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- Review count1
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- First reviewJuly 21, 2012
- Last reviewJuly 21, 2012
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating5
IanAltenbaugh's Reviews
Overall rating
5
/
5
An Masterful Accomplishment in Cinema
PostedJuly 21, 2012
IanAltenbaugh
from Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Age:25 to 34
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Dialogue
5
/
5
Special Effects
5
/
5
Art Direction
5
/
5
Acting
4
/
5
Story
4
/
5
Camerawork
5
/
5
Director, writer, and producer Christopher Nolan reaches the epitome of artistic success in his third and final installment of his Dark Knight trilogy. One of the few filmmakers in Hollywood able to operate on a 250 million dollar budget while still possessing almost complete artistic control over his project, Nolan manages to craft a movie that is capable of appealing to both educated and uneducated moviegoers.
Taking place eight years after The Dark Knight (2008), Nolan uses dark, abstract camera strokes to paint Gotham City as a dystopic society on the brink of collapse.
Since accepting responsibility for the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), billionaire orphan Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has retired his alter ego of Batman and grown reclusive, rarely appearing publically. He has also grown increasingly cynical over the decaying nature of Gotham City and its inhabitants under what is known as the Dent Act.
A combination of events force Wayne out of reclusion including the mismanagement of his numerous assets to a curious jewel thief named Selena Kyle (Anne Hathaway). However, once a terrorist leader by the name of Bane (Tom Hardy) almost captures and kills Police Commissioner Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), Wayne realizes that only Batman can save the city of Gotham.
Shot all over the world in 35 and 65mm Panavision cameras, Nolan managed to make a movie that manages to look more expensive than the 250 million dollar budget it was rumored to cost. Gotham City is particularly impressive looking, with parts of New York, Pittsburgh, and London giving the fictional metropolis a gritty, noir look. The urban landscape is grim as well and even daylight exterior scenes looked like they were shot through a gray color filter.
The Dark Knight Rises is possibly the most ambitious film in modern cinema. Beautifully detailed, full-scale sets were created for all of the interior shots but probably even more impressive are the exterior set pieces. The movie opens with a plane hijacking scene that was shot with stuntmen high in the air in Scotland. Later there is a scene that was shot in Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field, that was actually filled with 1000s of extras and had a field rigged with explosives. Finally, there is a largescale battle scene shot on Wallstreet that required over 10000 real extras. All of the scenes are shot masterfully and benefit greatly from being set pieces and not simply computer generated animation sequences.
Like most summer popcorn films, The Dark Knight Rises is very much a classic escapist tale of good versus evil. Nolan however tries to do more however, using Gotham as a metaphor for a real society that is willing to sacrifice it’s freedoms for a false sense of security. And what can happen to that society when it gives too much power to the wrong people.
The film is not without its flaws. The story, while simple, is weighed down with many characters and subplots that require viewers to follow very carefully or risk losing track of what is going on. The pacing is also quite deliberate and will feel long or drawn out to younger viewers.
Those few drawbacks are really quite minor however given the grand scope and ambition of the film. Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine demonstrate why they are considered among the best actors of their generations. Actors such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anne Hathaway also do well playing roles that are against typecast. The best words however must be saved for Tom Hardy, who in his portrayal of Bane, entered pop culture forever. With his mouth hidden by a mask through the entire film, Hardy conveys amazing range, all through a deep, frightening growl that will scare kids while making adults smile.
Pros well paced, great actors, scope & ambition, cinematography, overall production value
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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