Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Posted on Friday, July 20 @ 15:06:51 Eastern by Daniel Bischoff

Every once in a while we like to branch out. We'll go off topic in Tell GameRevolution or even if a new book arrives on our doorstep. Let's head out of the video game realm once more for The Dark Knight Rises.

When I sat down to watch The Avengers earlier this year, I did so with a heaping helping of scepticism. I had seen every film leading up to the billion dollar blockbuster, and I wasn't sure how the project could come together. Still, I left thoroughly satisfied and have even see Marvel's massive movie once more in theaters.

I entered the theater for The Dark Knight Rises in a distinctly different mood. I was overhyped, boiling over with enegy and anticipation. I had to seek a sort of reverse-hype, fearing my anxiety would eventually ruin my enjoyment.

And then the film rolled and it was good.

The Dark Knight Rises is the third and final entry in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Instead of an anarchist, an aging Bruce Wayne comes to blows with Bane, a mercenary with ties to Batman's past. So much of Rises is built upon seeing the film for yourself, so let's ignore any further plot exposition.

Nevermind that the man has crafted movies as intimate and ground breaking as Memento or as bombastic and etherreal as Inception, Nolan will be remember for the way he's portrayed the caped crusader on screen. But why?

It certainly won't be his ability to direct actors. While performances by Christian Bale have been passable throughout the series, only Heath Ledger will stand out as a truly memorable performance. Tom Hardy does a decent job in Rises, but a mask and dozens of pounds of bulk muscle ultimately weigh him down.

It also won't be the spotty pacing. While The Dark Knight managed a breathlessly feverish pitch throughout almost its entire run time (almost to an exhausting point), Rises features a valley a mile wide near the middle of the film. At 2 hours and 45 minutes, was the lull so necessary?

It's a testament to the narrative that the bloated run time is bearable and it's a testament to Nolan's realistic vision that a cat burgler femme fatale actually works in the hyper-masculine battleground of Gotham City. The argument could be made that Catwoman is the most entertaining and watchable character in Rises.

And its the relationship she builds with Batman and her development as a character that allows the audience to breathe in between explosions and gun shots (of which there are many). It's also the way characters enter and exit the Batman mythos that makes Rises so entertaining and enjoyable.

And the culmination, the pay off on the audience's nearly three hour investment is grand, haunting, suggestive, and open for interpretation, if you're so inclined. Despite the losses and the damage, The Dark Knight Rises allows us all to take solace in tragedy, in rebirth, and in death.

What Nolan's movies will be remembered for is the feeling they leave the audience with: a intimacy and understanding that goes beyond the goofy, the campy, or the raccous. The Dark Knight Rises continues in the vein of The Dark Knight: it's less a super hero movie and more a story about people challenged by their surroundings and the time they live in. What would you do when it came to the end?

Tags: review, Batman

Comments

Herb211
Joined: May 2009

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
I'd wear a bulletproof vest to see it. Too soon?

3 5

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Probably too soon, but I expect it from the GR community :P

0 0

Stickyellowsock
Joined: Oct 2009

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 4:42 pm
Just think of all that wasted money on concessions.

1 0

213EDD
Joined: Sep 2007

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 4:00 pm
As a man who played Arkham City I was severely disappointed

0 0

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
There are certainly echoes of Arkham City in Rises. I can't say which I preferred.

0 0

PeeDeeJay
Joined: Oct 2011

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 4:04 pm
No letter grade? Waahhhhh...

0 0

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
We'll save grades for the video games. It's so slow this summer that we're breaking the gaming content up a bit more.

0 0

PeeDeeJay
Joined: Oct 2011

Posted: Jul 21st, 2012 at 8:42 am
Just realized I asked for a letter grade when you guys obviously don't do letter grades any more. Andddd I just managed to get pancake on my keyboard...I'm a mess.

0 0

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Jul 21st, 2012 at 2:12 pm
>.>....

Are you going to eat that?

0 2

Sourdeez
Joined: Feb 2012

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Oh god no! Dont let the Batman fanboys create 40 New Accounts! x-x

I wish I was a bigger batman fan. :(

0 1

Italion193
Joined: Jun 2011

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 4:16 pm
It made me red.

0 0

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
I don't get it...

0 0

Klandathu
Joined: Apr 2008

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 4:52 pm
It made him into a commie bastard.

0 0

Lien
Joined: Feb 2008

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 6:48 pm
It made him retired and extremely dangerous?

0 0

daverabbit
Joined: Oct 2008

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 7:49 pm
It made him Andy Dufresne's best friend?

0 0

De-Ting
Joined: Nov 2006

Posted: Jul 21st, 2012 at 5:15 am
It made him bald and want to shove his foot up rear ends.

