Saw 'THE DARK KNIGHT RISES' last night, and Wow! what a movie! Chris Nolan has come up trumps once more and proved his mastery for the craft, and each time building on the drama, the spectacle, the suspense and the action from the previous Batman installment, and the one before that!
With a veritable 'Who's Who' of acting talent that takes in stablemates Bale, Caine, Freeman, and Oldman and mixes it up with Hardy, Hathaway, Cotillard, Gordon-Levitt, Modene, Murphy, Mendelsohn and Conti. A great story set eight years ahead of the last installment The Batman is all but a recluse having gone underground following the events of 'The Dark Knight' in which he takes the fall for Arthur Dent's crimes. Gotham is now safe, and life is good - until über-evil villain Bane (Tom Hardy) arrives on the scene and all manner of criminal mayhem and brutality ensues!
Bane is a military revolutionary and former member of 'The League of Shadows' but has gone rogue, amassed a small army and is intent on bringing Gotham and its rich, wealthy and powerful citizens to its knees . . . including Bruce Wayne. Bane is a gorilla of a man with huge physical and mental strength to combat that of Batman and Hardy seems to inhabit the role with conviction and determination - great casting!
Along the way Bruce Wayne is tricked by Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) - an accomplished cat burglar and femme fatale who crosses paths with both Bruce Wayne and The Batman ultimately turning from foe to friend. Similarly Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) sits on the Board of Wayne Enterprises and convinces Bruce Wayne to come out of near self-imposed exile and continue the works that his father had initiated and restore the company to its former glory . . . and wealth. Starting as a friend she becomes a foe when it is revealed that in her childhood she befriended Bane in a deep well-like prison from which no one had ever escaped, and where Bruce Wayne is now trapped seemingly to die there!
In this final instalment of Nolan's trilogy we are introduced to John Blake (Joseph Gordon Levitt) a young Police officer with a keen eye and a sense for trouble - much like the younger Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Bruce Wayne himself. After proving himself out on the streets of Gotham in various set-pieces Gordon promoted Blake into the role of Detective to ultimately help in the fight to stop Bane and save Gotham. In the end we come to learn that Blake too was orphaned at a young age and his real name is Robin John Blake, and when Batman and Bruce Wayne are assumed dead in the final chapter, Blake inherits the Batcave.
Christopher Nolan wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan. Christopher also Produced, Directed and penned the original story with David S. Goyer and made the film for a budget of about US$250M. In its opening worldwide weekend the film grossed US$249M, earning a US gross box office take of US$448M and US$636M from the rest of the world - in total US$1B between friends making it the tenth highest grossing film of all time. It was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects and all up won 42 awards worldwide and garnered another 75 award nominations.
A courageous closing chapter to the Nolan Batman trilogy that just kept on getting better, bigger and bolder with every instalment. Considered storytelling, huge cast, gripping action, and a fitting end to the trilogy that will both surprise and delight. Certainly one of the films of the year for 2012, a must see on the big screen, and a dvd to grace the home movie collection without doubt!
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
Bane is a military revolutionary and former member of 'The League of Shadows' but has gone rogue, amassed a small army and is intent on bringing Gotham and its rich, wealthy and powerful citizens to its knees . . . including Bruce Wayne. Bane is a gorilla of a man with huge physical and mental strength to combat that of Batman and Hardy seems to inhabit the role with conviction and determination - great casting! Along the way Bruce Wayne is tricked by Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) - an accomplished cat burglar and femme fatale who crosses paths with both Bruce Wayne and The Batman ultimately turning from foe to friend. Similarly Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) sits on the Board of Wayne Enterprises and convinces Bruce Wayne to come out of near self-imposed exile and continue the works that his father had initiated and restore the company to its former glory . . . and wealth. Starting as a friend she becomes a foe when it is revealed that in her childhood she befriended Bane in a deep well-like prison from which no one had ever escaped, and where Bruce Wayne is now trapped seemingly to die there!In this final instalment of Nolan's trilogy we are introduced to John Blake (Joseph Gordon Levitt) a young Police officer with a keen eye and a sense for trouble - much like the younger Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Bruce Wayne himself. After proving himself out on the streets of Gotham in various set-pieces Gordon promoted Blake into the role of Detective to ultimately help in the fight to stop Bane and save Gotham. In the end we come to learn that Blake too was orphaned at a young age and his real name is Robin John Blake, and when Batman and Bruce Wayne are assumed dead in the final chapter, Blake inherits the Batcave.Christopher Nolan wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan. Christopher also Produced, Directed and penned the original story with David S. Goyer and made the film for a budget of about US$250M. In its opening worldwide weekend the film grossed US$249M, earning a US gross box office take of US$448M and US$636M from the rest of the world - in total US$1B between friends making it the tenth highest grossing film of all time. It was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects and all up won 42 awards worldwide and garnered another 75 award nominations.-Steve, at Odeon Online-
