This sort of spectacle is hardThis sort of spectacle is hard to be analyzed without being overly excited about it. Christopher Nolan's most ambitious project is flawless with all the flaws it has. The simple idea that you can progressively change the rules of the game is the most impressive thing about Nolan. This guy never stops pushing the envelope and the wonderful thing about it is that he's not doing it for money nor for fame, but because of his love and respect towards this amazing world which in many cases he called it home: the movie theater. The church of cinemaThe Dark Knight Rises concludes the first huge progressive trilogy in history, and sets it as one of the best trilogies of all time. Brutal and terrifying, emotional and heartbreaking, visceral and blood-pumping, this spectacle that rose from the ashes of the first two films, made this trilogy not only a work of art but already a legendary myth that will live for decades.to be analyzed without being overly excited about it. Christopher Nolan's most ambitious project is flawless with all the flaws it has. The simple idea that you can progressively change the rules of the game is the most impressive thing about Nolan. This guy never stops pushing the envelope and the wonderful thing about it is that he's not doing it for money nor for fame, but because of his love and respect towards this amazing world which in many cases he called it home: the movie theater. The church of cinema.
This sort of spectacle is hard to be analyzed without being overly excited about it. Christopher Nolan's most ambitious project is flawless with all the flaws it has. The simple idea that you can progressively change the rules of the game is the most impressive thing about Nolan. This guy never stops pushing the envelope and the wonderful thing about it is that he's not doing it for money nor for fame, but because of his love and respect towards this amazing world which in many cases he called it home: the movie theater. The church of cinema.
The Dark Knight Rises is not just the perfect ending to a trilogy, it's not just the denouement to the story of Bruce Wayne, but it is also -just as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight- Nolan's rhetoric on our current modern society. If in the past he took on fanaticism, crime, corruption, and terrorism, today Nolan polarized the screen with his vision of events like the "Occupy Wall Street" movement, the fanatic terrorist organizations, the so-called revolutionaries, Corporatism, all it's rotten apples and the democratic underground. Few dared to look more into the movie with a man in a black suit taking over Gotham's criminals in an oddly and surreal manor. Nolan's films, while more or less flawed, are smartly written, and crafted in a way in which only a film addict could think of. It's obvious we're talking about a filmmaker who respects the people, his audience, and wants to please his audience by offering them a smart product instead of just a colorful one.
What is even more impressive is how he deals with his narrative content and how he paints that on film. The Dark Knight Rises is probably the less flawed Batman film. It's a wonderful story, that breathes and feeds from it's own spectacle that sets new bars in the world of action movies. It's a mesmerizing, immersive, brilliant execution that screams grandness at an unseen scale. It has never been done before in this manor. The strength of this film is not only in it's emotional and brutal story, but also in it's wonderful canvas, in it's grand portrayal of a blockbuster. The stakes have been raised so high it's impossible for me to think about what could be made better than this in the next few years. The fantastic coordination between the narrative, the actors' work, and the technical performance are the things that make me forget about all the tiny little flaws this film might have. It's a Batman movie at the end of the day, and it's the damn best one yet.
Batman Begins started the story of Bruce Wayne and it's darker side, the Batman. A movie that treated "birth" and "fear" with respect, a title that changed the way superhero films would be seen. It was like the first time people saw Malcom X talk. A sudden surprising change in a world full of the superficial. The Dark Knight took that and brought it to a whole other level. It fed from the fear and introduced the shocking element of "chaos", making room for both Bruce Wayne and Batman to grow up and be more responsible than ever. On top of that, The Dark Knight brought the best played villain on screen since Hopkins' "Hannibal Lecter". Heath Ledger's incredible work on Joker will live forever in the glorious museum of cinema. What The Dark Knight Rises does is that it takes everything and moulds it into an emotional journey through "pain" and "sacrifice". It's a full-circle story that will never end because no story of this scale really ends.
