Review of Christopher Nolan Film The Dark Knight Rises
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THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012)
DESCENT INTO BAT GUANO
DESCENT INTO BAT GUANO
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Directed by Christopher Nolan. USA: 12A By Bryn V. Young-Roberts A direct sequel to both The Dark Knight (2009) and Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight Rises sees the caped crusader eight years into a personally imposed exile, having deliberately taken blame for the murder of admired District Attorney, and one time secret villain, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). When the militant rogue Bane (Tom Hardy) gathers an army of orphans and convicts to take over Gotham city (no, seriously!) with a stolen nuclear device, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) comes out of retirement to save the day. Tragically, Bane manages to overpower the Dark Knight, breaking his backbone and then incarcerating him in a sinkhole prison at an undisclosed location implied to be somewhere in the Middle-East. While he slowly recovers over a period of months, back in Gotham Bane rules the city under anarchy, conducting a cultural revolution with kangaroo courts, sentencing innocent authority / wealthy figures to an icy deadly exile. Once healed, Bruce climbs out of the hole and returns to Gotham in order to set everything straight again, aided by professional crook / Catwoman, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway). |
Although visually the film is aesthetically pleasing on the eye, with sets and lighting that are standard five star Nolan fare, the story is as heavy handed and bulky as strongman antagonist Bane. While director Christopher Nolan successfully crafts a mood accurately capturing the temperament of the poverty-concerned recession era of the times, he does so with an unlikely plot worthy of Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) that does not sit well with his previously established Batman world. Primarily the fault of the verisimilitude of the Bane character, the plot involving a nuclear device to take over a city also falls short of sincerity, as much in principle as in execution, damaging Nolan’s famous tone of plausibility.
Fight sequences are generally dull, direction and choreography never surpassing the words ‘and then they fight’ from the script with any wit or interesting visual gags. Especially true of all hand-to-hand combat, it is generally the case for all action sequences in the film, a particular disappointment being the battle between the flying ‘Bat’ vehicle and Wayne Enterprises ‘Tumblers’. Bane’s men acquire the vehicles while looting and a big showdown runs expectant throughout the film. Sadly, when they do finally face each other off, it proves nothing more than a few token fired shots, Nolan missing the opportunity to do anything cunning or interesting, such as taking advantage of their manoeuvring abilities or exciting ‘bridging’ functions mentioned in the first film.
Fight sequences are generally dull, direction and choreography never surpassing the words ‘and then they fight’ from the script with any wit or interesting visual gags. Especially true of all hand-to-hand combat, it is generally the case for all action sequences in the film, a particular disappointment being the battle between the flying ‘Bat’ vehicle and Wayne Enterprises ‘Tumblers’. Bane’s men acquire the vehicles while looting and a big showdown runs expectant throughout the film. Sadly, when they do finally face each other off, it proves nothing more than a few token fired shots, Nolan missing the opportunity to do anything cunning or interesting, such as taking advantage of their manoeuvring abilities or exciting ‘bridging’ functions mentioned in the first film.
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While generic in their execution, action sequences are also generally sparse. The Dark Knight Rises is a very wordy film, which would not necessarily be a negative if it weren’t for the fact that dialogue is flat, uninteresting and lacking even a hint of wit, intelligence or memorable lines (Batman telling Catwoman ‘it’s not a car’ regarding the flying bat vehicle sadly being the best quotable line on offer – no, seriously, we’re not making this up!).
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the director clumsily and uneasily attempts to conclude his seven and a half hour trilogy by delivering a clunky ending cut and pasted from a season 2 episode of ‘24’ with failing panache and style that culminates in an awkward, uncomfortable feeling of sympathy for the filmmaker.
Easily the best aspect of the film is dependable Hans Zimmer’s score, this time returning to the series without Batman Begins and The Dark Knight co-composer James Newton Howard. Featuring a recurring and repetitive Moroccan Arabic chant and a steady sense of ‘rising’ throughout the 2 hours, 45 minute duration, the score is as ambitious as the plot, however embarrassingly surpasses it with restraint, intricacy, pacing and grace. At times, it’s almost irritating that the visuals and dialogue get in the way of it.
For the most part, performances are also a reason to keep watching. Bale’s routine as the moody, self-pitying Batman who ‘victory has defeated’ is pitch perfect, although he could have done with much more screen time. Also, while Bruce’s journey from the hole is vaguely intriguing and motivated, it needlessly drags the pacing due to such an obviously predictable outcome.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the director clumsily and uneasily attempts to conclude his seven and a half hour trilogy by delivering a clunky ending cut and pasted from a season 2 episode of ‘24’ with failing panache and style that culminates in an awkward, uncomfortable feeling of sympathy for the filmmaker.
Easily the best aspect of the film is dependable Hans Zimmer’s score, this time returning to the series without Batman Begins and The Dark Knight co-composer James Newton Howard. Featuring a recurring and repetitive Moroccan Arabic chant and a steady sense of ‘rising’ throughout the 2 hours, 45 minute duration, the score is as ambitious as the plot, however embarrassingly surpasses it with restraint, intricacy, pacing and grace. At times, it’s almost irritating that the visuals and dialogue get in the way of it.
For the most part, performances are also a reason to keep watching. Bale’s routine as the moody, self-pitying Batman who ‘victory has defeated’ is pitch perfect, although he could have done with much more screen time. Also, while Bruce’s journey from the hole is vaguely intriguing and motivated, it needlessly drags the pacing due to such an obviously predictable outcome.
