Strike Magazine

The Dark Knight Rises Review

Deep action and shallow plot

by Joe Redmond

The Dark Knight trilogy persists as a cultural icon.

The Dark Knight Rises gave the audience all that we expected: action and Batman. What else can we ask? Well, a lot actually.

It is clear that Christopher Nolan was given a huge wad of cash and was told to make the most kick-ass movie this generation. He is no novice to doing this, having written Inception and the previous two Batman movies in the now-completed trilogy. Money shots included a burning bridge with the Batman symbol imprinted on it and a football game falling into the depths below. These shots were flawlessly executed, and yet, it leaves the viewer wanting a reason for all of this destruction. Christian Bale plays a recluse Bruce Wayne to a T, and Anne Hathaway portrays a wonderfully two-faced Catwoman, as the part was intended.

Then comes Bane. Tom Hardy is a wonderful actor, being able to portray anger, intelligence, and sorrow using only his eyes, which is a notable feat. Unfortunately, the character Bane remains ultimately one-dimensional, as the plot robs him of some of his most interesting elements to his personality and power. The story never clearly gives Bane a reason for wanting to go nuclear on Gotham with himself inside. He is not the psychopath that was Joker or the crook that was Scarecrow. Ultimately, his established lore is mutilated with a poorly executed twist at the end. Personally, I was left wondering by the end why the writers didn’t chose a different villain… Riddler, anyone? Or, at the very least, I wondered why they decided to emasculate Bane, robbing him of some of his most interesting powers.

The movie ends up feeling longer than it actually is because there are never natural breaks in action. The movie was all explosions, fist fights, car chases, and more explosions. The only relative down time was the token sex scene, bookended by gunfights and yelling. Granted, many people will find this exciting, but it leaves personal connections to the movie distant, and ultimately shallow.

As a summer blockbuster, The Dark Knight Rises delivers. People want action, and they get action. The movie alone was great entertainment; however, the movie will not be looked upon as a classic or anything better than the other two. In fact, the second still stands out in my mind. Maybe I just prefer smart and creepy villains to burly Caribbean prison mates who speak like monocled English gentlemen.