Review of The Dark Knight Rises (2012) by Scottface — 20 Jul 2012

Wow. Okay, now I was very careful not to get swept up in the hype of this movie, as initially I felt SLIGHTLY disappointed by the last one. I know, I know, the Dark Knight was awesome and Ledgers Joker was legendary, but I guess I just expected too much from it, and it didn't quite feel like "Batman's film" as much as Batman Begins did.

So I went into this with excitement, but some trepidation and no overly high expectations. Seriously, I needn't have worried. This is just brilliant, so I'll point out my only gripe with the film before I start lavishing it with praise: I spotted a plot-hole.

That's it. It's not even the biggest plot-hole and could probably be explained away in one line of dialogue, perhaps it was explained in the IMAX version if it had extra scenes, but I did find myself asking: "How did he get back there so fast?" at one point in the film.

That aside, this is just a beautifully made film. If ever there's a superhero movie that might make you cry, this is it. I got a lump in my throat during some of the scenes between Alfred and Bruce. I never thought Michael Caine quite got enough praise for his role in the previous 2 films, so I'm giving him a special mention here.

Casting Michael Caine as Alfred was a stroke of genius, making him Bruce's father-figure as opposed to a just stuffy old butler like in some other batman films and series. I genuinely think he deserves a Best Supporting Actor nomination at this years Oscars, because never before have I had such a strong range of emotions during a comic book movie.

I won't spoil anything, but Alfred plays a more important role than ever. Hardy's Bane was just as fascinating to watch as Ledger's Joker. Yes, he's THAT good. And Anne Hathaway, who many considered to be a somewhat controversial choice for Catwoman, absolutely nails it.

She's funny, cool and sexy in just the right amounts, while bringing her own fair share of drama to the proceedings. Joseph-Gordon Levitt is the real surprise here, though. Not that anyone ever doubted his acting skills, it's just that as a completely new character, a rookie cop with no real ties to the other main characters, I didn't expect much more than a small supporting role, but as always, JGL shines in a role that was much, much more substantial than I expected.

Morgan Freeman slips brilliantly back into the Lucius Fox role of course, and then there's Bale. I love Christian Bale, that's perhaps the main reason why the Dark Knight initially left me a little cold, he didn't get much chance to make an impression with all else that went on in TDK.

I think he's great in everything from American Psycho to the Machinist, and when I first heard he was gonna be batman, I was over the moon. He was brilliant in Batman Begins, great in TDK too, but in this he's just phenominal.

But all this great acting talent would be wasted of course, if the script and direction wasn't up to scratch. But Christopher Nolans script is tense, dramatic, tragic, action packed, surprising, and incredibly moving.

I usually have reservations about giving out 10/10 scores, but this is a no-brainer. This is the film of the year, and far and away the best one of the trilogy. Brilliant.