The weekend just gone was the weekend I had been looking forward to for the past year. If anything now I am gutted that it is all over as now I don't have a major film I am highly excited about. Now I have seen it all that anticipation has gone. However let me tell you what I thought of it because unlike other big films this year, such as Prometheus, this did not disappoint. Before I go on let me tell you I am not a diehard Batman fan. I have become more so ever since Nolan's take on Batman Begins but before that they were just superhero films that I could take or leave. Nolan has turned them into films that I can't get enough of and it is him I have to thank for that as his take on it is so good. Is it Nolan or Batman I like? Well I have to say a bit of both.
Right this film is fantastic!!! Let me tell you that right now it is one of the best films of all time and let me tell you why it is. It isn't particularly the best in a standalone film. What makes it so good is that it is part of a big picture and it is a brilliant addition to an already brilliant trilogy. Not one of these Batman films is poor and if anything The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises has made Batman Begins a better film. At first it was just a good film but since the next two films in the trilogy you realise how good the first one is. Batman Begins is the set up; The Dark Knight introduces Batman's major nemesis who is the first one to test him mentally, this film also has the midpoint in where the love of his life is killed. This final film then introduces his toughest enemy, one which he just cannot beat and brings the entire arc to a complete resolution. That is why this film is so good, because of the two before it and the complete circle it comes round to.
It has been eight years since Batman has taken the fall for Two-Face's crimes and now he is edging to put on the cape and cowl once again. It is as if he is desperate to find someone to battle, his life is crumbling without it. When he finally gets the opportunity he realises he has made a big mistake as he is past his best and this new threat is physically far too good. This has to be the most emotional of the three films. This new villain is just too much for him to take, and also too much for his closest allies to take. Emotions run high when he falls out with Alfred over his decision to return, probably giving us the most emotional scene of all the films. On top of this his closest friend in the police force, Gordon, is struggling to contain this evil, and gadget expert Lucuis Fox is struggling to keep hold of Bruce's money. As Bruce Wayne his world is falling apart, and when he rises as Batman once again he finds out that he himself is not strong enough to deal with this new world. A fight scene between him and Bane is one of the most frightening, sad fist fights I have watched. To thank for the emotional rollercoaster you will got through has to be the actors and the writers. The dialogue has you thinking but the delivery from the actors is perfect. Michael Caine is constantly over looked in his role and he shouldn't be. Morgan Freeman is the best he has been as Fox and Oldman is as good as usual. Tom Hardy as Bane is frightening and brutal in his ways and is a role only Hardy could do (more to come on him in a moment). Joseph Gordon Levitt however is the best newcomer who is perfect for his role and his character is the most interesting of the new ones. Marion Cotillard plays her character with ease and doesn't have much to do really; meaning the star for the female cast is without a doubt Anne Hathaway. Her Selina Kyle is perfect, and in the opening half she really proves her doubters wrong. By the halfway mark you forget she is Hathaway and she is Selina Kyle. The star of the show though is Christian Bale. He has often come under criticism for his portrayal but I think he is superb. His Bruce Wayne is haunted and ageing, his Batman is arrogant and obnoxious, and once he transforms after his lesson from Bane he becomes the complete opposite and is just brilliant at showing off his different range of emotions and physicality. Mr Bale to me is/will only ever be the Batman.
My main point is going to go on with the character of Bane. For starters his voice isn't a major problem. Yes it is hard to understand but really it is intriguing and I wanted to hear more. If you pay attention it is clear but at times you may miss it but it isn't a major problem. The accent he puts on is also strange but actually brings another piece of intrigue to the character. The only problem with the character though is that he isn't as good as the Joker. This isn't a comparison between Hardy and Ledger but the characters themselves are not in the same league. I much rathered watching the Joker than I did Bane, who other than his brute force had no particular personality. His fight scenes were some of the best but he isn't anywhere near as fun as the Joker. Another slight problem with the film is that there are so many new characters that at times some of the main players will be gone from the screen for long periods of time. Bane is not on screen quite as much as you would hope which probably highlights his lack of personality. We also don't really see much of Batman but this wasn't as much of a problem as it was all about learning if that was the right thing to do. We also get a rather lame cameo which felt a little thrown in and could have easily been left out.
Despite one or two negatives this is still a phenomenal film. It is a great finish to a brilliant trilogy. The final hour of this one is nonstop action and the way in which Bane turns Gotham is upsetting when you have lived within this community since the first film. I would definitely rate this as a 10 out of 10 movie, along with the previous in the trilogy; however I do think The Dark Knight is slightly better due to the character of the Joker, but I don't want that to take anything away from this film as it had me gripped from start to finish. The direction was great, the script was great, the acting was superb, the characters were interesting, and the ending was just the perfect end. This is the most emotional and most frightening of the trilogy, and also the most satisfying. Christopher Nolan has brought new life to a superhero that I don't think anyone else could. If you haven't seen it yet I suggest you go right now as I am already itching to go again and it is only fair that I let people at least watch it once before I see it again.Pros: The acting is brilliant and it is edge of your seat stuff for almost three hours.
Cons: A silly cameo that I could have done without.
10 / 10
Top 10 of 2012 so far:
1. The Dark Knight Rises 10 / 10
2. The Hunger Games 8 / 10
3. Snow White And The Huntsman 8 / 10
4. Avengers Assemble 7.5 / 10
5. 21 Jump Street 7.5 / 10
6. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol 7 / 10
7. The Grey 7 / 10
8. Prometheus 6.5 / 10
9. Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World 6.5 / 10
10. The Amazing Spider-man 6 / 10
If the cameo you're referring to is the one I think you're referring to I think it needed to be there and was quite fitting.
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