The Dark Knight Rises Reviews

A

'The Dark Knight Rises' takes a seat at the adults table, while the Marvel franchises sit at the kiddy table. TDKR is dark, captivating, and entertaining to say the least. The action sequences are flawlessly executed, and the acting is in as high a gear as the batmobile. While this film is not 'The Dark Knight,' it's still an amazing addition to what quite possibly could be the greatest overall trilogy of all-time. Grade: B+

Rarely do I have as many mixed feelings and opinions after having seen The Dark Knight Rises. It felt epic. It was moving. It felt long. It worked well as a book-end to the trilogy. It felt forced.The performances were excellent. Anne Hathaway as Selena the Cat Woman. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Blake, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman and so on. The last 30 minutes were just fantastic, worth the previous two-plus hour wait. Better than the Batman Begins but fell short of Heath Ledger's Dark Knight (could that movie been as good without him?).Overall I think it suffered from being too grandiose by trying to do too much. The multiple acts didn't click together as they did in The Dark Knight. The suspension of disbelief was less "suspended" than utterly confounded ... how did Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) go from emaciated cripple to muscle-bound butt-kicker in one day?And the finale, while enjoyable, had so many twists and conveniences it would have made my head spin if I wasn't enjoying it so much. To be fair, I think the best way to judge The Dark Knight Rises is as an attempt to close an epic story-line with a focus on continuity between the three films, reinforcing Nolan's conflicting "hopeful nihilism" philosophy. I look forward to watching all three back-to-back to see his vision uninterrupted by tragic events and the passage of time.

The Dark Knight Rises is a satisfying conclusion to a fantastic trilogy of films. The film's first act starts out slow and confusing while introducing too many characters, but eventually fleshes out into a compelling and interesting story that ties up all loose ends and leads to a satisfying end.

"The Dark Knight Rises" is a mess of a film full of many plot holes and underdeveloped characters. Many use the term epic for this film but I strongly disagree. Christopher Nolan's attempt to create something epic, or memorable, is laughable.

The film has a slow start as we are introduced to many boring, one-dimensional characters. This then leads to a dull second act until we get to the bloated, pointless action at the end. The film does not flow; this is due to the many unnecessary side stories. It would have worked better if John Blake and Miranda Tate were done away with.

Bane is one of the worst villains in the franchise. He is not menacing, he talks weird, and the plot twist involving him is a giant slap in the face. Selina Kyle is somewhat interesting but her motives are unclear, especially at the end. So the film could have used a better villain or better handling of them.

There are plot problems all over the place. Many of the things that happen are implausible; any sense of realism is lost. We also have strange plot devices such as the prison that has no guards and a way to escape. Really? "The Dark Knight Rises" comes off as a poorly written, rushed film.

Definitely the weakest in the trilogy but you may like it if you don't mind underdeveloped characters, bloated action scenes, and plot holes. "The Dark Knight Rises isn't an intelligent film; it fails because it tries too hard to be complex.

Everything comes full circle in "The Dark Knight Rises," a monumental conclusion to Nolan's Batman legend. It's grim, it's sprawling, it's technically astounding; it's also the best in the series.

These blockbuster movies tend to be uncharacteristically long but this the Dark Knight trilogy has always been entertaining enough to handle it. That said, there's always the feeling you get after watching it that some parts were messy and surprisingly silly (Bale's low, rough Batman voice has always been ridiculous to me).

First off, it's not his imagination. Selina is there. Alfred quit before Bruce and Selina even met properly for the first time at all, he just sees her as a theif that stole his necklace, not a hint of romance. And Bruce has no further contact with Alfred after that. So out of all the people he would imagine Bruce with, no way would he would choose Selina. If he wanted to see Bruce's true happiness in that cafe, he would have pictured Rachel Dawes, who he knew Bruce loved. Second, One thing is nagging me here, a line from Batman Begins.. "The world is too small for a man like Bruce Wayne to disappear', spoken by Ra's Al Ghul. THEN, he was hiding out in a tibetan/asian prison, and he wasn't nearly as famous as he was later in life... just saying, they seemed to have left a lot of plot points and references that suggest a sequel is on the way,? and Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman both said they have a feeling there might be another... there may be hope. The Robin thing was to show you that someone would would continue batman's legacy. Not to tell? you that they are making another movie. It's been stated numerous times that this is the conclusion of the batman trilogy.

Eight years after the death of Harvey Dent, a reclusive Bruce Wayne brings Batman out of retirement to combat a ruthless mercenary with an army of fanatical followers who hold the entire city of Gotham for ransom. I feel I have to begin this review by pointing out that The Dark Knight Rises is a beautifully crafted superhero blockbuster, because otherwise it's going to sound extremely negative! The problem for me is that this film is somewhat lacking in the "X Factor" that made the first two instalments seem so very special. Let's face it, Tom Hardy had an act that's basically impossible to follow but when the script touched on the moral ambiguity of the character of Bruce Wayne (that he's essentially a billionaire who goes around beating up poor people to maintain the establishment's status quo) I thought that Nolan had done it again. Unfortunately he chose not to explore the social implications, instead electing to hang a bomb over the heads of this "citizen's revolution" reducing Bane to another hostage taking thug instead of a radical revolutionary. I also think that removing Alfred and therefore much of the humanity and humour from the equation was a mistake and I would have liked a little more ambiguity (a la Inception) as to the fate of the character. Plus I could also point out that the story is basically Rocky III crossed with Star Wars with yet another generic race against time tacked onto the end. All of these complaints conspired to make me somewhat disappointed with the film, but I reiterate; this is only by the incredibly high standards that were set by the franchise. By any others, The Dark Rises is an excellent piece of entertainment and deserving of the highest praise as a fitting conclusion to a series that has single handedly raised the bar for the quality of mainstream cinema.

