L'ascension du chevalier noir

Possibly my personal favourite of the Nolan Batman films, and I do like Batman Begins and The Dark Knight very much. Is it perfect? For me, not quite, there are so many plot strand in a long running time that the film occasionally(and there is a big emphasis on that) sags in momentum and some of the strands in the ending could have done with more development. It is a brilliant film all the same, one of the highlights so far of the year. As to expect from Christopher Nolan, it is a visually audacious film, with gorgeous cinematography, a beautifully realised Gotham City and great special effects. Hans Zimmer's score is not one of his very best for me, but there is still an epic and haunting quality that is just perfect for this film. The dialogue provokes thought and makes an emotional impact, and a vast majority of the time The Dark Knight Rises is ambitious and gripping. I don't consider Christopher Nolan one of my favourites, this said he is a hugely impressive director who shows great ambition and a willingness to make his subject matters interesting. He does a really wonderful job here, as the set/action pieces including the plane hijack and Bane's assault on Gotham are enough to make the jaw drop. The performances are just terrific from all involved, Matthew Modine fares weakest but he is far from bad. Christian Bale is still a charismatic presence, Matthew Caine appropriately loyal and Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman subtly understated. Joseph Gordon Levitt captures his character's idealism wonderfully. Tom Hardy is in beefed-up terrifying mode as Bane, a worthy successor to Heath Ledger's iconic Joker. Anne Hathaway was a curious casting choice, but as Catwoman she is spot on, here is a Catwoman who actually does much more than acting sexy(which she still is), she is very ruthless and no-nonsense here. All in all, a hugely impressive film, the best of Nolan's Batman trilogy- though I'm prepared for any flaming I'll get for this opinion- and one of the highlights so far of 2012. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Christopher Nolan's epic trilogy concludes in glorious fashion and gives us a thought provoking and suitably satisfying conclusion to an epic saga. It's emotional, intense and has a great villain in Tom Hardy.

After eight years in seclusion, Batman resurfaces to face Bane, a mastermind bent on destroying Gotham and has ties to Bruce Wayne's past. Christopher Nolan's conclusion to his Dark Knight trilogy should be treated as a wrap up rather than a third installment. Despite many new characters being introduced, even their conflicts and motives are derived from events that occurred in the previous two films. Such an approach could be seen as a weakness, since the conflict could just end up being sort of a rematch rather than moving the story forward; however, Nolan's approach works terrificly. Over an hour is shot in stunning IMAX, but the film is more touching than it is intense… and that's its best quality. Hardy steps in as the genius mercenary Bane, who is slightly bigger, slightly stronger and slightly smarter than Batman, thus making him a challenge best suited for the grand finale. The Joker works best as Batman's arch-nemesis since they are polar opposites, with The Joker standing for everything Batman stands against. Two-Face works best as Batman's most tragic enemy because Harvey Dent is very much like Bruce Wayne… the only difference is: Dent copes with his tragedy through revenge rather than seeking justice as Wayne did. Bane works best as Batman's most challenging villain because of his physical and mental superiority—forget the Bane you saw in "BATMAN & ROBIN". Nolan carefully chose all his villains in the series wisely and executed them perfectly. Hardy had big shoes to fill following Ledger's posthumous Oscar winning performance; while Bane is no Joker, Hardy does a satisfying job and should not be compared to Ledger's performance as they are completely different roles. It is Michael Caine, however, that delivers the most memorable and touching performance of the entire film. A wonderful conclusion to a wonderful trilogy.

**** (out of four)

Christopher Nolan was assigned with the job of coming out with a new Batman movie comparable to The Dark Knight. Did he succeed? In short, yes. Is it better than The Dark Knight? No. But is it incredible, awesome, and everything we could have hoped for? Yes. This movie would be the best Batman movie and even one of the best movies ever if Heath Ledger wouldn't have put on the face paint. That's what I think is the biggest difference between the movies. While Tom Hardy's Bane is very very well done and flat out frightening at times, nobody can top Ledger's Joker. But don't think for a second that TDKR is any worse because of that.

The Dark Knight Rises brings the biggest threat of all three movies to Gotham in the form of Bane. Bane is Batman's biggest threat he's ever had physically and forces Bruce Wayne to return as Batman after entering an isolated state. Much less happens in this movie than in the previous two and I think it's because of the villains. In Batman Begins, Batman had to fight the Mob, Scarecrow, and Ras Al Ghul. In The Dark Knight, Batman had to fight the Mob, The Joker, and Two-Face. In The Dark Knight Rises, Batman has to fight Bane, and only Bane. From beginning to end, all Batman has to do is figure out how to defeat Bane and stop him from finishing his evil plot. While Batman Begins is some what lessened in genius because it has to tell the origin story of Batman, and The Dark Knight is just obviously amazing to everyone who sees it, The Dark Knight Rises has more of a hidden genius. Most people will miss all the symbols and why this movie is so brilliant and such a masterful ending to the Dark Knight's Legacy.

There's so much I wish I can say, but I don't want to spoil it for you. All I should say is see it. See it and be amazed by it. 10 Stars out of 10.

'The Dark Knight Rises' is the third and final instalment in Christopher Nolan's groundbreaking trilogy that reshaped the superhero genre as we know it. The main cast return as well as some newcomers. Tom Hardy as 'Bane', Anne Hathaway as 'Selina', Joseph Gordon-Levitt as 'Blake' and Marion Cotillard as 'Miranda'. The new additions are fantastic, especially Tom Hardy. He brings a menacing presence to the character and finally incorporates the main part of his comic counterpart, his brains. For sure Bane is incredibly strong, but he is also an unbelievable strategist that can systematically wear down Batman whilst also using his strength to defeat him. Hardy displays all of this perfectly despite us barely seeing his face, the mask he wears makes him more frightening and is used as an interesting plot device later in the film. A lot of people criticised the voice that Hardy uses for this character, but personally I love it, I think adds to the mystery of the figure. The best acting comes from Michael Caine as 'Alfred Pennyworth'. Nolan really fleshes out Alfred and Bruce's relationship in this film and Caine plays the reluctant mentor figure perfectly. One of his final scenes really shows off his acting, the regret that Alfred pours out and it's heartbreaking. Whilst all of the other actors are great, Caine excels in this movie compared to 'Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight'. The writing is brilliant, so many twists and turns and a sensational ending that really brings the trilogy full circle and has a great ending to Bruce's arc. The dialogue is excellent, in particular the many Bane monologues that add another layer onto his great character. The fight choreography improves massively and is loads better than the last two films. Hanz Zimmers score is superb and works in all scenes that it features in. Also, the cinematography is beautiful, Wally Pfister, who has worked with Nolan throughout the trilogy, really peaks in this picture. However, this movie isn't perfect, Bane's final demise is very underwhelming, especially for a character that makes as much of an impact as he does. Finally the twist at the end with Blake feels tacked on and is inaccurate to the source material. Overall, I love this movie, for sure it doesn't live up to the heights of 'The Dark Knight' but it is still exceptional and was a stunning way to end this unbelievable series of films.

9/10