Dark Knight Rises

Directed by Christopher Nolan. Written by Jonathan Nolan (screenplay), Christopher Nolan (story/screenplay) and David S. Goyer (story). Starring Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne), Tom Hardy (Bane) and Anne Hathaway (Selina)

Bottom Line: Dark Knight Rises is an action-packed blockbuster to give a very good, clean end to a solid trilogy. The characters are strong, the movie is thought out and it becomes a surprisingly short two hour forty minute movie.
3.5/4

I loved Dark Knight. I think just about everyone did. That said, I had my hopes low, nay, I was dreading Dark Knight Rises. Mixing an almost infinite budget and trying to use Bane could be a very bad idea. Not that I have anything against Bane, it's just a problem of translating his character to the screen without it becoming a stupid cartoon. In terms of the superhero equation, if the character is really smart, he's not going to be strong. Similarly, if he is really strong, he is going to be as dumb as a rock. On top of that, he will be following up the Joker. Sure, in a comic-book sense, Bane is a bigger villain but he isn't nearly as photogenic. Whew, alright, I'm done.

Dark Knight Rises is set about seven or eight years after Dark Knight. Batman has disappeared. Bruce Wayne just stays in the Wayne Manor. With the death of Harvey Dent/Two Face, the Dent Act was passed to keep the streets clean.
Enter Bane and his henchmen.
They were hired by a Wayne Enterprises board member for some economic scheme. Of course, Bane changes plans and steals a nuclear weapon to destroy Gotham. Batman returns to save the day with a helping hand (or claw) from Catwoman.

Alright, the story is your pretty standard fare in terms of superhero movies but the best parts come with the interpretation of the characters.

Bane is a really mean, smart, strong villain. He is so strong that when he punches something there is a kick of bass. I say smart because, well, I don't know. Maybe it is because I want him to be smart. He certainly wasn't stupid so we can assume he has was the mastermind behind this plan, right?

Bale gives another solid performance of Batman. Nothing particularly new with his character but it is fun to watch him in another adventure.

Catwoman is another thing I was dreading about Dark Knight Rises. Much to my surprise, Hathaway's performance is pretty darn good. I am trying to find another way to phrase it than "She wasn't a hyper-sexualized object" but that was a big part of why I liked her. She was a strong, capable character who added to the movie. Sure, she wasn't perfect; she tries to be the type of character who can't be a truly good selfless person but it comes across a little flat.

I can't quite tell what accent Joseph Gordon-Levitt was using (was he supposed to be from Brooklyn here and there) but Detective Blake is another surprisingly pleasant addition. He is a convincing bright-eyed idealistic rookie cop.

Michael Caine, as much as I hate to say it, was disappointing. He was in maybe four scenes and just spent the time crying. He almost had me choked up in the first scene but he wasn't fooling anyone by the end of the movie.