Christian Bale dons the bat costume in third and final chapter in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. J.P. has his thoughts on “The Dark Knight Rises.”
“THE DARK KNIGHT RISES”
Warner Bros. Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for “intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language”
Run Time: 164 minutes (2 hours and 44 minutes)
Studio Synopsis:
Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.
Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar® winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter”) again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake.
Returning to the main cast, Oscar® winner Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules”) plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) reprises the role of Lucius Fox.
The screenplay is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. The film is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman created by Bob Kane.
Behind the scenes, “The Dark Knight Rises” reunites the director with several of his longtime collaborators, all of whom worked together on the “The Dark Knight.” The creative team includes director of photography Wally Pfister, who recently won an Oscar® for his work on Nolan’s “Inception”; production designer Nathan Crowley; editor Lee Smith; and Oscar®-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“Topsy-Turvy”). In addition, Paul Franklin and Chris Corbould, who both won Oscars® for the effects in “Inception,” supervised the visual and special effects, respectively. The music is composed by Oscar® winner Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King”).
In helming the film, Christopher Nolan is utilizing IMAX® cameras even more extensively than he did on “The Dark Knight,” which had marked the first time ever that a major feature film was partially shot with IMAX cameras.
The locations span three continents and include the American cities of Pittsburgh, New York and Los Angeles, as well as sites in India, England and Scotland.
“The Dark Knight Rises” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures. Opening in theatres and IMAX on July 20, 2012, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8evyE9TuYk[/youtube]
J.P.’s Take:
Truthfully, I really wasn’t a “Batman” fan before, only because at the time DC comics didn’t appeal to me much. I sifted through Marvel or Dark Horse comics mainly for their deeper storyline and cast of characters, but, it wasn’t until Tim Burton brought the “dark one” to the big screen in 1989 that I thought maybe I should give “Batman” a shot. Similar to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, the ‘89 version was a much anticipated event as well. Burton chose a more gothic, macabre backdrop for Batman’s world. It felt like the golden aged comics resembling the atmosphere of the 40’s and 50’s. Burton’s version also retained much of the heroic tendencies as you’d find in the classic graphic novels and comics. Meanwhile, Nolan’s vision for the Dark Knight isn’t necessarily one of those superhero films — instead he creates an emotionally charged drama, with some interplay of action sequences in between.
Back in 2008, Batman saved Gotham City from the clutches of the Joker in “The Dark Knight.” He wasn’t so fortunate in saving his true love Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), however. For the third and final chapter, “The Dark Knight Rises” takes place eight years after that tragic event and here we find an emotionally scared Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). Wayne is no longer the rich, outgoing playboy ~ he is now a recluse locked away in his mansion. He is frail, heart broken and hiding from his duties befitting of a hero, but the cloaked avenger doesn’t stay down for very long.
Photo by Ron Phillips
Once again, Nolan doesn’t disappoint his fans: fleshing out a full-fledged story of a hero’s fall and rise. Viewers will notice a big shift in dynamics as the story takes on a stanch serious approach. Nolan omits most of the explosive action sequences and comical antics found in the previous two films — making way for a plot consisting of something you’d find ripped from news headlines. He evokes a theme of sheer anarchy. A theme that is true to life and hits home, which plays out in a pretty realistic manner. Bane (Tom Hardy) is the main subject of this apocalyptic outlook, with a plan to free criminals and restore power to the likes of those he feels have been wrongly imprisoned. At the same time, he wants to prosecute the capitalistic society and feels they are the true oppressors of the down trodden. All of this is mostly sub-diffuse as he has an even more sinister plan at hand. You’ll find some nice twists that will lead to a shocking end; an element that will keep viewers on their toes.
Much of the original cast reunites for the final showdown as Gary Oldman (as Commissioner Gordon), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), Michael Cane (Alfred), Cillian Murphy (Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow), and Nestor Carbonell (Mayor Anthony Garcia) reprise their roles — all once again do a fantastic job.
There are a few new additions to the cast of characters:
• I first give Anne Hathaway kudos for her portrayal of Selina Kyle (a.k.a. Catwoman). Hathaway’s role is more purpose driven than previous incarnations of Catwoman, where she feels like a Robin Hood -ype. Of course, not taking away any credit from Julie Newmar,Lee Meriwether, Eartha Kit, Michelle Pfieffer or Halle Berry, who played Catwoman in previous incarnations.
• Tom Hardy as Bane gives a maniacal performance, for which I feel is equal to Heath Ledger’s Joker role. Bane does strike immense fear in his victims; however, due to Hardy’s mask I found that much of his dialogue was unintelligible. This may deaden the effect of his character just slightly, making it somewhat difficult to display how truly sadistic he is. At least you could understand “Star Wars’” Darth Vader better than that. It also didn’t help his character with the cheesy showdown between Batman and himself, which felt just a bit cheesy in the close combat scenes.
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt will give you a sneak peek into his on screen alter-ego as Officer John Blake. Once the audience witnesses his interactions with Batman, I believe they’ll get a nice surprise towards the end as to why he’s so enthusiastic about helping him. I liked his spunk.
• I enjoyed Marion Cotillard’s performance as Miranda Tate, who is another character viewers should pay close attention to. On the surface she’s a multimillionaire willing to aid Bruce Wayne at the drop of a hat, but underneath…well I will say no more.
My excitement grew with each release of the “Dark Knight” series, because they stoked my interest. I wondered what the next chapter would look and feel like. How would Nolan and crew top the next movie? We have the answer and it is “The Dark Knight Rises,” an excellent example of both film making and the way superhero movies are made.