Saturday, July 21, 2012
***I'd written this before learning about the Aurora Massacre and on learning about it through seeing the CBS Evening News broadcast on Sky News, I cried. The Batman legacy is not there for people to think it's OK to dress up in a mask and shoot people. That's not what he's about at all. He's about being a symbol to stop corruption by targeting the bad guys, not the innocents. The claim he called himself The Joker is possibly the scariest part of all... true issues. It's heartbreaking that even a cinema can be a target now.
No classic review this week because I stuffed up and left my USB at work with no backup on my laptop. Slight fail, but I think it's fittind this review stands alone. Christopher Nolan is a freakin' genius.
The Dark Knight Rises (M)
Christopher Nolan is not a
superstitious man, or one to let things happen by chance. His films are a
constant symbol of that, with methodical plots and characters often combining
to form an ambiguous story where he lets you be the one to define the ending.
In the case of the Batman trilogy which we find ourselves at the end of after seven
years, he asks that of us again. He dares us to define how we ultimately want to
see the Caped Crusader.
The end of The Dark Knight left Gotham City in a dark place, and for Bruce
Wayne (Christian Bale) at least, that hasn’t changed eight years later. The man
is a shadow of his former selves – Batman has been relegated to the cave as
Wayne leaves himself with what little money his corporation has left to rot as
a recluse. It’s only the threat of mercenary Bane (Tom Hardy), a mysterious
newcomer threatening the existence of the city once more, which forces Batman
to rise.
Pain and anguish from Wayne’s
losses have rendered him weak, and while support remains at hand from Lucius
Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Wayne Enterprises board member Miranda Tate (Marion
Cotillard) he loses the only true stability he, or the Batman story in general,
has known. Shutting Alfred (Michael Caine) out is a sad prelude to the dark
shadows fast approaching them all.
Dread fills the air on and off
the screen as Bane’s intentions slowly come to light. His assuredness in taking
Gotham is chilling, not because for much of the film his identity is a mystery,
but that his conviction in following a destructive path is passed off with such
ease. Hardy is electrifying as Bane, wanting every bit of your attention as
much as that of his nemesis.
But he is only one piece of
Nolan’s meticulously-designed puzzle. The people of Gotham are beginning to
figure out who “the Batman” is, and Wayne sees both sides of the coin; most are
hopeful that he returns to don the suit and save them, but when that
information falls into the wrong hands he feels the repercussions.
The saying that the design is in
the detail is no truer than with this film. But as Nolan, his brother Jonathan
and David S. Goyer have shown us to near perfection already, that doesn’t
necessarily mean it’s always on display. Officer John Blake (Joseph
Gordon-Levitt) is the perfect exemplary, always seeking answers as new help to
Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman).
Nolan makes us question what
identity is and what it means to be human, with or without a mask. Selina
Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) is as torn as Wayne about the boundaries of right
and wrong, and as their relationship develops so too does the corrupt, instable
nature Bane has created on their doorstep.
At 165 minutes, overcrowding the
story is impossible. But the feeling of impending doom for Gotham seems more
relevant and real than ever and consistently holds you. There are references to
financial crises, no doubt a highlight of the world’s current situation as well
as acknowledging Wayne’s history. There is such trust in the cast from Nolan,
many having worked with him outside of the trilogy in Inception. And then there’s the surprise ending that leaves you with
more questions than answers.
MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEWS? See what I thought of Ted and Spartacus.
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