87% The Dark Knight Rises

Man, I really don't know how to start this review off. I think I might need to see it for a second time, but I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing. Needless to say, of course I'm glad I saw it, even if it was without IMAX, but I can't help but feel somewhat let down by this film.Look, I really liked it, it is a good movie, and it's a satisfactory enough conclusion to Nolan's brilliant take on the venerable DC character, but, even though I wasn't expecting this to top its predecessor, I didn't expect to feel so underwhelmed, or even underwhelmed at all. This review will be hard since I'm not going to give spoilers, but even if I do cut it some slack for having a tough act to follow, and also acknowledging that third parts tend to suffer in general, this is still a really flawed film, and quite a messy one at that. The plot, real quick: it's been years since Batman's self imposed exile, and, while things in Gotham seem better, there's trouble coming, and it inevitably leads to the need for Batman's return, and it's not going to be an easy return, especially given the threat that's coming, which is that of Bane: a fierce mercenary whose plans are to finish off where others have started, and do to Batman and the city what others couldn't. Okay, so here's the issues: too many characters (some of them not really needed at all), lack of real character development, and unbalanced development, uneven pacing throughout, but with a definite slow start. The film does pick up by the end, and it saved me from actually hating it (as did the fact that it's hard for me to really hate Nolan's works and justify hating them). Even when the film picks up and really gets cooking, the sequencing of events is really off, unbalanced, and jarring. Momentum gets built up, and then it changes scenes, killing some of the tension, and lessening some of the stakes. In general the screenplay is a jumbled mess. Maybe they really did try to do too much? Also, the title. Yes, it comes into play, and sure, it works...enough. BUT I think they should have gone with something different, and far better, like The Caped Crusader, or, better yet, Gotham. Yeah, Gotham would have been a far better title, especially since this film really is an ensemble piece, and the city itself is a character. It also would have fit better thematically. Also, I can suspend disbelief, but there's a couple times when I was just dumbstruck, and the number of plot holes caught me off guard. The other two had them, but again, the script kinda screws the film a bit much. Yeah, the stakes get raised, but compared to the last film, they don't feel raised enough. Maybe the fact that the film is set eight years after The Dark Knight is the problem. Maybe that's too much time in between, especially when you consider the state of the characters and city at the start of the film. What I'm saying is that I really didn't care as much as I should have at times, and I didn't feel the terror, tension, and absolute dread that I did when watching The Dark Knight. Seeing that in theaters was one of the most intense experiences I've had. It didn't happen here. Oh, I was legitimately stirred emotionally at times (in the way I was supposed to be), but surprisingly a lot of this felt flat, and the clunky execution took off a lot of potential weight. It's like Nolan wanted to top the previous fllm, but knew he probably couldn't, so he didn't try as hard. That sucks. I do admittedly like how it ended (the very end, that is). That some of it was telegraphed kinda annoyed me, but contextually over the arc of the trilogy, I think it is earned, even if it could have been done slightly better, especially the resolution of the big showdown.Okay, by this point (if you're still reading) you might wonder if I liked anything. Of course I did. Look at my rating. A lot of what I just mentioned is just nitpicking, while some of it is legit problems. There's also some pandering to the audience that is hit and miss, but some of it didn't bother me like it has other viewers. From a production standpoint: wow! This is some top notch work. We've got a superb score from Hans Zimmer, excellent cinematography from Pfister, generally fine direction from Nolan, and several incredible set pieces. And the film is also great due to the fact that Nolan primarily relies on practical effects, real human extras, and genuine stunt work. And there's humor. Yeah, his films aren't devoid of it, but c'mon, this man's filmography may be overall one of the darkest ever. Some have said this is the bleakest in the trilogy and yes, while it is bleak as all hell, as I mentioned above, it didn't shake me like TDK did, and so I don't think it's quite the darkest, maybe because I just for whatever reason was underwhelmed by it.Back to the postivie stuff: loved the themes of hope, redemption, and how it all tied into the logical progression set up with the other two films. Also, speaking of hope, this kept reminding me of The Shawshank Redemption, if only due to a certain cast member, the hope thing, and the fact that prisons play a role. That's not really an important thing, but it amused me, so it's worth mentioning. The performances are good. Bale is still strong, but he's even growlier than before at times, and I've never been much of a hater of *that voice*. Anne Hathaway stole the show, and gave a far stronger performance than I expected. I didn't expect her to do bad, but she was better than I thought she might be. Cotillard is okay, but there's no real chemistry between her and Bale. Oldman is solid as usual, if somewhat underwhelming here. Freeman is Freeman, and Caine is tremendous, bringing tons of needed weight, emotion, and humanity ot things. It sucks that he's missing for a large part of the film, but when he's there, he really delivers, and I kinda hope he gets an Oscar nod. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great as the beat cop who is basically a proto-Gordon, and he's one of the best parts of the film. Now for Hardy as Bane. Well, he delivers the best version of the character outside of the comics, but in general, he's just a really, really good villain instead of an outstanding one. He's intense and scary, and that's the bare minimum that could be asked for, but he's not going to be getting any awards consideration (ie Oscars) if you were wondering. They fixed some problems with understanding his voice, but even then, he's somewhat unintelligble once in a great while. He's definitely memorable though, that's for sure. And, there's some good cameos too, including one that was completely unexpected, really threw me off, and Ijust might be one of my favorite parts of the film. And no, it's not one you're going to be able to guess all that easily. There's also a shot (or two, technically) that is right from the Michael Mann visual playbook, and that's a compliment, and I loved seeing it, and if you're a Mann fan, you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. Like my favorite cameo, it was a real highlight, despite not being that crucial to the plot, kinda like the carrot peeler from The Dark Knight. The inclusion of real world elements like police states and the Occupy movement, and other Post 9/11 stuff really worked for me too, and they were utilized in a great way that helps the film overall, as well as strengthening it in terms of the bigger picture.This just might be one of my longest reviews ever, and I really didn't say a whole lot, which says something. In general, given the scale, size, and scope of everything, the film is a success. Maybe it's not as grand of a success as it should be, but all things considered, the film is pretty good, and gets a pass. At lhe very least the film is a success simply since it's been able to get at least some sort of a reaction (positive or negative) out of myself and others.To add a little ps here: I think one way of fixing the film's issues would be to reorganize the plot (and how events are plotted together), and increase, yes INCREASE the running time to allow for things to breath, characters and events to get fully fleshed out and explained, and to keep things from being sooo crammed during the first act.

November 2, 2010

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_dark_knight_rises/

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