The Dark Knight Rises Review Essay Samples

FILM STUDIES

The Dark Knight Rises
Prior to this movie hitting the theaters there was a lot of anticipation and speculation from the anxious public. The random shooting at the Colorado midnight viewing just added to the media buzz surrounding the film. I now intend to take a critical view of the movie, see how well it told the story it set out to tell and consider the elements that work together to capture the audience for nearly three hours.
The third movie in the Batman trilogy, the viewer is already familiar with the city of Gotham as a metaphor for post 9/11 New York City (Charity, 2012) and Bruce Wayne as the tortured hero, played by Christian Bale. We find him as an older, injured version of himself. He has very nearly become a recluse, sequestered in his home with Alfred, actor Michael Caine. He no longer masquerades at night as the caped crusader. After his love interest since childhood and Gotham Assistant District Attorney, Rachel Dawes was killed by the Joker and he took the fall for crazy Two-Face Dent in the prequel The Dark Knight, he clearly just shut down. Depressed, alone and filled with hopelessness, our heroic Batman needs a renewed sense of purpose and another chance at a happy ending.
Enter sexy burglar Selina Kyle, Catwoman, played by Anne Hathaway. Her audacious thievery from his home seems to be the first thing Bruce has taken an interest in for a while now. Good on-screen chemistry takes place between these two actors. But, of course, every superhero movie needs a villain--which she is not, despite her unfortunate career choice- so enter Bane straight from the underground. Decoding the symbolism in this character, we understand he is a human embodiment of all that is wrong with the human race. An evil, anti-social, murderer who intends to bring a storm of terror down onto the unsuspecting city of all-American Gotham.
Chaos ensues as the plot moves forward. Bane and his cohorts, which include random thugs, Scarecrow and mastermind Talia who turns out to be Raz al Ghul’s daughter, take over the city. There is a massive bomb threat, fighting in the streets, no escape from the island. The plot moves forward, sluggishly (Charity, 2012). Gary Oldman reprises his role as Police Commissioner Gordon, still holding onto his hope for a better future and doing his job with an ethical ideal that is still unequaled in Gotham’s public servants. Young Officer John Robin Blake is introduced, played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, and he demonstrates some of that same push for moral high ground that the Commissioner has. Morgan Freeman appears again as tech savvy Lucius Fox, providing all the gismos and gadgets that a superhero could need as well as some mentoring when Bruce struggles to overcome his personal struggles.
The writing for the script is rather poorly done, in that giant holes are left in the storyline. There is some glossing over important points that leave the viewer seeking an explanation, needing to fill in the blanks on their own. Also, there are some points that just do not follow logically and are implausible. For example, I had trouble accepting the idea that Bruce Wayne was in an underground prison, suffering from a broken back and yet he was able to not only recover, but be in exemplary physical condition so that he could escape from his jail by completing a jump that men spend their entire lives trying and failing. Another example, if a major metropolitan area was under siege and being held hostage by terrorist activity, can we really believe that our federal government will not react immediately with air support if no other help?
Despite the flaws in the story, which are considerably confusing for the viewer willing to ask why rather than passively accept what they see on-screen, the movie is well done. Lighting is used skillfully, as are camera angles. You can observe the way the characters are framed in relation to what feeling the director is trying to evoke from the viewer. Also, IMAX cameras were used for many action sequences, which made them very realistic and exciting to watch. The switching between two camera styles is not a smooth transition, though.
The soundtrack to the movie is an original score composed by German-born Hans Zimmer. It is very well done; provides a comfortable backdrop against which the action can occur. This movie will certainly please fans of the Batman franchise, even with its drawbacks. As the third movie in a series, it holds its own in terms of viewer’s maintaining interest, and it continues to tell and ultimately wraps up the story satisfactorily.

References

Charity, Tom. (July 19, 2012) Review: ‘Dark Knight Rises’ disappointingly clunky, bombastic. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/19/showbiz/movies/dark-knight-rises-review-charity/index.html April 10, 2015.
Jay (July 20, 2012) Batman: Dark Knight Rises- Esoteric Analysis. Retrieved from http://jaysanalysis.com/2012/07/20/batman-dark-knight-rises-esoteric-analysis/ April 10, 2015.
Nolte, John. (July 21, 2012) ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Review: Nolan Slaps Obama with a Masterpiece. Retrieved from http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2012/07/21/dark-knight-rises-review-nolte/ April 10, 2015.
Vejvoda, Jim. (July 15, 2012) It has its notable flaws, but Nolan ends his Batman saga with class. Retrieved from http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/07/16/the-dark-knight-rises-review April 10, 2015.