0 2

NecroWolf
Joined: Oct 2005

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 6:11 pm
Decent review, Daniel. There are a few points I disagree with, but good review. I can't really say the parts I disagree with, because they contain spoilers... without going into detail (MINOR SPOILERS)

the whole Alfred thing was complete horseshit, he'd never do that. Ever. For any reason.

0 0

NecroWolf
Joined: Oct 2005

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Those are in terrible taste... yet strangely amusing.

0 1

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 6:41 pm
Nice new icon, Necrowolf!

0 0

NecroWolf
Joined: Oct 2005

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 7:43 pm
Thanks, also, why did my reply appear way down here, and not up there where it originally was? o.o oh the comment I replied to got deleted. derp

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Anthony_Severino
Joined: Oct 2010

Posted: Jul 21st, 2012 at 10:18 am
Yeah, I deleted my comment. Felt it was in poor taste and didn't want to add to it. Don't know why it tossed your comment so far down the feed, though.

0 2

Lenin17301
Joined: Jan 2007

Posted: Jul 20th, 2012 at 6:24 pm
Honestly, I don't now what's worse, the jokes posted here about the massacre, or people on other forums, Facebook, etc, that has posted stuff along the lines of "I'm deeply sorry for the deceased. And on another topic, my Catwoman costume rocked on the my Midnight premier LOLz". I'm sorry to be the Billy McRighteous around here, but perhaps I feel the way I feel because I'm not from the US, and while I live in a pretty violent country, massacres like the Aurora Shootings impress and shock me much more than regular street crime.

1 1

Sensei_Rebel
Joined: Mar 2008

Posted: Jul 21st, 2012 at 4:40 pm
Extreme violence portrayed in movies and games is really working out well for Americans.

3 0

NecroWolf
Joined: Oct 2005

Posted: Jul 21st, 2012 at 10:00 pm
Anders Brevik- 77 people. Not an American.
Farda Gadyrov- 12 people. Not an American.
Matti Saari- 10 people. Not an American.
Pekka-Eric- 8 people. Not an American.
Robert Steinhaeuser- 13 people. Not an American.
Martin Bryant- 20 people. Not an American.
Marc Lepine- 9 people. Not an American.
Michael Ryan- 16 people. Not an American.

During studies I've conducted in the past, most mass shootings don't occur in America. Gun control laws, violence in media, none of them factor into the senseless violence we inflict upon each other or the misery we bring to the world. It's just human nature. Therefor, the only logical conclusion is that you are either an idiot who is making xenophobic and baseless comments, or you're a troll.

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warmaster670
Joined: Jun 2007

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2012 at 1:43 am
Didn't you know? only Americans are stupid and/or violent, stupidity and violence dont exist outside of the USA, or at least thats what the internet would have me believe.

1 2

friggest
Joined: Mar 2008

Posted: Jul 21st, 2012 at 6:56 pm
For one of my security questions, "Who is your favorite superhero?"; I answered "Batman." It was a lie, my favorite is "The Flash" but thought it was embarrassing to put "The Flash" and I now regret this.

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LinksOcarina
Joined: Nov 2005

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Eh...it was ok.

Dark Knight was better, and the ending we got was kind of expected, but I was really hoping they would go the whole nine yards....got close though.

1 1

Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2012 at 3:32 pm
A satisfying conclusion. About what I expected from Mr. Nolan.

0 2

shandog137
Joined: Mar 2007

Posted: Jul 24th, 2012 at 9:54 am
I completely agree.

Not spam

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shandog137
Joined: Mar 2007

Posted: Jul 24th, 2012 at 9:55 am
My post just got screwed. I agree with Links "Eh...it was ok". I don't know if I over hyped myself but just left the theater feeling like blah.

0 0

UghRochester
Joined: Jun 2006

Posted: Jul 24th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
It was a great movie. You can read my opinion by copy and pasting the link
www.gamerevolution.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=427013#427013

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inferno003
Joined: Jul 2012

Posted: Jul 30th, 2012 at 2:36 am
I loved this movie!!!
it was easily the same quality as TDK but i feel like this film was just bigger & more EPIC!!!
i personally would rate it the same as TDK... but... i did like this film much more...

I THANK NOLAN FOR GIVING US ANOTHER GREAT TRILOGY THAT WILL BE PLACED WITH OTHER GREATS LIKE LOTR & STAR WARS!!!

im just so glad this trilogy had a great finish! so many other comic films started either good - great only to leave everyone let down / disappointed with the 3rd part...
by this im referring to the following trilogy's: BLADE, SPIDERMAN, XMEN (i know theirs a 4th now but when the terrible 3rd movie came out it was said it was the end!)

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