The Dark Knight Rises

4.5/5

We're talking nuts. We're talking as suspenseful as any great action movie. We're talking about brilliant performances, especially from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This had me on my seat edge for so long, I swear it hurt to stand up. The action in this is unbelievable, the scale without comparison, and the reality so close that it's frightening. Why 4.5/5 then? Well I feel I can't honestly give this a 5. I liked The Dark Knight and Batman Begins both better. What this movie had in suspense, action, and an amazing sense of satisfaction, it lacked in the exploration of human character that the first two had. In the first movie, we explored the reaction to fear, and how it brings the best and worst in people out. That was further explored in The Dark Knight, with the added twist of how humans react when pitted against each other unwillingly. This, however, is only a character study of Bruce Wayne, Selena Kyle, John Blake, and Bane. Don't get me wrong - this is NOT a bad thing. But rather than be an extremely interesting look into the human mind in the context of Gotham city's hero and villain interactions, it was an incredible action movie experience. I'd go so far as to say that this is the most comic book like movie of the three Nolan Batman films. This is demonstrated the best through Bane's character. While he himself was intimidating (thanks to a stellar performance from Tom Hardy, though perhaps not his best when I think of Tinker Tailor and Warrior), I was never personally afraid of Bane. I was afraid of his power, his charisma, and his control. But never did I experience the fear I felt while watching the Joker or Scarecrow. Still, anyone who tells you that this was a disappointing movie is not looking at the big picture - that an epic conclusion to an absolutely enormous trilogy of movies from a single director could not have been concluded in a bigger way. Get to see it as soon as you can, and experience the biggest movie of the summer, probably of the year as well. You won't be disappointed.