Review: The Dark Knight Rises

SPOILER ALERT. SERIOUSLY.

It’s done. I struggle to type those simple words about Christopher Nolan’s iconic, earth-shattering adaptation of Batman. Coming to terms with this fact is a struggle with equal weight of taking the final chapter in itself; like finishing Harry Potter, there’s satisfaction and anticipation, but an equally weighty feeling that a significant cultural chapter of my life has closed. Still, as morose as I feel, just as powerful is coming to terms with complex, carefully attended to final chapter of the Dark Knight trilogy.

Christopher Nolan had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Following The Dark Knight, arguably the grandest epic of our generation, the risk of The Dark Knight Rises was exponential. Compounded with the fact that the main villain lacks the punch and recognition of the universally celebrated Joker, as well as stylistic consistency more relative to Batman Begins, TDKR will almost certainly receive a bit of a backlash from casual fans. I encourage the viewer to see TDKR in context of the series, not as a direct sequel to The Dark Knight. This isn’t as much of a crime drama, but a tense, sociological thriller contextualized within the Gotham that’s been set up for us.

After 7 years of reclusion, Bruce Wayne may have hung up his costume but he has not moved on from being Batman. Gotham has been made better since the Dent act, but a storm is brewing. Selina Kyle, an expert thief has taken to the streets and caught the attention of Bruce Wayne, warning him that the upper class is on the verge of collapse. At the same time, terrorist Bane holds Gotham captive, threatening to destroy the city if anyone tests him. Batman is brought out of hiding, but at what cost?

The Dark Knight Rises is Batman as the cinema has never seen him. Borrowing from “Knightfall”, the iconic issue in which Batman’s back is broken by Bane, Nolan decides to incorporate cerebral elements into the shattered body of Batman. Wayne is totally broken, an emotionally damaged soul coming to terms with the fact that Gotham needs an entire sacrifice of the Batman before it can be made whole. The humane insecurity is something that we have not come to terms with when thinking of our heroes; knowing Wayne questions his path to becoming Batman is both disconcerting and identifiable. Like the previous films, Nolan’s Batman is a psychological exploration of the superhero and the folds that make and break them. Bruce Wayne is not infallible or inhumane; the most admirable aspect of Batman is his humanity, and Christopher Nolan is the first to fully engross the viewers into what it means to be both human and hero. Nolan continues to execute his “grounded” approach to the superhero genre throughout both the realism of the setting and the characters.

The film remains grounded in the specified exploration of a single being, but shifts the scale to amass complex sociological structures and reflexive issues that we combat in the modern global machine. Economic disparity, class resentment, terrorism, and the id versus the ego within a moral society are the pillars that The Dark Knight Rises rests upon. Furthermore, the timeless themes of resilience amongst hopelessness, the power of determination and passion, the infallible good of humanity, and the ability to inspire remain central to The Dark Knight Rises as evident in past entries.

Holy shit. Heavy stuff. But isn’t that what makes Christopher Nolan’s vision so incredible? The Dark Knight Rises is so marvelous because, the heavy thematic subject matter is still buoyed by gripping, paralyzing action pieces. The exemplary execution of the emotional engagement makes the film so much larger; where most Blockbusters falter in creating grandiose action pieces without attachment, The Dark Knight Rises makes sure we give a damn before Gotham begins to crumble.  Nolan understands that eye candy is nothing without rewiring our veins so our blood pumps into the characters onscreen.

It should also be noted that Nolan develops his characters in a condensed package far better than the Marvel Universe. Yes, The Avengers is a powerful blockbuster that defied expectations and was a fucking ball, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the foundation established in less-than-stellar backstories. Nolan’s fluctuating character focus is essentially just as star-studded, but he’s able to engage them with about 1/5 the space of The Avengers. Avengers is also a cartoonish joyride, while Nolan is able to give his characters studied personalities that we love and identify with. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John, the Gotham cop with an uncompromising dedication to justice, is so humane and loveable that his extended screen time passes without complaint, his rise reminiscent of Bruce Wayne’s trials and tribulations of becoming the Batman. Anne Hathaway is the first actress to fully display the perplexity that defines Catwoman. She’s an effective and relatable anti-heroine, a practiced theory into what misplaced bitterness could have made of Bruce Wayne. Hathaway is sexy, slinky, mysterious, and conflicted- all that Selina Kyle is within the comics. Tom Hardy wows as Bane, a worthy follow-up to the Joker in a post-9/11 America. The fear of nuclear terrorism and the helplessness attached inspired trembles throughout the film- and the face of the unrelenting, passé Bane only made it more frightening. Bane is a cinematic incarnation of the American fear of unfounded terrorism, making the positioning of the helpless citizens of Gotham an understandable state.

What is so wonderful about The Dark Knight Rises is the duplicity of identity it represents. Like Bruce Wayne himself, this isn’t just a blockbuster, its art all dolled up and made pretty and exciting. I’ve focused enough on the marvels of the cinematic detailing- the story and the reworked vision is a comic book fan’s wet dream.  Particularly the resurgence of the terrorist group the League of Shadows, the (SPOILER!!!) revelation of Talia Al Ghul’s puppeteering throughout the movie, and the fulfillment of the symbolic incarnation of Batman, TDKR is both pleasing for fans and cinephiles. Nolan ties up all loose ends from the first feature without being arduous or over-ambitious; every creative decision is meticulously engineered and manipulated by Nolan.  Like The Dark Knight before it, there are plenty of “OH SHIT!” moments, smartly arranged so they’re both shocking, fulfilling, and just plain cool. There’s also a plethora of Easter eggs for diehard Batman fans willing to sink their teeth deep into the movie.

 As I continue to reflect on the incredible closure of the series, I feel a renewed hope that Nolan may have changed the value of Blockbuster cinema for the future. No, it isn’t as perfect as The Dark Knight, but, like Return of the Jedi, it’s the best possible conclusion TDKR could have been; a classic in its own right. I understand this review is a fanboy’s love-letter, but with the sprawling accomplishment, it’s hard not to enthusiastically overflow with love for Christopher Nolan.

Grade: A