The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Certified: PG
Duration: 165 minutes
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Matthew Modine, Gary Oldman, Ben Mendelsohn, Alon Abutbul
KRS release

With The Dark Knight Rises, director Christopher Nolan has come full circle with a trilogy that is self-sustained, intelligent and epic in scale − a template for ultimate movie-making.

Actor Bale is charismatic as Bruce Wayne and statesque as Batman- Johan Galea

The Avengers provided the perfect popcorn entertainment of the year so far but The Dark Knight Rises is an intense trip, with well-synchronised action and multiple and interesting personalities.

Mr Nolan’s 2005 Batman Begins featured a caped crusader that was firmly rooted in the here and now, a Batman that can live and breathe outside the pages of the comic books without any discernible difficulty. 2008’s The Dark Knight was a case of controlled chaos − a film that transcended the source and became one of my personal favourite films of recent years.

The Dark Knight Rises is a battle cry on behalf of Mr Nolan; the film is thick in plot (sometimes exceedingly so), that heaps layers upon layers of rage and social class frustrations.

Eight years since Batman last appeared, Gotham City has become a very different place. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has retired from the scene after Batman had been blamed for the death of Harvey Dent.

Bruce seems to have placed himself in a self-imposed exile, something which his long-time family butler Alfred (Michael Caine) does not approve of.

His attitude has also had an impact on Wayne Enterprises whose profits are down.

Meanwhile, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) continues building tools and gadgets, hoping that one day Batman will return.

The rest of the company board also includes Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) who wants Bruce to come out in the open about the nuclear project that has long been in the works and Roland Daggett (Ben Mendelsohn) who has a sinister agenda.

The latter hires Bane (Tom Hardy), a hulking mercenary who has his own plans for Gotham and Batman. Embroiled in the scheme is Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), a cat burglar who is commissioned to lift Bruce’s fingerprints from his mansion.

The plot also features a missing congressman and a budding romance between Selina and Bruce while Gotham is held hostage as agendas and secrets are laid bare.

Mr Bale is charismatic as Bruce Wayne and statuesque as Batman.

Mr Hardy fills the screen as Bane and his hatred towards Batman is tangible; the only problem is that the mouthpiece sometimes makes it difficult to understand what he is saying. Ms Hathaway is slinky perfect as Selina Kyle, who is never referred to as Catwoman; she is served just right with the appropriate one-liners that make her this film’s rising star.

Meanwhile, Mr Caine cuts a noble figure and will elicit quite a few tears.

Ms Cotillard is sensual and intense while Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a detective who shares a past with Batman shows promise of what the franchise might hold. Seeing Bane breaking Gotham city is a fascinating watch, as too is his idea of the social world order. As the war rages between the cops and the criminals, the visual experience becomes inspiring and epic.

The film is propelled forward by the raw and energetic musical score of Hans Zimmer which takes on its own screen presence.

The final minutes are simply perfect closure, leaving the trail open for follow-ups even though Mr Nolan has declared he will not be back for a fourth round.

One thing is for sure: the director has left a legacy of incredible films that will be a very hard act to follow.