The Dark Knight Rises (Blu-ray + UV Copy)[Region Free]

The Dark Knight Rises brings to a close Nolan's Batman, The Dark Knight Rises see's a different face to Batman, set years after The Dark Knight Batman faces a foe who forces Wayne/Batman to adapt to not only save himself, but Gotham itself. The performances of Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are superb and backed by a stella cast including Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine and Matthew Modine. The film weighs in at just shy of the 2 hours 45 minutes, but flys by as your get engrossed in Wayne/Batman and Gotham's desent at the hands of Bane. Highly recommended for the super hero fans.

After Batman was forced to tarnish his reputation at the end of the last film for the greater good, now 8 years later, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale -3:10 to Yuma) is a shell of his former self, frail, secluded & his business in a weak financial footing. In comes the masked man mountain Bane (Tom Hardy -This Means War) with his menacing raspy voice, set to turn Gotham into a smoking crater with a nuclear device. Beaten even further down by the stronger willed Bane, can the Dark Knight find it within himself to rise again & save Gotham for one last time ?

Overall i found The Dark Knight Rises to be an enjoyable film, but it did have quite a few set backs in places, some that i had to overlook for the sake of it being an action hero movie. Firstly it was a little too long at 2 hours 45 minutes, the action set pieces are spread through the film reasonably well, but it is more so about the relationships between the characters, so it can lull for periods of time with the action bookending it. With Wayne being in bad shape, there aren't many action sequences early on with Batman, in fact, it's not until about 45 miniutes in that he appears as Batman. While most of the time he is Bruce Wayne, as you'd expect with the test of Wayne's character scenario. Some of the scenes were a bit silly & hard to swallow, but as i said it's an action hero film so you have to give it a little leeway. The main standout of this, was when the almost entire police force marched under Gotham, then being locked under ground leaving the City to fend for itself(*roll eyes*).

On the plus side, the acting was very good as you'd expect with a fine list of actors & no more so was it needed here with it's main emphasis on dialogue. Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman & Micheal Caine added they're usual solid performances(and continuity), in particular Caine putting in a very emotional turn. Other stand out's were Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) as Catwoman, who stole the scenes she was in, with a very sleek, sexy & limber (meow!) performance. Tom Hardy as the villain, Bane, was formidable in size & fearsome with his Hannibal Lecter appearance, he had some good menacing scenes, still, not quite the most memorable of baddies. His voice struck me as comical at first when i heard it (Jeremy Irons on helium ?), but it slowly grew on me as the film went on. The visuals were good for most of the action set pieces, but perhaps the big fight scenes with Batman/Bane were a bit one dimensional due to Banes more, brick out house, physical style combat. The story itself was decent, with Gotham darker than ever, although, on the plot side you could predict some parts, and i did enjoy the surprise twist's, as well as the fact it left the door open for a continuation.

In conclusion, the The Dark Knight Rises is a very dark & heavy hearted film that lacks the action chops of what has come before it. However, it manages to hit home emotionally at just the right moments through the lulls, thanks to the great acting talents on show. I was certainly engrossed & clung to each action sequence as my reward. Recommended.

Four years ago, I left the pictures having watched The Dark Knight and was rendered absolutely speechless. Normally, after one has seen a film, they usually discuss it with great detail, excitement and/or criticism, but the sheer depth and hard-hitting emotion of Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning Batman triumph left me staggered and unable to discuss it momentarily. I had to let the movie's power just sink in that little bit longer.

Truthfully, if Nolan didn't produce another Batman sequel, I would've been happy. I mean, The Dark Knight was simply a masterpiece and the greatest superhero movie of all time (bar none). To try and TOP THAT would be next-to-impossible and there was no real need for a trilogy. And yet, four years later...here we are.

The Dark Knight Rises takes place eight years after the Joker's rampage was thwarted. But the so-called `victory' came at too many a high price; Bruce Wayne's childhood friend/love-interest Rachel Dawes died, his ally/friend Harvey Dent was transformed into the vengeful Two-Face and Batman was forced to take the blame for Harvey's crimes and death so that Gotham would never lose hope. Shunned by the city he had saved and plagued by the injuries he had sustained throughout his career, Bruce was forced into retirement.

