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Seven years ago,
Christopher Nolan reintroduced Batman to the world. It had been eight
years since the dismal and disappointing “Batman & Robin”, so
audiences were ready (and hoping) for a refreshed and rejuvenated
Batman. Christian Bale was cast in the role, and the film took the
viewer back to where it all began. “Batman Begins” was dark,
sophisticated and exciting, offering a fresh and human take on the
legendary character.
Just a few years later,
the next instalment arrived and it was tipped to be even better than
the first. The major contribution to “The Dark Knight” was the
character of the Joker, portrayed by the late Heath Ledger. His
performance was so inspired, galvanizing and terrifying that the
world couldn’t get enough of it. They enjoyed it so much in fact
The Dark Knight broke numerous box office records and walked away
with over $1 Billion at the box office. The stakes were set high and
audiences wanted more. The gifted cast and crew entrusted with the
series didn’t rush into the inevitable third instalment, giving
themselves another year to work on it.
“The Dark Knight
Rises” is hands down, one of the best movies I have seen in several
years. When the trailers began appearing on screens earlier this
year, it appeared as if the bar had been raised even higher. The
villain of the piece this time around would be the narcissistic and
sadistic Bane. Historically, the character of Bane has been one of
Batman’s greatest enemies, purely for the fact that he rivals
Batman’s physical size, strength and endurance in every way.
Whereas the Joker ran circles around Batman psychologically,
Bane could essentially crush Batman with one hand.
This latest offering in
the Batman universe takes place eight years after the events of The
Dark Knight. Batman has disappeared and as for Bruce Wayne… he
lives in exile. He feels guilt and remorse for the death of Harvey
Dent/Two Face and shuts himself away from Gotham, seeing that as the
best way to protect it. Saying that however, Gotham has become a
relatively safe place with most of the cities criminals locked up.
But stirring in the weeds, like a lion stalking its prey, is Bane. He
has plans for Gotham, and they are large and devastating.
Returning characters
from the first two films include Alfred, Commissioner Gordon and
Lucius Fox; all allies and friends of Batman/Bruce Wayne and pivotal
characters in his journey. New characters are introduced who will
play just as important a part in the caped crusaders mission. Selina
Kyle, aka Catwoman – this time portrayed as a smooth, sexy and
slinky cat burglar, and Officer Blake, a young street cop trying to
keep the city safe.
When Bane rocks up in
Gotham to put his “plan” into effect, Bruce Wayne sees reason to
unleash The Batman again, bringing him out of the shadows to maintain
the safety and security of Gotham and its people. He goes forth
confident that Bane is just another criminal that can be taken down.
But this time, Batman is the weak one, and in an intensively violent
and confronting moment, Batman meets Bane face-to-face in the storm
drains below the city. The Dark Knight is no match for this monolith
of a man who “disposes” of Batman with no problems. With our hero
out of the way, Bane puts his plan into full effect. What follows is
the take over and crumbling of Gotham City.
Batman is unmasked and
is just Bruce Wayne again; beaten and broken. Bane throws him into a
prison in some far corner of the world. He allows Wayne to watch the
destruction of Gotham from his cage. As this is unveiled to him,
Wayne gets angry and begins to mend his broken body and rise to
reclaim his position as the valiant protector of Gotham.
Without giving away too
much more about the story, I will just talk about my reactions after
seeing The Dark Knight Rises. I went into this movie tonight excited
and intrigued, knowing I would be seeing something special. The
franchise has been in good hands since it’s revamp in 2005, and
with the rising quality that was on display in 2008’s The Dark
Knight, there was no doubt that Christopher Nolan would see out his
version of the Batman legend in fine form. And the master filmmaker
doesn’t disappoint. At a long 165 minutes, the film has a lot of
story to get through and builds up to its major turning points well.
To me, it didn’t feel like a long film. My eyes were glued to the
screen the entire time and I got totally lost in the epic scale and
grandness of it all. Tom Hardy as Bane commands the screen in every
scene with his menace, cold-as-ice stare and deathly voice. You
wouldn’t want to run into this guy in a dark alley.
Put simply, I was
amazed throughout the whole film and blown away by the finished
product. To experience a film of this calibre, quality and
intelligence reminds me how great movies can be. In the early days of
film, people were just amazed to be seeing moving images on a large
screen, even though the first movies were in black & white and
silent. Then sound came along, adding a whole new dimension to the
movie-going experience. The big change that came along next was of
course colour, allowing films to explode on screen and take audiences
to places they’d never been. Throughout the twentieth century, film
technology advanced swiftly, improving on their special effects and
continuing to set new possibilities. In the past decade the next
advancement was 3D, used so well by “Avatar” to put audiences
“into” the movie. But the use of 3D has seemed to become more of
a gimmick just to sell tickets and a lot of movie-goers are turning
off this new style of watching movies.
I’m glad to say that
The Dark Knight Rises is not filmed in 3D. It didn’t need to be. It
still manages to keep you glued to your seat, and you do feel like
you’re in the movie… and not because of special effects,
but because it is so involving. The story, acting, the way it is
filmed and the deep substance and incredible creativity bursting from
the screen are a prime example of why we originally went to the
movies all those years ago and continue to go today – to be amazed!
Batman has always been
one of the most popular and engaging superheroes. Why? Well, he’s
the archetype hero; one of the first ever created and has been the
inspiration for many other heroes since. He has no super powers –
he’s just a man who stands for something. He fights for us –
society. He is a loner, an outcast and a tormented soul; he lost his
parents when he was young and fights for justice. When the mask comes
off, he becomes Bruce Wayne; a billionaire playboy who has it all –
good looks, nice cars, a huge house and women. Batman/Bruce Wayne
speaks to us all. Everyone can relate, connect or resonate with him
on some level. He’s always been my favourite superhero and after
the triumph that was The Dark Knight Rises, I can safely say he will
continue to be.
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