The Dark Knight Rises

Batman wraps up with a bang

English (U/A)
Cast: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Christopher Nolan  

The dark knight who vanished eight years ago kept everyone waiting with high hopes and it is a given, the man does not disappoint. Rather, in the final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, he has created a superhero who not only holds you in thrall with his stunts and gadgets but also presents a plot that is nothing short of brilliant, with elements of suspense to captivate you till the end, and a superb climax to a story which you can never get enough of.

Bruce Wayne/Batman (played thrice by the charming Christian Bale), after being labelled the “murderer” of Harvey Dent, has turned into a recluse and needs to awaken from his self-imposed exile. He is broken mentally and physically and with the support of Alfred (Michael Caine), his warm and affectionate butler, he needs to get out of the shadows and save Gotham city. He is provoked into the act by the sexy cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway).

Catwoman’s chemistry with Batman is laudable and her swagger perfect. The first scene where Catwoman steals Batman’s mother’s pearls sets the tone for the chaotic relation they both share.

Nolan always thrills us with swanky machines and the undeniably smart Batmobile. This one doesn’t give any more gizmos than what we have already seen in ‘Batman begins’ and ‘the Dark Knight’. Nevertheless, they don’t fail to delight.

Bane (Tom Hardy) is an extremely strong adversary to Batman, although there are elements in him that make you feel he probably is not as strong on the inside as he portrays.

The up-in-the-air plane heist scene where Bane stumps the CIA is brilliantly shot. Hardy, with his gruff voice and physical strength, is a cool villain although it is hard not to miss the Joker played by the late Heath Ledger. The evilness that oozes out of the character of the ever-smiling Joker renders Bane slightly less evil.

The best element in this movie is definitely the climax. The dialogues are more enticing than the action.

The Dark Knight... is subtly moving, brings in a careful mix of emotions and is indeed the perfect ending to the series. Kudos to Nolan for tantalising us with Batman, not just once, but all the three times!