The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Chris Nolan does it again, nails third Batman film in a row and every single person involved—cast and crew—chips in. Comparisons with previous films are bound to happen and TDKR, of course, hasn’t bettered the prequels but considering how sequels usually run out of steam, this is a pretty neat wrap up of the franchise.    

Tom Hardy’s Bane looked epic—a massive improvement from the mindless thug of earlier ‘Batman and Robin’ film. Here, he is rightly portrayed as a superior physical and intellectual match for Bats and takes him through a journey full of ‘pain’. However, the impact that ‘fear’ and ‘chaos’ left in the minds of audience in ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight’, respectively, is not matched again. Bane starts off as a fearsome leader but seemed more like a puppet by the end. This should have been avoided; he is an intelligent fellow, a thinking person, and would have fared better if portrayed as an equal partner instead.   

  

Anne Hathway looked pretty damn hot as Catwoman. Looks apart, her role wasn’t as meaty as that of Michelle Pfeiffer though she does well in what little she had. Pfeiffer was her own Catwoman, crazy and wild, and still remains the act to beat. Michael Caine, as Alfred, is again a pillar of strength for Batman even in his leaving him, and he is the reason we get to see something completely unexpected in a restaurant in Florence! Caine delivers again in a significant short role. Morgan Freeman too has a short role but there isn’t same scope for him as in previous film though he had to be in it. Marion Cotillard has an eventful role as Miranda. As for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, we all know he is the guy to look out for.         

Overall, TDKR is a complete package with thoughtful references to previous films. But unlike ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ there aren’t many dialogues or sequences that stand out and will remain with you forever. 

One thing that Nolan does in the film for Batman (and for the ardent fans who have been praying for it forever!) is give him the ending he fully deserves. In DC universe it is very hard, almost impossible, to accomplish but in a film you can just leave it at the happy ending. Take a bow Chris Nolan. Thank you from heart’s bottom :)

Chris Nolan is well known to leave subtle clues for the audience. The sequence where Blake and Batman rescue the trapped policemen is quite exciting; it drops the audience first hint toward the eventual ultimate! 

One sequence in the film left me a bit unsettled, perhaps, Nolan did it on purpose. In DC universe Batman restores himself—after Bane’s plundering—by supernatural means, and it still took him years. In the film, his healing process has been sped up dramatically. Once Batman breaks out of the holed-in jail (Jodhpur fort, where the shooting for film started) camera does steal a glance on some greenish, small pond quite close to the underground jail; most likely, Lazarus pit but nothing conclusive is shown. In comics, ‘Lazarus pit’ is a secret Batman has kept from most, so, probably that is the reason Nolan choose not to be explicit about it in the film either. Instead, he drops a few hints for the comic book purists instead of showing use of magic so late in the franchise. Unlike, say, Wolverine; Batman has no super-healing even though he possesses a will of steel, I am sill assuming, some essence of Lazarus pit use to seep into the water/food supply of the underground prison inmates.     

The film concludes as it should have. Clearly, Nolan didn’t ended the film in this manner to ensure a future safety-measure for himself but if ever—highly unlikely—he runs into a bad patch then you know where he can start up again, along with Gordon-Joseph Levitt!  

Finally the trailers! The Campaign trailer looked extremely promising, hilarious actually, with Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis locking horns—two of current generation’s comedy superheroes. Just hoping, trailer dialogues aren’t the only ones that tickle your funny bone.  

Man of Steel trailer didn’t showcase as much but we do get to see the Supes in air once more, in almost full glory! My favorite flying of Supes, till date, still remains the one where Superman turns the time backwards to save Lois, please jog my memory for any other!

I’ll definitely watch TDKR again on my laptop with headphones plugged in; helps me feel a film more intimately!

8.2/10