26/12/2012 (VIDEO FILE)

The. Most. Overrated. Movie. Of. The. Year.
It's a somewhat entertaining one. Tom Hardy looks great as Bane, despite the fact he's inaudible for a good portion of the movie. Anne Hathaway is the ideal Catwoman. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt pretty much steals the show. But apart from that, the plot is just pointless. The set up is intriguing, as Bane's attack on the 1% raises a very interesting plot to create mass chaos by ridding the rich of all their wealth. But then you find out he just wants to blow up the city, and the last two thirds of The Dark Knight Rises is just a cliche ridden action movie about saving Gotham. We saw this already; it was called Batman Begins. The action scenes are completely uninspired. Plot holes are aplenty - how did he get back into Gotham? And the amount of contrived plot devices feel lifted from a film student's screenplay - of course Alfred's dream would come true. The film is fun in a mindless sort of way, but it's by far the weakest installment in the trilogy and a disappointing conclusion to what could have been the best movie trilogy ever made.

I'll be the first to admit this movie has flaws, but for me a 5 star movie is not constituted by something flawless because there is no such thing. No other movie this year has got my blood pumping and put my emotions through a roller coaster ride like Christopher Nolan's epic conclusion to his Batman saga. Where the Dark Knight was dark and depressing, The Dark Knight Rises is action-packed and full of redemption. I'm not saying that was a flaw in The Dark Knight (especially during the first watch), but after watching it so many times it can wear you down how dark it is. It is simply not as enjoyable of a movie to me than this one. The Dark Knight is certainly the best made Batman and superhero movie made to date, but The Dark Knight Rises to me takes everything that worked so far for Nolan and ratchets it up to 10. This is still thoughtful blockbuster film making, just with a more ambitious and epic scope than the previous two, which in itself will present some flaws the other two did not have. While there is no iconic Oscar worthy performance like that of Heath Ledger as the Joker, Tom Hardy as Bane is still great and the rest of the returning cast are as good as they have always been. The other newcomer, Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, is also good and keeps the film in the realistic tone that Nolan has established since Batman Begins. The Dark Knight Rises is not the best film in Nolan's Batman saga, but it is definitely my favorite.

had some fun with this! bit too long but that's a common failing of nolan's. still it kept my attention. for those questioning it's politics, when wasn't batman a fascist? really enjoyed anne hathaway as catwoman/batgirl, at least right up to that sappy happy ending....

(+) its very good for the end of this trilogy. even supporting characters has important role.

(-) Batman/Bruce Wayne becoming a weak character.

Still great movie to watch

Can't wait. Chris Nolan is a fine filmmaker and one of the few who can actually put anything of quality on the big screen. All other filmmakers, this means YOU! Step it up.

Four Stars!

I will admit deep down I have always preferred the Burton Batman's I cannot lie. I think there are two camps for the Batman films and like marmite you either like or dislike them. Lets step into the Nolan universe one last time then shall we...supposedly.

So the film continues on from the previous two films and continuity wise its very well done. Everything and everyone is back in the places they should be ready to follow through on this epic portrayal of the Batman. Problems arise as we delve deeper into the story and the main villain 'Bane' begins to cause problems for our hero.

Of course being a comicbook adaptation you can't expect the film to be totally serious or sensible, there will always be elements of fantasy. The problem with this franchise is its made out to be a serious thriller type, the well used 'Heat with Batman' phrase springs to mind. Thusly the comicbook element has been somewhat drained away, yes it has, you can't really have it both ways folks and this third installment stalls trying to incorporate both sides. Make your mind up Nolan.

I'm gonna be harsh as such a ridiculously high level was expected with this film there seems no other way to bring it down to earth. Plot holes? yes, the plot isn't anything particularly original and its skips around like crazy. 'Bane' breaks Batman's back, OK, yet he then drags him to a prison somewhere in the middle of nowhere and leaves him to recover, what? why not just kill the guy and then you've won you silly villain. While I'm here, where was this prison exactly? a desert? the Middle East?? huh?.

Upon this we then have the rather daft notion that 'Wayne' then recovers from this horrendous injury merely by doing lots of push ups, sit ups and chin ups...oh after he was strung up with rope for god knows how long, eh?.

Once 'Wayne' is back to full fitness he manages to escape the inescapable prison naturally, but then hold on, one minute he's in the outback somewhere, next scene he's back in Gotham?. On top of that how did he get back into Gotham seeing as its locked down and cut off?.