And now, Gotham City's peace is about to be ruthlessly shattered by the arrival of the ruthless mercenary known only as Bane.

Again, trying to surpass The Dark Knight would be next-to-impossible, but this third film is a reminder that Christopher Nolan approaches his projects with intelligence and logic. Nolan doesn't strive to produce something that's `bigger, badder & better' than The Dark Knight, nor does he do it with the sole aim of making more money. For the last hurrah, Chris delivers a logical, satisfying resolution to his Batman series that's full of the trademark purpose & emotional depth that we've come to expect since Batman Begins.

Speaking of which, The Dark Knight Rises pays homage to some significant plot elements from Batman Begins (as well as The Dark Knight), wrapping up this cinematic continuity in a manner that's most befitting. And like Batman Begins & The Dark Knight, this third part also stands alone as a movie that pushes the right buttons. There are moments of heartbreak, intelligence, human warmth, sinister intentions and exhilarating action that will have you on the edge of your seat from start-to-finish.

On the acting front, Christian Bale deserves the highest praise for delivering what is undoubtedly his most human performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. When you first see Bruce on screen, he's an absolute shell of his former self to the point of where it's legitimately despairing to the viewer. After all he's gone through, you truly feel for him and fear for the end of his story. To watch Bruce (and Batman for that matter) here will range back-and-forth between upsetting & inspiring. Christian's performance truly engages you.

Michael Caine also falls into that category as Alfred. While you may expect nothing less from the man (whose career is the stuff-of-legend), Michael's performance here affected me in a way I don't recall experiencing before. His role as faithful servant/trusted friend/father-figure is stronger than even his already-wonderful performances in previous Batman movies; full of genuine poignancy and interactions with Bale that will reduce even the stoniest of fans to tears. It's a shame Caine suffers from reduced screen time.

Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) & Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon) likewise continue to provide great support in their roles, and the new faces of the main-cast - Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Det. John Blake) & Marion Cotillard (Miranda Tate) - more than prove their worth in bringing to life such colourful characters, particularly Gordon-Levitt who stands out much more than just a generic cop, instead being a deep supporting figure to the Batman.

On the villains front, Anne Hathaway is simply sensational as Catwoman/Selina Kyle, embodying the character with all the elegance, wit, sex-appeal and hard-edged charm that the role deserves and demands. Like everyone says, Hathaway is a true scene-stealer, and Tom Hardy likewise has such presence as Bane. Although lacking the charisma & rich depth of Heath Ledger's Joker, Hardy nonetheless rises to the occasion with an intense, brutal & utterly intimidating performance (intertwined with some exceptional body language). Nolan again deserves praise for his rendition of a Batman villain; presenting an incarnation of Bane that not only works well on screen, but remains true to the essence of the original character in the comics.

Unfortunately, this DVD version is very lacking when compared to previous home releases of Batman films. Both Batman Begins & The Dark Knight received the two-disc-set treatment that was packed with documentaries, features, trailers etc, and here (due to the overwhelming rise of Blu-Ray), this single-disc comes equipped only with the usual array of subtitles and the brief, yet superb "The Journey of Bruce Wayne" featurette. While this is a great little extra, it seems stuck on as only an afterthought for the DVD release, which after previous Batman films is something of a disappointment.

So is The Dark Knight Rises better than The Dark Knight? NO, but what's so commendable is that it doesn't TRY to be. Nolan and his crew have just set about making an excellent and satisfying conclusion to The Dark Knight Trilogy and that's what they've done. Is it THE superhero film of 2012? Sorry, but for me, it's still The Avengers. However, The Dark Knight Rises remains a strong, emotional climax to a series that will stay with you forever. A must-have finale to what is unquestionably the best superhero film trilogy of all-time, and one of cinema's greatest trilogies ever in history. PERIOD.