Now take Hannibal Lecter, Jason, and dementia and mix them all into this ferocious, terrifying, and deadly beast named Bane, and you might make for Nolan's best written villain in the franchise. This guy is not only brutal but also eloquent like all the relevant revolutionary leaders of the last century. Bane isn't that sociopath who could laugh at you and either kill your or give you a candy. He'll just settle for your head. Tom Hardy shows no remorse, no second judgment, no exception. The peak of his character is when he gets back on the ground and becomes human again. From a godlike figure, a blood-thirsty gladiator, Bane becomes a stranger to tyranny. Hardy's portrayal is just as fascinating to watch as Ledger's. You have to take in consideration that what he did he did only with his eyes, his body, and his cadence. Only a great actor could do this kind of work with half his face covered by a mask. It's also almost frightening how socially relevant this villain is and how some people complained of him not being as exciting to watch "The Joker". I'm sorry for everyone who thought like this but they missed the whole point. They are different characters, both exciting and both important to Batman, that require different traits.
However, The Dark Knight Rises is not just about Bane but about most importantly about Bruce Wayne's legacy. It's about both Bruce Wayne's and Batman's rebirth, his will not only to survive but only to succeed in defending Gotham at any cost. It's also a story about Commissioner Gordon's (Gary Oldman) redemption, about the rise of a new White Knight in the hands of Detective Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and about Alfred's (Michael Caine) father-like role that brought me close to shed a tear or two. It's also about the silent steps of a cat in the back alley. And what a lovely and erotic performance that was. Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle was sensual, rough, almost like a sexy anecdote. These actors poured their souls into their performances. Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne had to go through moments of clarity, singularity, confusion, pain, disappointment and sacrifice, making this performance the most complete and exciting of all three. Add Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, executive member of the Wayne Ent. board, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Ben Mendelsohn as Dagget, an eccentric and greedy millionaire, and even Matthew Modine, the star of Full Metal Jacket, as Commissioner Foley, and you have without a doubt probably the best ensemble in years.
Technically the movie looks incredible, Wally Pfister ending his career as a DP with another Oscar-worthy work of art. There is an incredible mixture of practical and CGI effects, great sound mixing and editing, with only few flaws that could irritate people and confuse them. The jump between two scenes that were separated by months in film time could be confusing because of their sudden flip. Or for example, the bad fight coordination at times especially between the cops and the mercenaries. However, these small flaws pale in front of this huge opera orchestrated by the explosive score of Hans Zimmer. Director Christopher Nolan deserves recognition at least now for his work of mastery in this film.
The Dark Knight Rises concludes the first huge progressive trilogy in history, and sets it as one of the best trilogies of all time. Brutal and terrifying, emotional and heartbreaking, visceral and blood-pumping, this spectacle that rose from the ashes of the first two films, made this trilogy not only a work of art but already a legendary myth that will live for decades.
Storyline/Dialogue: 9.0
Acting: 9.5
Technical Execution: 9.3
Replay Value: 10
====================
OVERALL: 9.6
The Dark Knight Rises is not just the perfect ending to a trilogy, it's not just the denouement to the story of Bruce Wayne, but it is also -just as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight- Nolan's rhetoric on our current modern society. If in the past he took on fanaticism, crime, corruption, and terrorism, today Nolan polarized the screen with his vision of events like the "Occupy Wall Street" movement, the fanatic terrorist organizations, the so-called revolutionaries, Corporatism, all it's rotten apples and the democratic underground. Few dared to look more into the movie with a man in a black suit taking over Gotham's criminals in an oddly and surreal manor. Nolan's films, while more or less flawed, are smartly written, and crafted in a way in which only a film addict could think of. It's obvious we're talking about a filmmaker who respects the people, his audience, and wants to please his audience by offering them a smart product instead of just a colorful one.
What is even more impressive is how he deals with his narrative content and how he paints that on film. The Dark Knight Rises is probably the lesser flawed Batman film. It's a wonderful story, that breathes and feeds from it's own spectacle that sets new bars in the world of action movies. It's a mesmerizing, immersive, brilliant execution that screams grandness at an unseen scale. It has never been done before in this manor. The strength of this film is not only in it's emotional and brutal story, but also in it's wonderful canvas, in it's grand portrayal of a blockbuster. The stakes have been raised so high it's impossible for me to think about what could be made better than this in the next few years. The fantastic coordination between the narrative, the actors' work, and the technical performance are the things that make me forget about all the tiny little flaws this film might have. It's a Batman movie at the end of the day, and it's the damn best one yet.
