The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – The final part of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy.
In the spirit of full disclosure I am a massive comic book into films fan. The last two, before this release, were immense and told the story well beyond my expectations. Does this final installment of the trilogy deliver an ending that befits what has gone before it? I think the short and sweet answer to that is “hell yes”! So if that is enough for you then don’t read the rest and just make sure you have seen this film before it comes off the big screen. I am going back for a second viewing in just two days of writing this review and that is quite unheard of for me and films.
Plot Synopsis – don’t read this if you don’t want anything to be given away! You have fair warning…
It is 8 years after the last installment ended and all isn’t well in the Wayne world (no pun intended on the rather good film). Batman (Christian Bale) is still blamed for Dent’s death and Dent’s crimes. Well blamed by almost everyone. Gordon (Gary Oldman) has been doing a jolly spiffing job of looking after Gotham without the Batman but that soon changes when Bane (Tom Hardy) comes on the scene.
The start of the film is basically a sign of what is to come. It is a high octane start with a plane, a mid air kidnap and and a plane crash. There is some subterfuge with a Dr being taken from the plane but the Drs blood being used on another body to give the impression the good Dr died in the crash.
It is then Dent Day, the anniversary of Harvey Dent’s death. Gordon has a speech prepared to reveal the truth surrounding Dent’s death but at the last minute decides it is not yet the time, the speech being put back into his pocket.
Selina (Anne Hathaway) then makes an appearance as a maid at Wayne’s mansion for the celebration of Dent Day apparently to steal Wayne’s mothers pearl necklace. Wayne confronts her but due to his crippled leg she escapes. Wayne then realises she wasn’t after just the pearls and we see Selina sell Wayne’s finger print to Daggat (Ben Mendelsohn) a business man who is clearly corrupt.
A dead teenager washes out of the sewers, the sewers being the secret hideout of Bane. The police investigate and a raid on the sewers happens in which Gordon is overpowered and taken to Bane. Gordon escapes but is badly shot during his escape. However in the process Bane grabs Gordon’s jacket from him, the one containing his ‘reveal speech’. Wayne speaks to Gordon as Batman but dressed in a ski mask not the outfit. Gordon tells him he must return, Wayne does decide to suit up again and battle crime. This decision, along with Alfred (Michael Cane) revealing the contents of Rachel’s letter the burnt, means Alfred leaves his employ.
Batman tracks down Bane and they fight hand to hand. Eventually Bane wins by breaking Batman’s back. Wayne is then dropped into a foreign prison at the bottom of a well like chasm. This is to kill his sole before Bane kills his body.
Whilst in the “Hell on Earth” prison Wayne is told one person has escaped, a child – “The child was born of a Mercenary, who fell in love with a Warlord’s daughter. The Mercenary was to be sentenced to life in the prison, but the daughter made a deal with her father to free him and instead ended up a prisoner there herself. One day a riot broke out in the prison where she was raped and murdered, and her child escaped.” Wayne concludes this child in Bane.
Whilst Wayne is in prison Bane imprisons pretty much the entire police force underground, takes control of a nuclear reactor and turns it into a bomb. Bane also reads Gordon’s reveal speech letting the truth about Harvey Dent out.
On his third attempt to escape Wayne succeeds. He returns to Gotham as Batman and eventually gets to fight Bane again. This time Batman gains the upper hand, removes a couple of the tubes that supply Bane his anesthetic and tries to force him to reveal the location of the device that will deactivate the bomb. As he is doing this Miranda (Marion Cotillard) stabs him in the side.
This leads on to reveal that Miranda is actually Talia, the child who escaped the Hell on Earth prison. Bane was in fact another prisoner there who became her protector, helping her to escape but in the process was hurt. The prison doctor doing what he could to heal Bane but this resulted in Bane needing permanent anesthetic, hence the mask.
Talia tells how when she escaped the prison she went to find her father, Ra Al Ghul! They go rescue Bane and then both are trained by The League of Shadows. Even Ghul realises Bane is an extremist so is excommunicated. Talia uses Bane to exact revenge on Batman for killing Ghul, her father.
There is another chase and further scenes of fighting and the only place the nuclear bomb could be taken to so it wouldn’t explode is flooded. Batman attaches the bomb to the air Bat and flies it out to sea as he reveals there is no autopilot, where it explodes in the all too familiar mushroom shaped cloud.
We have a funeral. Bruce Wayne’s headstone is shown. Alfred is in tears and apologises to Bruce’s parents for failing to do what he promised and look after Bruce.
The final part I won’t reveal as you really need to see it.
My View
Now I haven’t revealed everything in that synopsis as I do think there are some aspects that should be seen. And it is worth seeing them! The last part of this trilogy does not disappoint. There are twists, there is action and there is Robin (told you to see it!). It is dark (the clue is in the name) but it is meant to be! Batman isn’t a fluffy “pow” “bam” character that many of us grew up with. Don’t take that the wrong way, I enjoyed that but this is how Batman was meant to be portrayed.
The acting is as expected from the cast list and excellent. Gary Oldman is probably such an underrated actor given his always spot on performances. Bale as Batman feels right as it did in the previous two films. The character fits him just like the BatSuit. Michael Cane – enough said, legend! Tom Hardy, I was trying the think what I have seen him in before but couldn’t recall. He is excellent though. On occasion you may need to concentrate on what he is saying but his portrayal is superb.
Verdict Go and see it! This is a 5 * film.
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