"The Dark Knight Rises" Review

    This is it. The big one. The grand finale. This is The Dark Knight Rises!

    Yes, it's over. Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy has come to an end. And yet, why is it so hard to review? Perhaps it has to do with trying to keep as little spoilers in the review as possible. Maybe it has something to do with not wanting to put the series to rest just yet. But, most likely, it has to do with the fact that, no matter how good it is, there isn't much to talk about.
    Yes, it's the epic conclusion. So, why does it feel like after The Dark Knight came out? When superhero movies changed forever? Yes, The Dark Knight rises is a damn good movie. But, it's nothing revolutionary. This time around, Bruce Wayne AKA Batman (Christian Bale) comes out of a 8-year hiatus as Batman when the mysterious Bane (Tom Hardy) starts to wreak havoc on Gotham. Butler Alfred (Michael Caine) leaves. He re-teams with Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), takes hotshot cop John Blake (Joesph Gordon-Levitt) under his *ahem* wings. He comes across cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) and falls for the lovely Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) as well.

"Anybody have wi-fi? ANSWER ME!"

    The cast is great. There isn't a bad actor in this movie. The movie makes sure of this. Batman is hardly in it. Sure, Bruce Wayne is in it a lot, but once again, someone else has stolen the show. That would be Anne Hathaway. She is fantastic as Catwoman (Though, they never call her that). She is smart, sexy and bad-ass. She manages to add a human element to a character that can sometimes be nothing more than a sex symbol. Bane, however, fairs less well. Sure, Tom Hardy is great and his accent is pretty good. But, compared to the other films' villains, Bane just isn't as menacing or even that interesting. Gordon-Levitt is good as always and does a very good job in a role that is almost as good as Hathaway's.
    The story, while the weakest of the three films, is still at the level we expect from director Christopher Nolan. There's a lot of drama going on here, with a little bit of humor sprinkled throughout. But, I don't know. Maybe the films have lot their edge. While, the film is certainly great, it does feel like it's been there done that. It's a new story with new characters, but there isn't that much else that's new here. If you are well-informed with the Batman comics and the film's production history, you can probably guess the twists and turns, no matter how well done they are.
    And then there's that ending. I won't spoiler it. All I'll say is this. At first, people will probably not like it. But, when you consider what the film has been building up to, you'll realize it is the best possible ending for the series. And, no, there isn't any questions about it. Don't try to say that what happened might not have actually happened. I think the ending should be taking at face-value.

Scene stolen.

    The Dark Knight Rises concludes Nolan's trilogy with a bang... though not as big a bang as the last two. The story's fine, if a little empty. Anne Hathaway and Joesph Gordon-Levitt steal the show. The action is great and the ending is perfect. The Dark Knight is going out on a high point. The Dark Knight Rises gets 5 stars out of 6.