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In what is possibly one of his finest performances to date, Michael Cain’s Alfred is genuinely moving, although his screen time is too brief to save an otherwise soulless film. Chemistry between him and Bale in articulating the strain between their character’s relationship is one of the trilogy’s greatest moments, surpassing all character interactions of the previous two films.
Although kudos must be given to Nolan for delivering a female comic book character that is not overly-sexualised, Hathway’s Catwoman is unapologetically bland and implausible, delivering lines and apparent romantic frisson between her and Wayne that will help audience members snore in the back row. Her character’s attendance is overly-contrived, forced into a plot that does not require her presence in a bid to add another character from the comic book. Also artificial is the appearance of Lucious Fox, in what can only be described as a deliberate attempt to get top-rated actor Morgan Freeman back in a film that doesn’t require his presence.
Already out of place in a Nolan film, Hardy’s Bane initially delivers a great Bond-style villain with an imposing and impressive physical presence. Tactlessly, the character’s role as lead antagonist fails to venture beyond anything other than a long build up to a climactic fight scene which never happens. Due to a genuinely surprising, but poorly executed, plot twist near the end, another character takes his place as the Big Bad, rendering Bane as an underwhelming second fiddle who comes to an anti-climactic, unsatisfying, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it end.
Despite welcome, but criminally underused, cameos from the profusely talented Aidan Gillen and charismatic Christopher Judge, it is Joseph Gordon-Levitt who steals the show. Playing determined cop Blake, he performs with a sincerity and authenticity missing from the rest of the film. Unfortunately his character lacks any real significant role in forwarding the narrative, his presence hastily attached to the film simply for a not-so-surprising reveal at the end, handled so botchily it demands a physical cringe and groan from the audience.
Although kudos must be given to Nolan for delivering a female comic book character that is not overly-sexualised, Hathway’s Catwoman is unapologetically bland and implausible, delivering lines and apparent romantic frisson between her and Wayne that will help audience members snore in the back row. Her character’s attendance is overly-contrived, forced into a plot that does not require her presence in a bid to add another character from the comic book. Also artificial is the appearance of Lucious Fox, in what can only be described as a deliberate attempt to get top-rated actor Morgan Freeman back in a film that doesn’t require his presence.
Already out of place in a Nolan film, Hardy’s Bane initially delivers a great Bond-style villain with an imposing and impressive physical presence. Tactlessly, the character’s role as lead antagonist fails to venture beyond anything other than a long build up to a climactic fight scene which never happens. Due to a genuinely surprising, but poorly executed, plot twist near the end, another character takes his place as the Big Bad, rendering Bane as an underwhelming second fiddle who comes to an anti-climactic, unsatisfying, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it end.
Despite welcome, but criminally underused, cameos from the profusely talented Aidan Gillen and charismatic Christopher Judge, it is Joseph Gordon-Levitt who steals the show. Playing determined cop Blake, he performs with a sincerity and authenticity missing from the rest of the film. Unfortunately his character lacks any real significant role in forwarding the narrative, his presence hastily attached to the film simply for a not-so-surprising reveal at the end, handled so botchily it demands a physical cringe and groan from the audience.
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If previous Nolan films can be compared to a meticulously planned, finely tuned piano playing a classical masterpiece, then The Dark Knight Rises is a damaged vuvuzela trying to drown out the noise of sledge hammers smashing up an old backfiring Ford Cortina. And less entertaining.
Having continued in the vein of the Bond-esque plane-hijacking opening sequence it might have been Nolan’s crowning glory among an already full treasure chest of gems, however as it stands it is his jewel-encrusted turd; oddly attractive, demanding attention, but ultimately of little value. Never even thinking a third film was possible, the director admitted it himself in the foreword to his book The Art and Making of the Dark Knight Trilogy,
‘On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question,’ he reasoned, ‘how many good third movies in a franchise can people name?’
Portentously, the book then goes on to state that ‘Nolan only agreed to a third film on the basis of finding a worthwhile story, fearing that he would become bored halfway through production if he discovered the film to be unnecessary’, which unfortunately, seems to be exactly what happened. As a result, The Dark Knight Rises is a watchable, if mediocre, 90 minute movie. Sadly it is also a bloated, embarrassing cash cow that overstays its welcome and drags for almost 3 hours. Not so much a conclusion as a disappointing death to an otherwise innovative and refreshing trilogy of films.
Having continued in the vein of the Bond-esque plane-hijacking opening sequence it might have been Nolan’s crowning glory among an already full treasure chest of gems, however as it stands it is his jewel-encrusted turd; oddly attractive, demanding attention, but ultimately of little value. Never even thinking a third film was possible, the director admitted it himself in the foreword to his book The Art and Making of the Dark Knight Trilogy,
‘On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question,’ he reasoned, ‘how many good third movies in a franchise can people name?’
Portentously, the book then goes on to state that ‘Nolan only agreed to a third film on the basis of finding a worthwhile story, fearing that he would become bored halfway through production if he discovered the film to be unnecessary’, which unfortunately, seems to be exactly what happened. As a result, The Dark Knight Rises is a watchable, if mediocre, 90 minute movie. Sadly it is also a bloated, embarrassing cash cow that overstays its welcome and drags for almost 3 hours. Not so much a conclusion as a disappointing death to an otherwise innovative and refreshing trilogy of films.
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