The Dark Knight Rises is an extravagant superhero combo
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway
Movie Rating: 4.5/5
You know you’re in for the most riveting film of your life when you see hoards of people – young and old, running into the booking counters as soon as the gates to the cinema house open on friday morning.
The Dark Knight Rises has been a thoroughly awaited film, especially since the first part in this spectacular Batman saga, was so enthralling.
The Dark Knight Rises definitely deserves a pat on the back, it is a film that holds on to your breath and keeps your eyeballs glued to the screen till the very end. And what a grand finale it provides!
You’re in your seat and the ads are over, the trailer of The Great Gatsby and Man of Steel have impressed you and you are spellbound as the first flight, action sequence, impeccably shot opens to a film that you know, will not make you yawn or look at your wristwatch, even for a single second.
Christan Bale (Bruce Wayne-cum-the Batman) has been out of news for over 8 years. The handsome-as- a-GOD Bale has locked away his suit, his bike and his flying machine. The servants in the house haven’t seen him, the media hasn’t seen him and even his friend-police commissioner, goodie-two shoes – Joseph Gordon (Gary Oldman), doesn’t know what he has been up to.
The spectacular, monolithic final movie in Christopher Nolan's Batman series is like a huge piece of industrial machinery: massive, grimly and brutally metallic. This film lifts great weights and swings the mightiest wrecking balls, but taking its time about it – all of whole 3 hours.
Alfred’s, “Master Wayne” (Alfred played by the charming Michael Caine) has turned into a reclusive. The bond they share as butler and Batman, is beautifully shown in the film. “You’re afraid if I go back there, I’ll fail,” says Bruce, “No, I’m afraid you want to,” replies Alfred.
The coming back of the sexy ‘cat burglar woman’ played by Anne Hathaway in the role of the gorgeous Selina Kyle and Tom Hardy, in a powerful, villainous role as BANE, a child known to have been brought up in a dark-doomed prison, leads to a cat-bat versus hardy’s face in a Kuwaiti woman’s mask leading to the comeback of the incredible Christian Bale and letting the Mayor know, “you’re messing with the wrong animal, sir.”
Anne Hathaway does a good job and callously plays the role of a seemingly stunning bond girl.
Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, is a beautiful young woman who shows a keen interest in the money. A ‘Miss Money bags’ who develops an interest in Wayne - “You want to go and save the world, but first you need to start trusting it.”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake plays a young police officer whose instincts lead him to believe that there is trouble on the horizon. Seeing something of himself in Blake, Commissioner Gordon promotes him to special duty. Blake represents the idealism that Gordon and Bruce Wayne once held, but soon lost in their battle against crime in the city.
The Dark Knight Rises certainly confirms the weapons that Christopher Nolan can wield as a director. He has thoroughly reinvented the DC comics start-up, reauthored it and thought it through, in a way no other director has done with any other superhero franchise.
With a supporting star cast as Oscar winning as the Bale himself comprising of Morgan Freemen, Gary Oldman and Machael Caine, the films acting deserves as applaud. Cinematography by Wally Pfister is sleak, but the star on the tree is undeniably the constant mood-changing music by legendary, academy award winning Music Director Hans Zimmer who keeps it slow and rough when needed and peppy and sly alongside the witty lines by the cat and bat!
Tom Hardy’s voice is disturbing. You could owe it to his gruff personality and past in the film, or you could call it complimentary to his gigantic physique, but his voice is there to scare.
The best sequence in the film however, comes post the interval, where you witness yourself as the viewer, unable to help yourself from smiling and hoping that Bale as Batman will conquer all. And that’s the beauty of The Dark Knight Rises, it makes you want to be a believer!
Written along with brother Jonathan Nolan, Christopher manages to treat his audience with the perfect hamburger. There is enough meat to satisfy, more than enough mayo to please with buns that have been baked to the perfect softness. Nolan, doesn’t shy from presenting an extravagant superhero combo.
With a wrapping up that is as transfixing as expected by the creator of Inception, what more does a movie junkie want in a film. The Dark Knight Rises is worth a million bucks, and I bet today, by the end of the opening day, itself, the film has already smashed box offices in India and of course, the US!
