameras is awe-inducing; your jaw will hit the floor the first time “The Bat”
takes flight. Finally, perhaps the most
rewarding part of the Dark Knight Rises
is the ending, which executes a creative and thoroughly satisfying conclusion
to the trilogy; you will invariably be sad that the series is over, but rest
assured that it ends on a high and very rewarding note.
Granted, for as much as I enjoyed
the Dark Knight Rises, I can
acknowledge that there are a few shortcomings that prevent the film from being
perfect; but upon closer examination, I would argue that each is easily
forgiven. The most prevalent criticism I
have heard involves the convoluted story; there is a lot going on within this
film, and because of that, things do get a little confusing, but that simply
means that this is the type of action film that you have to see multiple times
in order to comprehend fully…but c’mon, did any of you really have a clue what
was going on the first time you saw Inception? Then there is Bane himself…all comparisons to
Heath Ledger’s Joker aside, even though Tom Hardy more than delivered in his
role, the man was still very difficult to understand with his muffled speech;
true, it is one hell of an improvement over the garbled IMAX footage that was
presented back in December, but you are still going to have to listen
carefully. As for the returning
characters, the screen time of heavyweights like Morgan Freeman and Michael
Caine is substantially reduced, but that fact does not diminish their importance
to the story or the quality of their performances; Caine himself shows a depth
of emotion as Alfred that no one would expect to see in any kind of superhero
film. In the end, all of these “shortcomings”
are, as best, gripes, and with so many faithful references to comic book lore
and impressive action sequences, both comic book fanatic and casual moviegoer
will be far too charmed to care whether every element of the story makes
perfect sense.
When I put forth my predictions for
the Summer Season box office, I acknowledged that even though The Dark Knight Rises would be a force
to be reckoned with, it would not be able to outperform The Avengers, but in retrospect, that truth is likely due to
Christopher Nolan’s aversion to the 3D format and the extra $3 that would have
been added to ticket prices. Opening
with just over $160 million, The Dark
Knight Rises represents the third highest opening of all time, behind The Avengers and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and the single
highest non-3D release. Given the scale
of this blockbuster, it really isn’t all that surprising that Warner Bros.
spent $250 million on this project, but trust me when I say that no one has to
worry about the bottom line, as it will be weeks before this superhero film is
finally dethroned, either domestically or internationally. It is a true shame that the legacy of this
film and its opening will now be marred by the senseless tragedy of the Aurora,
Colorado shootings, but you have to give credit to both the studio and the
stars of the film for how the situation is being treated with such solemn
respect. As for the future, both Nolan
and Bale have adamantly confirmed that they are now done with the Batman films,
but Anne Hathaway has already expressed interest in a “Catwoman” spinoff and it
will only be a few years before the character in his entirety is rebooted to
make way for a “Justice League” project.
To put it simply, The Dark Knight
Rises is not something to be missed, and if you have the chance to see it
in IMAX, run, don’t walk, to the theater in order to experience the final
chapter of what may be the greatest film trilogy of all time.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