Batman Begins started the story of Bruce Wayne and it's darker side, the Batman. A movie that treated "birth" and "fear" with respect, a title that changed the way superhero films would be seen. It was like the first time people saw Malcom X talk. A sudden surprising change in a world full of the superficial. The Dark Knight took that and brought it to a whole other level. It fed from the fear and introduced the shocking element of "chaos", making room for both Bruce Wayne and Batman to grow up and be more responsible than ever. On top of that, The Dark Knight brought the best played villain on screen since Hopkins' "Hannibal Lecter". Heath Ledger's incredible work on Joker will live forever in the glorious museum of cinema. What The Dark Knight Rises does is that it takes everything and moulds it into an emotional journey through "pain" and "sacrifice". It's a full-circle story that will never end because no story of this scale really ends.
Now take Hannibal Lecter, Jason, and dementia and mix them all into this ferocious, terrifying, and deadly beast named Bane, and you might make for Nolan's best written villain in the franchise. This guy is not only brutal but also eloquent like all the relevant revolutionary leaders of the last century. Bane isn't that sociopath who could laugh at you and either kill your or give you a candy. He'll just settle for your head. Tom Hardy shows no remorse, no second judgment, no exception. The peak of his character is when he gets back on the ground and becomes human again. From a godlike figure, a blood-thirsty gladiator, Bane becomes a stranger to tyranny. Hardy's portrayal is just as fascinating to watch as Ledger's. You have to take in consideration that what he did he did only with his eyes, his body, and his cadence. Only a great actor could do this kind of work with half his face covered by a mask. It's also almost frightening how socially relevant this villain is and how some people complained of him not being as exciting to watch "The Joker". I'm sorry for everyone who thought like this but they missed the whole point. They are different characters, both exciting and both important to Batman, that require different traits.
However, The Dark Knight Rises is not just about Bane but about most importantly about Bruce Wayne's legacy. It's about both Bruce Wayne's and Batman's rebirth, his will not only to survive but only to succeed in defending Gotham at any cost. It's also a story about Commissioner Gordon's (Gary Oldman) redemption, about the rise of a new White Knight in the hands of Detective Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and about Alfred's (Michael Caine) father-like role that brought me close to shed a tear or two. It's also about the silent steps of a cat in the back alley. And what a lovely and erotic performance that was. Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle was sensual, rough, almost like a sexy anecdote. These actors poured their souls into their performances. Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne had to go through moments of clarity, singularity, confusion, pain, disappointment and sacrifice, making this performance the most complete and exciting of all three. Add Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, executive member of the Wayne Ent. board, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Ben Mendelsohn as Dagget, an eccentric and greedy millionaire, and even Matthew Modine, the star of Full Metal Jacket, as Commissioner Foley, and you have without a doubt probably the best ensemble in years.
Technically the movie looks incredible, Wally Pfister ending his career as a DP with another Oscar-worthy work of art. There is an incredible mixture of practical and CGI effects, great sound mixing and editing, with only few flaws that could irritate people and confuse them. The jump between two scenes that were separated by months in film time could be confusing because of their sudden flip. Or for example, the bad fight coordination at times especially between the cops and the mercenaries. However, these small flaws pale in front of this huge opera orchestrated by the explosive score of Hans Zimmer. Director Christopher Nolan deserves recognition at least now for his work of mastery in this film.
The Dark Knight Rises concludes the first huge progressive trilogy in history, and sets it as one of the best trilogies of all time. Brutal and terrifying, emotional and heartbreaking, visceral and blood-pumping, this spectacle that rose from the ashes of the first two films, made this trilogy not only a work of art but already a legendary myth that will live for decades.
Storyline/Dialogue: 9.0
Acting: 9.5
Technical Execution: 9.3
Replay Value: 10
================
OVERALL: 9.6
The Dark Knight Rises is not just the perfect ending to a trilogy, it's not just the denouement to the story of Bruce Wayne, but it is also -just as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight- Nolan's rhetoric on our current modern society. If in the past he took on fanaticism, crime, corruption, and terrorism, today Nolan polarized the screen with his vision of events like the "Occupy Wall Street" movement, the fanatic terrorist organizations, the so-called revolutionaries, Corporatism, all it's rotten apples and the democratic underground. Few dared to look more into the movie with a man in a black suit taking over Gotham's criminals in an oddly and surreal manor. Nolan's films, while more or less flawed, are smartly written, and crafted in a way in which only a film addict could think of. It's obvious we're talking about a filmmaker who respects the people, his audience, and wants to please his audience by offering them a smart product instead of just a colorful one.
