Movie Review- "The Dark Knight Rises"

Ok, before I mention anything about this film, let me just say that this is one of the few exception where I did not viewt  the films in order. I never saw "Batman Begins". Only caught the first half of it on TV recently. So, this trilogy started with "The Dark Knight" for me. Don't get me wrong. I think, for the most part, "The Dark Knight" almost works as a stand alone film. The same, I can say, for "The Dark Knight Rises". It may have a few references to the past 2 films, but nothing that you can't fill in the gaps for later.

I initially thought that Anne Hathaway was an odd choice to play Catwoman. There are better actresses to play her, but then again, there are worse ones. But, during her first scene of screen, I thought "yep, she IS Catwoman". The beauty and grace, and the selfishness, all of which she portrayed tremendously on screen.

Now, I do not know the Batman villain Bane that well, as I am not a DC, I'm a Marvel. Our only other previous Bane (in a theatrically released movie) was in "Batman & Robin", and they movie got a lot of inconsistencies and errors that I will not go into right now. But, from what I do know of Bane, this movie captured what he was like a lot better. He wasn't a mindless thug of Poison Ivy. He was a mastermind, almost on par with Lex Luthor or Kingpin. That's the impression of what I received watching this. (If any of my comic book nerd friends know of Bane differently, please feel free to comment below).

This 3rd part also introduced a new character: John Drake. And with any 3rd part there had to be a reason why he was introduced. Throughout the movie, we are shown that he is brave and honest and has honor. I knew there had to be a reason why they were showing us this. And when/if you see this movie, you will know why at the movie's end. He is a likable character.

The most emotional scene in this for me involved Alfred. He mentioned something about a letter in the previous movie. I won't go too much into detail, but i almost cried during that scene, but Nolan knows when and where to put emotion into his movies, and more importantly, how to do it right. Nolan's movies just keep getting better and better. However, with this trilogy, I must say that I do think "The Dark Knight" was a better story, but "The Dark Knight Rises" did have a lot of good points. And one of the best endings in film history.

My Overall Rating: B+