Carrying on with 'Bane' his voice, I'm sorry but it just sounded hilariously stupid to me, like something from an old Peter Cushing 'Hammer Horror'. I realise it wasn't suppose to be overly intimidating or forced like Bale's god awful Batman voice but come on! it was like some kind of chirpy English sort from 'My Fair Lady' haha. Add to that the curious design for his face mask which still kinda looks like a dog muzzle made in a school metalwork class.

As for the other anti hero character in 'Catwoman' I'm split. I still hold firm on the bad casting choice for this character as Hathaway looks far too weak and princess-like to be able to hold her own. The outfit was a hot potato and although in motion it didn't look too bad the entire idea that she is a top catburglar yet runs around basically showing off her whole head and face is so stupid. Surely this concept meant that 'Catwoman' required her much loved hood for cover? you'd think it would be a good move for identity secrecy. In dialog Hathaway performed well with her devious slinky ass but in action she simply didn't look right, as suspected.

To be quite frank the whole film was quite average really. The effects weren't anything to shout about like the ropey CGI football field explosion, the jerky rubbery Batbike thing and oddly shaped Batwing thing. Also the film did seem somewhat watered down this time also. I know death has not been shown in full glory in any of the films but even more so here, complete cut aways in some places, very childish for a hard edged approach.

We all knew from the outset that Batman was gonna get his arse kicked, what we didn't know was how it might all end. To be brutally honest the whole thing was very lackluster and seemed to even pinch a plot idea from the original 1966 caper with Adam West!. I am referring to the finale where Batman must make a decision to save Gotham City from the mighty bomb. Gee errr just fly away with it Batman?.

This film has shown how good the previous two films are for me, and I'm not the biggest fan of the second. It just seems as though this film ran out of steam, baddie character choices and eye popping set pieces. 'Banes' death was way way too weak for such a big presence, the 'Scarecrow' cameo felt unnecessary or crowbarred in for no reason, the 'Blake' character was always the obvious new 'Boy Wonder/Batman' type right from the get go and pretty much everything tied up very predictably right down to the fact that 'Wayne' appears to have survived after all, bless.

If you enjoyed the previous films then I'm sure you will carry on enjoying this final adventure, if not then you won't think much of this. It does come down to whether you prefer the fantasy aspect of Batman which is gloriously shown in the Burton films if somewhat over done at times, or you prefer the grounded, hard serious approach by the Nolan trilogy.

Visually dynamic (accept for the awful camo coloured tumblers), bold, flashy and with a great stellar cast but ultimately overrated and it still just doesn't feel like a Batman film. Cliched maybe but I just wish there was a little more dark goth involved in these films and less cop drama.

This film rises and goes way beyond spectacular. It`s an amazing and breathtaking epic thrill-ride. It stands as one of the great trilogies in movie history and sends Batman off on a satisfying farewell and does not disappoint. Every great story needs a great ending, and this is that ending. A true instant classic. An unforgettable masterpiece. One of the greatest movies of all time. Director, Christopher Nolan has crafted one of his finest films, and one of the best films in years to hit the screen. It surpasses Batman Begins and The Dark Knight in every way imaginable. A brilliant work of art that comes full circle in a monumental film. It`s dark, grim, gritty and furiously entertaining. A bold, stylish and pulse-pounding action-packed adventure that will blow you away. The action is incredible, some of the best action scenes i have ever seen, especially between Batman and Bane, which are some of the best crafted fight scenes ever. The drama and the characters are wonderfully done and dig bone-deep with their development. The suspense is mind-blowing, with one or two twist you will not see coming. The all-star cast are all truly astonishing. Christian Bale is spectacular, he brings back the darkness and emotional torture of both Batman and Bruce Wayne, and dosent miss a note with his performance. Tom Hardy is brilliant, he is an unstoppable force of nature, he does alot even with his eyes and does not fail with this explosive performance. Michael Caine is outstanding, he shows he is truly the heart and soul of the piece. Anne Hathaway is wonderful. Joseph Gordan Levitt is terrific. Gary Oldman is fantastic. Morgan Freeman shines as usual. Marion Cotillard is marvelous. This film couldn't of been better. A groundbreaking, utterly powerful and truly unforgettable movie experience.

Something just felt...underwhelming with this one. The cinematography, visuals and effects are on par with the previous film. The dialogue was phenomenal. It just feels...underwhelming.

Christopher Nolan's concluding vision of the legendary Caped Crusader could possibly be the strongest closing chapter to any franchise. This time, Batman is forced to become allies with Catwoman in order to overcome Gotham's latest threat. While he doesn't top Heath Ledger's Joker, Tom Hardy's performance as the merciless Bane makes him both an intimidating and fearful force. Anne Hathaway's portrayal as the feline thief is better than predicted by some skeptical viewers. By almost being 3 hours long, this stops the film from being perfect as it becomes rather easy to lose interest, even before the major fight scenes. This may never top the legend left behind from 'The Dark Knight'. However, 'The Dark Knight Rises' is a sophisticated finale and should be strongly considered to those who enjoyed 'Batman Begins' as well.