I finally got my chance to watch The Dark Knight Rises. It was pretty good. Honestly, I wouldn't rate it any higher than that - it was an enjoyable, but slightly flawed end to the trilogy. Here are a few things that I thought whilst watching the movie.
1. I had mixed feelings about Bane
Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker was unforgettable, so perhaps my expectations of Tom Hardy in the role of Bane were a little high. To his credit, he wasn't particularly bad, but one thing stuck for me that meant Bane could not compare to the Joker: his voice. The mask, although intimidating, distorted Hardy's voice to the extent that I actually missed out on a couple of lines of dialogue. They must have been important, since I was a little confused at points - but we'll get to that later.
All this being said, Bane was a formidable villain, and the first one that really posed a threat to Batman. Unfortunately, when he picked up the microphone to give his terrifying speech in the football stadium, the only thing I was worried about was whether or not I'd be able to hear what he had to say.
2. The people of Gotham appear to have discovered the key to immortality
There is an eight year gap between the events of this movie and 2008's The Dark Knight. despite this, characters such as Alfred and Lucius Fox (both of whom were presumably in their 60's in Batman Begins) don't appear to have aged one bit. In fact, Alfred looks the same as in the flashbacks to when Bruce was a child. It's a small point, but one I noticed nonetheless.
3. A lot of emphasis is put on stunts
After seeing the Batpod do a fancy wheelspin for the umpteenth time, you might see what I mean. There are certain points during The Dark Knight Rises where logic is substituted for stunts.
4. The plot was a little confusing at points
I caught up eventually, but there were times when things could have been better explained. For example, I didn't even know that several months had passed since Bane's capture of Gotham until it was pointed out about fifteen minutes later. Until then, I literally thought a few days had gone by.
5. It is a highly enjoyable movie
Every movie has its downfalls, right? When all is said and done, this was a perfectly good end to one of the best trilogies of recent years. Also, it was refreshing to see a happy ending, when action writers seem to find them uncool nowadays. Now we have to wait and see if Christopher Nolan's Superman movies will live up to the Dark Knight Trilogy.
