The Dark Knight Rises

I thought something different was in order after putting up 51 book reviews on this humble little blog. If you have ever read my blog or have met me , you will instantly realize that I like all sort of escapism, whether it be in literature or cinema. My friends and family often get vexed with me for my refusal to indulge my senses in any other form of entertainment other than escapism. But why am I digressing? because I want state a case for a movie review on a blog about classic mystery books, although this is a movie and not a book but it has all the elements that I like in a piece of fiction including of course a well layered mystery . So, lets get down to business.

Plot: After the disturbing incidents of "The Dark Knight", Batman has not been seen for 8 years and Bruce Wayne has become a recluse. Gotham is at peace and Commissioner Gordon is almost ready to hang his boots but the peace of Gotham is only superficial. The League of shadows is targeting Gotham again and this time they will not fail because the ruthless Bane is spearheading this attack. Bane uses Selina Kyle(Catwoman) to get Bruce Wayne's fingerprints and then execute a trade using his prints to bankrupt and then take over Wayne enterprises.

Following these and other acts of violence, Batman is forced to come out of retirement. Batman asks Selina to help him trace Bane in return for a computer program which can delete a persons criminal history, Selina takes Batman underground to Bane's lair where it is revealed that Selina has actually trapped Batmam to appease Bain. A fight ensues between Bain and Batman, Bain in the course of the fight reveals that he took over Wayne enterprises to use fusion core, a nuclear device to generate clean fuel, which he will use as a nuclear bomb to annihilate Gotham. Bain then breaks Batman's back and sends him to a prison where he can watch how Bain will first break and then destroy Gotham.

As Wayne/Batman is taken out of the picture, Bain systematically destroys all law and order in the city and creates state of anarchy and unrest, with constant rioting, crime and violence and no police.

Review: Anyone who has watched The Dark Knight knows that any movie thinking of equaling its feet would be undertaking a very arduous task, but Christopher Nolan does the impossible he comes very close to unarguably the best comic book movie ever made. The Dark Knight Rises is one of the best movies of the decade and the darkest of the trilogy. It's strange the movies kept getting darker and darker as the trilogy progressed.

Batman is a great superhero, but what makes Batman great is the fact that the villains that he faces are sometimes even better characters than him. If in the The Dark Knight joker stole the show and left audiences in awe of Heath Ledger and his acting prowess than in the rising, Bane makes a very powerful impact. He is truly a menacing and frightening foe. His voice and body language in the movie is intimidating and just plain scary.

While Joker was shown as an agent of chaos who is deranged beyond being human, Bane on the other hand is a brilliant psychopath whose childhood and early adult life were spent in the amoral penitentiary environment. Bane breaks down the social structure in Gotham which leads to anarchy, in one scene which I distinctly remember, a doorman of a high-end building pulls a rich woman out by her hair which symbolizes that when anarchy ensues and the social structure breaks down the poor who work for the rich will tear down their master's houses and body. I wonder what would happen in real life.

The Rises has some very good dialogues, excellent action scenes and pretty neat gadgets. On top of that the actors in this film are the cream of Hollywood. Christian Bale who plays the Batman was made to play this part, although I would still argue that this is not his best performance you have to see American Physco and the Machinist to understand what I'm stating. Then we have the beautiful and talented Anne Hathway who in my opinion looked a tad bit out of place as Catwoman. Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and Micheal Caine are solid as Gold but it is Tom Hardy as Bain who steals the show.

For me Batman movies except maybe Batman Begins are never fun, as in I can not say that I had fun watching the movie. The movie is gripping, intelligent and action packed but very very tense, there are always multiple problems that Batman has to deal with and he keeps getting destroyed both physically and mentally, and still has to face the wrath of the public, the cops and the highbrow intellectual snobs who oppose the masked vigilante, on top of that the movie has little to no comic relief. 

Last comes the mystery, I cannot say much about it without spoiling but I will say this that it is pretty much in your face but you don't see it till it hits you. The conclusion owing to this is epic and proves that Batman movies like the comics are detective stories.

4.5 out of 5 Stars. Must Watch!