What is even more impressive is how he deals with his narrative content and how he paints that on film. The Dark Knight Rises is probably the lesser flawed Batman film. It's a wonderful story, that breathes and feeds from it's own spectacle that sets new bars in the world of action movies. It's a mesmerizing, immersive, brilliant execution that screams grandness at an unseen scale. It has never been done before in this manor. The strength of this film is not only in it's emotional and brutal story, but also in it's wonderful canvas, in it's grand portrayal of a blockbuster. The stakes have been raised so high it's impossible for me to think about what could be made better than this in the next few years. The fantastic coordination between the narrative, the actors' work, and the technical performance are the things that make me forget about all the tiny little flaws this film might have. It's a Batman movie at the end of the day, and it's the damn best one yet.
Batman Begins started the story of Bruce Wayne and it's darker side, the Batman. A movie that treated "birth" and "fear" with respect, a title that changed the way superhero films would be seen. It was like the first time people saw Malcom X talk. A sudden surprising change in a world full of the superficial. The Dark Knight took that and brought it to a whole other level. It fed from the fear and introduced the shocking element of "chaos", making room for both Bruce Wayne and Batman to grow up and be more responsible than ever. On top of that, The Dark Knight brought the best played villain on screen since Hopkins' "Hannibal Lecter". Heath Ledger's incredible work on Joker will live forever in the glorious museum of cinema. What The Dark Knight Rises does is that it takes everything and moulds it into an emotional journey through "pain" and "sacrifice". It's a full-circle story that will never end because no story of this scale really ends.
Now take Hannibal Lecter, Jason, and dementia and mix them all into this ferocious, terrifying, and deadly beast named Bane, and you might make for Nolan's best written villain in the franchise. This guy is not only brutal but also eloquent like all the relevant revolutionary leaders of the last century. Bane isn't that sociopath who could laugh at you and either kill your or give you a candy. He'll just settle for your head. Tom Hardy shows no remorse, no second judgment, no exception. The peak of his character is when he gets back on the ground and becomes human again. From a godlike figure, a blood-thirsty gladiator, Bane becomes a stranger to tyranny. Hardy's portrayal is just as fascinating to watch as Ledger's. You have to take in consideration that what he did he did only with his eyes, his body, and his cadence. Only a great actor could do this kind of work with half his face covered by a mask. It's also almost frightening how socially relevant this villain is and how some people complained of him not being as exciting to watch "The Joker". I'm sorry for everyone who thought like this but they missed the whole point. They are different characters, both exciting and both important to Batman, that require different traits.
However, The Dark Knight Rises is not just about Bane but about most importantly about Bruce Wayne's legacy. It's about both Bruce Wayne's and Batman's rebirth, his will not only to survive but only to succeed in defending Gotham at any cost. It's also a story about Commissioner Gordon's (Gary Oldman) redemption, about the rise of a new White Knight in the hands of Detective Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and about Alfred's (Michael Caine) father-like role that brought me close to shed a tear or two. It's also about the silent steps of a cat in the back alley. And what a lovely and erotic performance that was. Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle was sensual, rough, almost like a sexy anecdote. These actors poured their souls into their performances. Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne had to go through moments of clarity, singularity, confusion, pain, disappointment and sacrifice, making this performance the most complete and exciting of all three. Add Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, executive member of the Wayne Ent. board, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Ben Mendelsohn as Dagget, an eccentric and greedy millionaire, and even Matthew Modine, the star of Full Metal Jacket, as Commissioner Foley, and you have without a doubt probably the best ensemble in years.
Technically the movie looks incredible, Wally Pfister ending his career as a DP with another Oscar-worthy work of art. There is an incredible mixture of practical and CGI effects, great sound mixing and editing, with only few flaws that could irritate people and confuse them. The jump between two scenes that were separated by months in film time could be confusing because of their sudden flip. Or for example, the bad fight coordination at times especially between the cops and the mercenaries. However, these small flaws pale in front of this huge opera orchestrated by the explosive score of Hans Zimmer. Director Christopher Nolan deserves recognition at least now for his work of mastery in this film.
The Dark Knight Rises concludes the first huge progressive trilogy in history, and sets it as one of the best trilogies of all time. Brutal and terrifying, emotional and heartbreaking, visceral and blood-pumping, this spectacle that rose from the ashes of the first two films, made this trilogy not only a work of art but already a legendary myth that will live for decades.
