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

The biggest problem with this film is the writing. The dialogue was rife with awkward exposition and a character that was completely comprised of one-liners. Despite this, one gets the feeling that the actors delivered their lines with as much conviction as they could and performances were solid all around (Bale, Levitt and Cotillard are consistent performers), with Tom Hardy's Bane being the highlight.

The notable exception is Anne Hathaway, who was gratingly cheesy as Catwoman, and her performance just didn't fit the tone of the movie at all. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were sorely underutilized.

Too many characters keep us from getting to know any of them well. The movie would have been better if it focused on developing fewer to a greater extent. Okay, so it's not Shakespeare and the dialogue isn't of paramount importance, but much of the action felt a little lazy and uninteresting as well.

The bar was set so high with Begins and TDK, and after the fanfare and buzz surrounding this film have died down, it will be viewed as the weakest of an otherwise solid trilogy. It's not to say this movie is all bad, there are definitely some compelling scenes that will deliver the goods to action and drama fans and you can tell that Nolan did have a grand vision with this epic, and though he falters at some places, there is visceral satisfaction where he succeeds.