The Dark Knight Rises

" A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy's shoulders to let him know that the world hadn't ended."


I will be honest. I did not have much, if any, desire to see The Dark Knight Rises. I was not a big fan of The Dark Knight. I will say that Heath Ledgers' Joker was absolutely amazing, but I thought the film as a whole was too...well, dark. With noting but good reviews and recommendations and all the press about the tragedy in CO I decided I would go see it. So I checked out an early morning show with about 20 other people in the theater.

Since I did not have much desire to see it I did not know what to expect. I also have not seen the Dark Knight in about 3 1/2 years, so I had not remembered much of what led up to the current film. One other thing that kept me from wanting to see the film was Anne Hathaway. I can't always believe her acting. I decided that since I was alone with no family around I might as well go spend some time alone in the theater.

The Dark Knight Rises picks up 8 years after the Dark Knight ended. Batman has gone into hiding after being blamed for the death of a public figure. Bruce Wayne has also shut himself up in his mansion. We see the appearance of Selina Kyle, aka Catwomen. She is a cat bugler who crosses paths with this films villain, Bane. Bane is played by a very large Tom Hardy, who seems to have gotten back into his "Bronson" workout ethic. Bane has plans to turn Gotham back over to the people and let anarchy rule, just like any good villain would.

One of the parts I liked about this film was that fact that for once the bad guy was truly better than the hero. There is a fight scene where you realize that Batman has no chance to physically beat Bane. Much like the the other films it is up to Batman to upset the evil plan to destroy Gotham. There are many obstacle and twists and I found myself wondering how it was going to end. Of course the final option was very obvious to figure out, but leading up to that was great.

The Dark Knight rises was not as dark as the last film. The story was great and the characters we developed well. I was never bored. The introduction of Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a welcome surprise. He was great addition and had a major role in the film. Gotham city looks more like NYC now and it is good to see Gotham in daylight. With a run time of 2:45 I was surprised to see it go by quickly. I told my wife that I would be willing to go see it with her for the second time. The depth of the story and the acting really sold me on this one. If there is another one, and it is as good as this one, I would be willing to go see it

9 out of 10