Review: 'The Dark Knight Rises' and Takes A Bow

I love Christopher Nolan.

He has become one of my two current favorite directors next to David Fincher.  His vision is singular and unfettered by Hollywood standards. His goal, with screenwriter brother Jonathan Nolan (equally talented) is to tell stories in his unique way.

Sure, all things fall together like a steel trap which many have complained feel cold but I don't think anyone can debate the brilliance of 'The Dark Knight'. Say the name and Heath Ledger's legendary Oscar winning performance of 'Joker' immediately floods memories. How corrupt, evil and horrifying he was. Way beyond anything audiences expected. He walked onto a scene and we cringed at his speech, smeared grease painted face and green tinted hair. He was sociopathically psychotic, as are all comic book villains, but the one thing that sets Batman and his gallery of villains apart from others is the fact that no one has any super powers. No one can fly or see through walls or bend steel.  But they each have a vision, hell bent on the destruction of Gotham City.

The Dark Knight Rises is the third and final chapter in Nolan's Batman Trilogy. Is it as good as the first and second installments? No. The second film in a trilogy are often known as the best. 'The Empire Strikes Back'. 'The Godfather Part II'.

This Batman picks up eight years later with a battle weary Bruce Wayne, broken and shut in. Defeated in a sense. Disconnected from the world after the tragic death of Rachel Dawes in the second film.

'Rises' plays as a Shakespearean opus, ending Bruce Wayne/Batman's story in a satisfying, heartfelt way, but not without a worth adversary to be the shining example of the Occupy Movement, pointing the finger at the rich and vowing to destroy them all.

Tom Hardy's Bane. If I have to listen to another fanboy cry about how Bane doesn't look like his comic book character, I'll scream. My advice is to stick to the Marvel world of cartoonish action. 'The Dark Knight Rises' makes 'The Avengers' look like Ren and Stimpy.

Deep, powerful, foreboding and bleak. This isn't a rah rah movie, but a movie that kept me glued to the screen with every detail, playing out with perfectly times highs and lows. It's only downside: to many plot lines. Way too many. It didn't feel overstuffed nor overwrought. It was the perfect tone.

Anne Hathaway's Catwoman. A marvel to behold. Just the right amount of sarcasm and hurt seeping from her pores. She's deadly but not showy. She was perfect. Nolan doesn't do showy.

I place these films in the canon of perfect film trilogies and I'm so happy Nolan has hung up the cowl. For those who want The Riddler and Dr. Freeze, go back to Tim Burton's version.

The real Batman has left the building.