Review: The Dark Knight Rises

I went to see the Dark Knight Rises over the weekend and thought it would be fun to review the film. I have went to see all of Christopher Nolan's Batman films in theaters over the years. When the Dark Knight came out, I like many others was enthralled with Heath Ledger's performance and the masterful way that Nolan put together the story.

I went into the Dark Knight Rises with high expectations and left disappointed. The film was very ambitious, it had a lot of social commentary about wealth, greed, and decadence in modern society. One aspect of this commentary that I thought was particularly powerful was how the Gotham Stock Exchange was robbed which was incredibly easy.

Other ways that the film was ambitious was introducing many new characters with limited backstory and passing references to the past films. I found this to be problematic because Nolan seems to have forgotten that these movies have spanned five years and most people did not re-watch all the films before heading into the theater. Since Nolan introduced so many new characters and had many sub-plots running he failed to give enough screen time to the characters who need it the most. For example, Joesph Levitt Gordon could have had much better character development and more of the film shot from his point of view. The senior police detective who acted as a barrier to the junior cop (Joseph Levitt Gordon) and symbolized the morally responsible by-stander was given too much screen time. Although the story was important, and in the film's context reminded me of the bystanders in Nazi Germany in WWII, it was too much and took time away from character development of more important characters.

Without giving away too many plot details, I want to say that I enjoyed the film's ending the most because it symbolized peace and hope. If you have the chance to see it in theaters please do! I did not have the opportunity to see the film in IMAX, but I have read reviews from others who have and highly recommend it.

On another note, I really liked Anne Hathaway's performance as Catwoman. She was poised, sharp and one of the highlights of the film. I also really loved her costume and the presence she had. I read an interview where Hathaway said something along the lines of that she only ate kale during filming because the latex suit was "unforgiving". I am not a fan of women starving themselves for beauty, but she does look great in the film!