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nTitle: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
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nDirector: Christopher Nolan
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nWritten By: Christopher and Jonathan Nolan
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nCast: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, TomnHardy, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, MatthewnModine, Cillian Murphy
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nReview:
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nThe Dark Knight Rises is an event movie, the kind that comesnalong rarely, not only because of the excitement behind seeing this finalninstallment of the film, but also because of the tragic events that surrounded thenpremiere of the film. As most of the world already knows, On July 20, 2012 in anCentury 16 Cinema in Aurora Colorado, a psycho by the name of James EagannHolmes entered a theater during the premiere of the film and while wearing angas mask, threw a smoke bomb into the theater and started shooting randomly atnpeople who where there simply to enjoy the latest installment of the Batmannfranchise. He managed to kill 12, and injure 58 others. What was he trying tonsay by doing this? What was his purpose? Did he hate movies or people going tonsee them in droves? Whatever was running around that guys head, he wasnseriously disturbed. Did he feel he was one of thenvillains in the Batman films? Did he not learn to differentiate between realitynand fiction? Between entertainment and real life? Whatever the case, thisndisturbed individual probably had a half-baked idea of what he wanted to saynswimming around his brains; all villains do.
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nJames Eagan Holmes; getting what’s coming to him
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nYou see in films, the villain is commonly used as a way ofnpointing towards something that is seriously wrong in the world we live in, andnthe results that this ailment can bring upon society. Take for example ‘ThenJoker’ in Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008). In that film the character was angry atnthe importance that the world gives to money, and how the society we live innrevolves around it. One scene has the joker burning a mountain of money simplynto show how little he cares for it; and he burns it with gasoline, just to benpoetic and comment on how oil and money are entwined in the world we live in. ThenJoker pitted people of Gotham against eachnother just to show that humanity is selfish, that in the end, all we really carenabout is ourselves. Villanous? Sure, but you have to admit the character isnmaking a point. This guy who killed 12 people in the theater, what point was hentrying to make? By telling the police he was The Joker, he’s saying that he sawnhimself as a villain trying to make a point. Was he commenting on societiesnobsession with movies and entertainment? Was he saying films blind us fromnreality? That we are not living our lives and instead we are wasting it in a movientheater?
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nIf that was his point, then he was wrong. Sure Hollywood can be shallow andnis often times filled with empty spectacles, but The Dark Knight Rises was notnone of those films. This film had a lot to say, it is in my humble opinion anvery important film. Same as The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises says a lotnabout the way the world is NOW. Thematically speaking, The Dark Knight Risesnis all about the class war, a very heated topic these days, considering hownmiddle class in the world is quickly fading away. Currently, you are either ridiculously rich or obscenely poor and that’s the way thenpowerful like it. Through the dynamics between Batman and Bane the film speaksnabout the struggles of the working class, the oppressed and the ever goingnhatred for the dudes running Wall Street. The status quo of the world today showsnus that it’s true, a part of humanity is selfish instead of giving. It thinksnonly of itself and not of the needy, the less fortunate. Sadly, the rich andnpowerful are not currently thinking about making this world a better place forneveryone, they think about making it a better place for them, and how those whonhave less then them can serve them. These are the themes that The Dark KnightnRises tackles with great precision and assuredness. This film knows what itnwants to talk about, and it says it very clearly, through its villain, Bane. Sonthis isn’t just any stupid little comic book film, nope, this film isnbombastic, epic; a mesmerizing film that has important issues to adress.
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nChristopher Nolan in my opinion has made his best film tondate with The Dark Knight Rises. Technically speaking, his films have always been topnnotch and this one is no exception, but what I loved the most about The DarknKnight Rises is how fleshed out the characters are. I was missing the time when greatnvillains dominated a film, Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger are good examples ofnthe kind of performance I like to see from a villain in a film; and I have tonthank Nolan for making that special effort to build these memorable villains. Casenin point: Tom Hardy’s Bane can now proudly stand next all those great villainsnof cinematic history. We hardly see Tom Hardy’s face in this film, save for ansmall flashback scene, his face remains hidden behind a mask for 99% of thenfilms running time, yet Hardy’s performance shines through none the less. The characternitself is extremely fleshed out, his back story is a very satisfying one. As ancomic book fan, I was particularly thrilled to see moments from the storylines Knightfall,nKnights End and No Mans Land on the screen.
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nDC Comics Batman # 497, one of the comics that inspired the storyline for The Dark Knight Rises.
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nThis is the third time Christian Bale has played Batman, Inenjoyed how this time around he is a beaten, reclusive character, hiding awaynfrom the world in his mansion, like Mr. Kane in Orson Welle’s Citizen Kane (1941),nthe rich old guy who doesn’t want to answer to the world outside. It was great of the filmmakers to use the Bruce Wayne character to criticize the rich andnpowerful. If you have so much power, so much money, why not do somethingnworthwhile with it, something that will improve humanity and the world we livenin? Loved it how the movie tackled those themes through Bruce Wayne. It was anvery intelligent move on the filmmaker’s side to comment on classist issuesnwith the character, considering how the rich are viewed by the working class that’snstruggling to get by on a day to day basis in this greedy world we live in. AnnenHathaway as Catwoman was somewhere between sexy and deadly, but nothing asnovertly sexualized as Michelle Pfeiffer’s take on the character in BatmannReturns (1992). The rest of the amazing cast does an amazing job, Michael Cainenturns in an emotional performance on this one.
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nOn the fun side of things the film delivers in spades. Itnwas great to see a film that balanced action set pieces with story developmentnso well; this really is a well though out picture, Mr. Nolan went up a couplenof notches in my book with this one. Where the first two Nolan Bat films seemedna little on the talky side, this one balances fleshing out its characters andnwowing us with amazing action and visual effects to perfection; kudos to Nolannfor achieving that so well. So that’s it ladies and gents, I say don’t let thenwhole shooting thing scare you from seeing this one. It truly is a great filmnthat touches up on important themes. This is an event picture, the kind younwant to go to the theater to celebrate the fun of watching movies; don’t letnthe isolated incident with the crazy kook scare you out of that my friends! Therenwas a special kind of electricity in the theater before and after the film started,npeople were genuinely excited to see this one. From what I can gather and from thenresounding round of applause that I heard after the film was over, this one hasnwon audience approval. The momentum these films have captured since the firstnfilm premiered has exploded on the screen with The Dark Knight Rises, the finalnfilm in Christopher Nolan’s Bat Saga; don’t let what that psycho did in Colorado scare you awaynfrom enjoying this awesome film.
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nRating: 5 out of 5
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