Movie Review - "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) *****

     I've mentioned several times on the blog that I was not the biggest fan of comic book movies. I never got much from the original Superman films. The Spiderman films did nothing for me. And stuff like the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Green Lantern, etc. just simply didn't appeal to me. The one exception was Batman. I highly enjoyed Tim Burton's 1989 Batman and it's follow-up, Batman Returns. The rest of the films in the series were pretty dreadful, but those first two were favorites of mine at the time. When I heard that the Batman series was being rebooted in 2005, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, after my first viewing of Batman Begins, the first film in Christopher Nolan's trilogy, I was a bit disappointed. Subsequent viewings of that movie have improved my position on it, but I still find it somewhat lacking. However, a few years later when The Dark Knight was released, I had finally found the perfect comic film. I gave The Dark Knight five stars and to this day, it is one of my favorite films. Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker was deserving of the Oscar it received, and I still find it a crime that the film didn't receive a Best Picture nomination in what was a weak year for films. So, heading into this year, my anticipation for The Dark Knight Rises was very high. Only Prometheus matched my level of excitement, and that met my expectations. The Dark Knight Rises not only met my expectations...it somehow managed to exceed them.

     I won't go into a plot summary too much. I believe this is one of those films that it's either going to interest you, or not, and those that are even the slightest bit interested should just go see it. Plain and simple. It's been 8 years since Batman was last seen in Gotham City following him taking the fall for the crimes of District Attorney Harvey Dent. The plot that Batman (Christian Bale) and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) came up with has worked as crime has been almost non-existent in those 8 years. But trouble in Gotham is about to pick up again in the form of two different villains. A cat burglar named Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) is causing havoc and the even more dangerous Bane (Tom Hardy), a masked terrorist set on destroying Gotham. Bruce Wayne/Batman is living as a recluse but the acts of Bane have caused him to rethink his retirement, much to the chagrin of his loyal butler Alfred (Michael Caine). After a visit to see his old friend Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and a new array of crime-fighting devices, Batman is soon back in the game with the help of Gordon and a young, ambitious cop named Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is still a big believer in Batman and what he stands for. The group goes after Bane but it isn't long before Batman realizes he has finally met his match, as even he may be no competition for Bane.

     In what has been a strong year for movies so far with films like Prometheus, The Avengers and The Grey all receiving 4+ stars from me, The Dark Knight Rises stands above all and I would find it difficult for a movie to beat it in my year end rankings. It would take a pretty special film along the lines of a Social Network or Moneyball to unseat it. It's possible a gem like those two were will come along, but it's going to be tough. TDKR clocks in at just under 3 hours long, but it could have gone another hour or two and I would have been perfectly fine with it. The first hour is more build-up and if there is a weak point in the movie, it is this first hour, but it's really being nit-picky. I liked it, but some people could find it a touch slow. But when all hell breaks loose in this movie, it doesn't let go. If you like action, this is the movie for you, there's plenty of it. We throw terms around like "edge-of-the-seat excitement" loosely these days, but it applies in this case.

     Comparisons to Dark Knight are inevitable and I have been thinking about this a lot since the movie ended. I would give both 5 stars but I may give the slightest edge to The Dark Knight simply for Heath Ledger's Joker character. There's nothing in this newest installment that is probably Oscar material from an acting standpoint. Everyone gives a fine performance but nothing along the lines of what Heath was able to pull off. That would be the main difference, but the separation is very minimal and additional viewings of TDKR may bump it up over its predecessor. The one acting performance that really shocked me was Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. I wasn't really expecting much from her in this role, but she is awesome (and darn sexy in that Catwoman suit if I do say so myself!). In a genre that is dominated by male actors, her performance along with Scarlett Johanson's in The Avengers have been scene stealers. Kudos to the ladies. Any review of this movie wouldn't be complete without mentioning director Christopher Nolan and his co-writer/brother Jonathan Nolan. You two are to be commended for this trilogy which turned out one solid movie and 2 unforgettable movies. I can't believe I'm saying this, but this trilogy is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the original Star Wars trilogy. And people who know my Star Wars love understand what kind of praise that is. If you are on the fence at all about this movie, do not be. It's simply one of the greatest films ever made, I feel confident...and happy...in saying that.

Author' Note:  It's unfortunate that the release of this movie has been overshadowed by the tragic shooting in an Aurora, Colorado theater at a midnight premiere of the film. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the family members of those who lost their lives or were injured in the attack. I cannot begin to understand what people there may be going through right now, but I encourage everyone who reads this review to say a quick prayer for those affected by these tragic events. Thank you.