- About   -   Contact   -   Links   -   Tools   -   Archive   -   Film -



Thursday, July 19, 2012

For the sake of not having to write the same intro a million different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull process of full film reviews and instead opts to break things down based on what I thought going in, what happened while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all.  Hope that's OK.

Read on!




The Breakdown - The Dark Knight Rises

The Impression:

Christopher Nolan brings his take on the Caped Crusader to a close.



The Reality:

The Dark Knight Rises is a movie that has no interest in being kind to anyone involved.  It aims to punish, and that is exactly what it does.  All of the characters you've spent two films falling in love with start out in a terrible spot emotionally.  Their previous actions (spanning both movies, so make sure you're caught up) are weighing heavy on them, and while Gotham City is as peaceful as ever, they are all suffering.  Then, because the night is darkest just before the dawn, Bane shows up and unleashes a wave of destruction that results in even more pain.  No one is safe.  In fact, there's always a lingering feeling that whoever is on the screen is about to die.  For some of you this is going to result in The Dark Knight Rises simply being a movie that's difficult to watch, and then there are those of you that will find so much to cheer and cry for, you'll want to give it everything you have as a viewer.  Let me know which side you end up on.

By the way, if you can find a moment in The Dark Knight Rises where breathing feels semi-normal, you'll probably notice the most important part it  - everyone involved is working on a super high level.  It's a beautiful looking film, the nearly three hour runtime feels surprisingly brisk, and every actor that shows up on the screen does their best to match the epic tale being told.


The Lesson:

Nolan deserves high-fives from everyone.  Forever.



- -



Unless otherwise expressly stated, all text in this blog and any related pages, including the blog's archives, is licensed by John Laird under a Creative Commons License.