Christopher Nolan tied the string on the Batman trilogy that has been entertaining audiences for seven years. His final installment, The Dark Knight Rises, featured new characters, returning themes, and a good deal of sentimentality for one of our favorite superheroes.
The film, which brazenly introduced a new ensemble of faces that could or could not be justified for having in the script, centered around the choice the billionaire crime-fighting Bruce Wayne had to make ten years after Harvey Dent’s death: continue Batman and risk self harm, or give it a rest for a new life.
In the earliest moments of the film we meet Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman, a shamelessly sexualized character of wit and intelligence, wrapped up in a skin-tight leather outfit. Although she betrays Bruce, she later ends up working with him as a team.
Bruce, already with a poor reputation after The Dark Knight where he takes responsibility for Harvey’s crimes, has to decide whether to save Gotham city as it becomes more corrupt than ever when Bane tries to take control.
What Nolan worked well with in the previous film is attempted, but not present in the new one: the fear-inducing terrorist demands of our villian. The attempts to force Batman to make sacrifices weren’t as successful with the not-so-terrifying Bane, a man with a life grown up in prison.
The new film loses Nolan’s previously acclaimed story sequencing that he did so well in The Dark Knight and Memento. Bane’s story is messy, in a way not creating suspense. Certain plot elements released too early, certain characters introduced too late. It all creates a premature climax, one that loses the taste of previous film noir dramas Nolan directed.
We can’t go without mentioning what somewhat redeemed the film: the complexity of stories. Those stories, and their relationships, are what made the plot successful and forceful in its delivery.
Batman’s decisions, about his life, others’ lives and the well-being of the city reminds us what we love about Batman: he’s complex. His choices were never easy, and his interests didn’t always work out in his favor. His selflessness and bravery (strong descriptions for any other superhero movie) bring us back into the action of his Gotham.
Although it looks unfinished in its sequencing, this film promises a great story. Audiences can know Batman’s career ended in an appropriate manner, in a fashion that didn’t compromise, but rather satisfied what the story needed.
Rating: 7/10
