The Dark Knight Rises Reviews and Rating

Rating: 4/5 stars (Four stars)




Star Cast: Tom Hardy, Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.

What’s Good?: The direction; the splendid music; the characters.

What’s Bad?: The uninitiated may not enjoy it that much; the story can get overwhelming at times.

Verdict: The final installment in the Batman trilogy lives up to its legacy.

Watch or Not?: Don’t miss this brilliant finale of Batman!




Somewhere before Batman makes his applause-worthy first appearance in The Dark Knight, an old gun tells his rookie partner, “Boy, you’re in for a show tonight.” You could call that a bit of an understatement.

For those who came in late, Batman (Christian Bale) has decided to cool his heels after turning from beloved saviour to despised criminal on being blamed for the death of Gotham City’s White Knight DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and the love of his life Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Even his day-time alter-ego, the eccentric millionaire Bruce Wayne has retired from public life and spends his days brooding over his past in his huge mansion with his faithful butler Alfred (Michael Caine).

The finale of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy begins with the ominous introduction of the villain Bane (Tom Hardy). After he kidnaps a nuclear scientist, he turns his eyes on the now Batman-less Gotham City. While the city bigwigs want to rest Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), he gets fatally injured in an encounter with Bane and his unshakeable gang of thugs. Now that all’s fine in Gotham, no one believes Gordon’s ludicrous tale of an “underground army”, except the “hot blood” John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).

Predictably, Bruce’s peace is not to be. There’s the sexy cat burglar Catwoman/Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) hot on his heels and the rich clean-energy activist Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard). Gordon’s warning and Bane’s attacks force Batman out of retirement. But this time, Alfred refuses to bury another Wayne and leaves. A fraud on Bruce’s Wayne enterprises leaves him further down the pit.

Will Batman return with vengeance or has the Dark Knight fizzled out? Will Bane be the supervillain who finally “breaks the Bat”? Whose side is Catwoman on? What is Bane’s true identity and how does he plan to use Batman against his very city? Watch the movie to find answers.

The Dark Knight Rises Review: Script Analysis

Writers Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan have not let us down. The Dark Knight Rises has elements from both the previous installments that will make all Batman/Nolan fanboys happy.

Even if you haven’t followed the previous movies, the film is worth watching for the details given to each character and the apt way they’ve been rested the Batman series. Dialogues are good. However, somewhere in the movie, you do get the feeling that the writers have put too much on your plate: with Batman out of shape, Alfred’s disappearance, the nuclear bomb, Bane’s bloodthirstiness, the city brimming with criminals and more.

The Dark Knight Rises Review: Star Performances

Christian Bale is wonderful; from the ageing Romeo+retired hero in the beginning, to the real Dark Knight back-in-action, he has done a very good job. Tom Hardy as Bane may have shown his face only once throughout the film, but the menace and personality in his voice is enough; though there are parts when you just can’t decipher what he’s saying. Anne Hathaway is slinky as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. Michael Caine is moving in his portrayal of Alfred. Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman and Marion Cotillard are excellent as Commissioner Gordon, John Blake, Lucius Fox and Miranda Tate.

The Dark Knight Rises Review: Direction, Music & Technical Aspects

Christopher Nolan needs no more praise. The main has raised and rested the Caped Crusader as best as he could. And Hans Zimmer’s brilliant music is just icing on the cake with the haunting “Bah Sah Rah” chant. Lee Smith’s editing is excellent. The action and fight scenes are very good. Wally Pfister’s cinematography is apt.

The Dark Knight Rises Review: The Last Word

The Dark Knight is a brilliant film and a fitting finale to the trilogy. Don’t miss it.

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer

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