Review of The Dark Knight Rises (2012) by Tremor2005 — 22 Jul 2012

I won't go into superlatives, simply pros and cons.

Pros:

1) Performances all round are exceptional. Bale dials back the voice and portrays a broken Bruce/Batman very well, Oldman (Commissioner Gordon) and Caine (Alfred the Butler) are as strong and dependable as ever, and there are fantastic performances from newcomers Anne Hathaway (a revelation as Catwoman), Marion Cotillard (Miranda Tate), Tom Hardy (a physical beast as Bane) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in particular as city-cop John Blake. Well done to those who guessed where he ends up.

2) Action sequences are thrilling throughout (from opening plane-hijacking to city-wide end chase/brawl via brutal fight between our hero and villain), both in terms of effects, pacing and execution.

3) For me, the ending(s) were very nice indeed.

Cons:

1) As has been much publicised by others, I had real trouble hearing some of the dialogue - particularly when Bane was speaking quietly. There was one conversation in the middle of the film where he and Batman were almost murmuring to each other under an ill-advised loud moment in the otherwise excellent score by Hans Zimmer.

2) Morgan Freeman doesn't get much to do, although adding time for him might have stretched the film a bit too far.

3) Whilst I don't necessarily agree, I can understand the small complaints that it takes a bit of time to get going.

Conclusion:

The film would be great as a stand-alone film, but as a trilogy ender it's an absolute belter. There aren't many action trilogies to match it - including the original Star Wars trilogy in my opinion - and we are unlikely to see another superhero story like it for many, many years.