The Dark Knight Rises

There's a storm coming .....

Years after being villified, Batman is encouraged once again to come Gotham's aid, as it's in the grip of a group of mercenaries run by the villainous Bane.

First of all, you don't have to be a superhero fan to enjoy this great movie, it truly does have the most broad appeal, there's something here for everyone to enjoy. If you liked the two preceding films, I figure you'll love this one, I'm a fan of all three, this is my personal favourite.

It's a long movie, but it flies by at a canter, no single frame is wasted, it moves by at a terrific pace, it has incredible action sequences, but the story is terrific.

It's really interesting to see Batman coming in from a position where he's decided and feared, he's no longer accepted as Gotham's hero and saviour.

Christian Bale is the perfect Batman, and he is matched every step of the way by Tom Hardy. Hardy is off the charts as Bane, the last time we saw the character was back in The Batman and Robin film, perhaps best forgotten, here though he's an iconic villain.

I can't speak highly enough of Bale and Hardy, but this is also, I think the best of Anne Hathaway, she is excellent here.

A decade on, and this film is still fabulous.

10/10.

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

The Dark Knight Rises was a perfect sequel to a masterpiece. Christopher Nolan took a different direction and focused more on Bruce Wayne/Batman. This movie is filled with lots of emotions. It has such great characters and of course the dialogs is so good. The performances are incredible. It was my most anticipated movie of the century. The more I watch it, The more epic it gets. Personally, I think The Dark Knight Trilogy is the greatest Trilogy of all time and this movie gives the greatest ending of all time in the movie history. I remember seeing it thrice and the more I watched It the more respect it earns. Thank you Christopher Nolan, You Sir Are A Master.

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)

'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