The Dark Knight Rises is the third and final Batman film in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy and features Christian Bale in his final performance as the Dark Knight.
This review is the eighth and final in a series of articles that will examine every theatrically released Batman movie from Batman (1966) to The Dark Knight Rises in honor of The Batman’s release on March 4th.
Christan Bale’s Swansong As The Dark Knight
As mentioned previously, this is Christian Bale’s last film as Batman and I think the film gives the character and the trilogy a decent send-off. While the ending was quite controversial at the time I feel that this was a decent send-off for the character.
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Bruce hasn’t been Batman for about eight years at this point and has no desire to return. However, when Bane comes to Gotham he takes on the cape and cowl once more. This causes a strain on Bruce and Alfred’s relationship.
It was really cool to see Alfred’s vision for Bruce finally pay off in the end. I do think his relationship with Selina Kyle could have been developed further. Overall still a decent send-off, however.
Tom Hardy’s Bane Is Almost Impossible To Take Seriously
The film opens with Bane who is supposed to be this dark and menacing figure. However, as soon as he began his dialogue, I couldn’t help but laugh at his laughably horrible voice. In a film like Batman Forever, it might’ve fit, but in a film such as The Dark Knight Rises, the voice just doesn’t fit with the more serious tone.
His back story was fairly interesting, relating things back to Ra’s al Ghul from the first film. Although for the most part, Bane comes off as fairly boring and uninspired. He is definitely the weakest villain in The Dark Knight Trilogy.
The Dark Knight’s Love Interests Are… Okay
Bruce Wayne / Batman had two love interests throughout The Dark Knight Rises, those being Selina Kyle / Catwoman and Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate / Talia al Ghul.
While Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle was a decent love interest for Wayne, she was not quite as enjoyable as Phiffer’s version of Catwoman. While Phiffer’s version was definitely a more wacky version of the character, I still found myself wanting more from Hathaway’s Catwoman.
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Meanwhile with Miranda Tate, her reveal as Ra’s Al Ghul’s daughter, Talia, was a really cool twist that gave this film a really cool connection to Batman Begins. The fakeout flashbacks with the audience thinking her character was Bane was incredibly effective and ultimately added to the reveal.
Final Thoughts on The Dark Knight Rises
Overall, The Dark Knight Rises is not as weak of a film as some people make it out to be. While the film can feel slow at times, overall the film feels like a satisfying conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s trilogy.
Returning characters such as Lucius Fox, Alfred, and Jim Gordon are as great as ever while new characters like John Blake fit into the crew well. It was also neat to have the Robin easter egg at the end of the film.
While it isn’t the best Batman film ever made, it still holds up decently in 2022. This film was the final solo Batman film to be released until The Batman’s release this year. Be sure to check out our review on that film to see where the franchise is heading!
The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as James Gordon, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle / Catwoman, Tom Hardy as Bane, Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate / Talia al Ghul, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robin John Blake, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.
What are your thoguhts on The Dark Knight Rises? Do you think it holds up in 2022? Let us know in the comments below! Also, be sure to come back to The Illuminerdi for more DC news and reviews like this in the future!
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