The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Fallen

I'm not sure where to begin with this review. I saw The Dark Knight on at a midnight screening opening night. Stood in line for an hour and a half to get good seats. That was at the beginning of my film-learning career, and it was (and still remains) one of the best theatre experiences in my entire life. It was just so much fun, and the packed audience made it so much more fun. Batman Begins was a great introduction to the Nolan-version of the superhero story, and The Dark Knight took it to another level, mainly because of the fascinating performance by Heath Ledger (which I still argue was not overrated in the slightest; Ledger owned that role). The film, however, was one of those films that just blows you away when you first see it, and diminishes with subsequent viewings. It still remains an incredibly good film, but some of the little plot holes and shoddy directorial choices begin to reveal themselves. One of the most poorly directed scenes of the film is the big truck chase scene in the middle of the Gotham streets after Harvey Dent is arrested and is being transported. There are some exceptionally poor shot decisions, and in fact a few rather confusing editing/directorial choices. But, that film is still a very good one with suspenseful and dramatic scenes that build and build and build to the exciting climax and a denouement that is the very definition of catharsis. Each scene is written with dramatic tension, and once the film gets going (pretty much from the first scene), it never stops. The true highlight still remains Ledger's performance, which is the most nuanced, brilliant work of art in the entire film; each viewing reveals new ticks and elements of his performance that you didn't notice before. Whereas the filmmaking itself... it never gets any better.

Christopher Nolan is a good writer, and a pretty good director. But, I do feel he's gotten lazier as the years go by, and as his profile increases. I still think his best film was his first film - the $7,000 black and white Following, which was staggeringly brilliant. Most important to note is his writing which has, beyond any other aspect of his work, become increasingly lazy. Look at the subtext and subtleties in Memento. Look at how discreetly information is revealed to the audience. Now look at Inception, where some of the dialogue is as on-the-nose, boring, and lazy as you can get. He's shifted from revealing information visually and subtlety to simply spelling it out for us. Let us be reminded that film is a visual medium; the earliest films told their stories entirely through pictures. Through visuals. When the talkies (movies with sound) were first introduced, many lamented that sound would destroy film. I don't think that has happened at all, but I do think that sound in film has allowed filmmakers to be very lazy. This isn't always the case, of course. Look at films like The Social Network, which basically wouldn't exist without sound. But films like these also aren't lazy in their revealing of exposition. Inception, above any of Nolan's other films, marked a turning point into the utilization of lazy narrative exposition.

Anyway, I speak of this because I want to lead into The Dark Knight Rises. Hands down, this is Nolan's most disappointing film, and my least favorite aside from Inception. I won't sit here and write that it's disappointing only because of director Nolan and co-writers Chris and John Nolan, and David Goyer. Much of its disappointment comes from the massive expectations set up by The Dark Knight. For this film to have been better than The Dark Knight, it would have to be one of the best films of the new decade. But, let's judge the film on its own level, along with a few comparisons between it and its predecessor, trying to set aside any disappointment resulting from it being a lesser film than The Dark Knight.

First, let's talk about the directing. I think the directing here is actually stronger than it was in The Dark Knight, at least when it comes to shot selection. Other decisions aren't quite as strong as Nolan's prior work in this trilogy.

The writing. This is where the film suffers the most. It suffers from the aforementioned lazy writing, but more importantly, it follows the same Nolan formula of The Dark Knight, without much of the dramatic potential and tension fused into every scene. Some scenes seem throwaway entirely, or at least could have been reduced or fused with other scenes for cinematic economy. This is one of the biggest differences between Rises and its predecessor. Some of Rises is downright boring, and it suffers from a second-act slog that The Dark Knight didn't have at all. Rises waffles back and forth with its tension, and its momentum is often met with a brick wall, and it has to start up all over again. And the third act is nothing less than unsatisfying. Without spoiling anything, what should be the climax ends not quite in a deus-ex-machina fashion, but also not the way it should. Let's just say our protagonist's journey isn't quite fulfilled. The denouement is nice, I guess, but feels like satisfying than it could have been, perhaps because it's a bit too tidy and neat, and perhaps because it follows an unsatisfying climax.

The next largest problem. Bane vs. The Joker. Not only was Ledger's performance *the* highlight of The Dark Knight, but his character was extraordinarily rich, complex, and fascinating to watch. So was Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins, but The Joker was even more so. So what did Rises need? A villain more rich and fascinating than The Joker. The performance didn't necessarily need to match Ledger's as The Joker, but the character had to be more fascinating. And simply put, Bane is not. The biggest reason is that Bane is a physical match to Batman, whereas The Joker was a mental villain. In fist to fist combat, The Joker stood no chance with Batman. He did everything he did because he was smart. He used intelligence against Gotham and Batman. Bane is a physical force, and in my opinion, that's just far less interesting. This isn't to say Bane is an idiot, he's far from it, but as Nolan even put it, he wanted a "physical force" for Batman to face.

Highlights of the film? Of all the characters, for me, Selina Kyle (played by Anne Hathaway) was the most interesting and dynamic character, and Hathaway did a kick-ass job with the part. It also features the typically great cinematography of Wally Pfister, as well as some excellent sound editing and mixing, and film editing. And of course, the special effects are as great as they were in the prior two Nolan Batman films. And there are some great set-pieces and moments, but that's all I'll say to avoid spoilers.

This is far from a bad film. It just isn't a great one. It isn't The Dark Knight or even Batman Begins, though some of its qualities are superior to those films, just not many of them.

I'll also note this film is a little better upon rewatch, when some things become a little clearer, but the major issues I had the first time around haven't changed. Consensus: good film, worth watching to see the closure of the Nolan batman trilogy, but also the weakest film of the three. Exceptional on every technical level. Some exciting and great scenes.

***/****