The Dark Knight Also Rises

You wanna piece of me? (Sorry, don't sell by the piece.)

Last weekend I saw TDKR and I must admit right off the bat (no pun intended) there were a few scenes that made me cringe after what happened in Aurora, Colorado. That notwithstanding, I enjoyed the film. It isn't, as the most recent trailer describes it, "One of the best movies of all times." It probably isn't even "The best movie of the year," as touted by that same trailer. But it is pretty darn good and that's good enough for me.

It was probably impossible for the movie to live up to all the hype and build-up that has surrounded it. And it certainly couldn't achieve the perfect cinematic alchemy conjured by "The Dark Knight."

Well, maybe a couple

In some ways it seemed as if they didn't even try to recapture their predecessors fire. TDKR is more a sequel to "Batman Begins" than "The Dark Knight." Most of the characters introduced in this movie owe their backstory to the first film in the trilogy. Liam Neeson even makes a cameo.

Bruce Wayne now walks with a cane because of injuries sustained in his battle with the Joker and Harvey Dent's death is mentioned a few times, but those are practically the only references to TDK in the film.

Bane is a good villain, but no Joker; Tom Hardy no Heath Ledger. He does a serviceable turn in the role, even if I was occasionally perplexed by his accent and intonations. Some have described his vocal performance as Sean Connery working a drive through window. Physically, Tom Hardy is as imposing a character as any Batman Villain could be. It is reported that he had to pile on forty pounds for the role.

As always Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman turned in shining performances in the supporting roles as did Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In some ways the supporting cast even seemed to overshadow Christian Bale's Batman at times. I could almost swear that Commissioner Gordon did more running, jumping, fighting and shooting (and being shot) than the Dark Knight himself. But it was Michael Caine as Alfred who really owned this movie. He carried far more of the emotional weight of the film than any other actor, a task an actor with less gravitas than Caine could not have pulled off.

What is this, a Lifetime movie of the week?

Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox got the best lines, as usual and Anne Hathaway made a more sedate, less over-the-top Catwoman than previous incarnations. That served the film and it's more realistic approach well. Even her cat-suit owed more to "Mission Impossible" than "Batman Begins." And boy, did I love those ears that folded down to become her goggles!

Speaking of gadgets, there were fewer new ones in this movie, the latest and greatest Batman toy being a rather ugly flying vehicle called The Bat. It was very un-bat like with none of the sleek curves or dangerous aerodynamics of the iconic Tim Burton Batwing. Calling this contraption The Bat makes as much descriptive sense as calling a toaster "The Hummingbird." The Tumbler was back, and back, and back, and back as Baine uses stolen Wayne Enterprises technology to create a whole fleet of them. That was a bad decision if you ask me. The Batmobile in whatever form is supposed to be unique, a one-off, a prototype. You lose the power and impact of the thing if you have one rolling down every side street like your average taco wagon.

I haven't discussed Joseph Gordon-Levitt in detail yet, and that's because I think he is the one loose thread in this whole tapestry. His character John Blake is a fresh-faced, good-guy cop on the Gotham City force whose background, even the revelation of his full name, hints at possibilities beyond the end of Christopher Nolan's Magnum Opus. But Gordon-Levitt has disavowed any knowledge of a post Dark Knight incarnation of either Batman or Robin. Could he even pull it off as the lead?  A talented actor who upped his game with "Inception," he certainly has potential action-hero coin to spend and that's why I think he bears watching as the Superhero money machine continues to spit forth gold and movies.

And finally, my take on the provocative ending? I only have one thing to say about that--

Bonus: Read Christopher Nolan's farewell letter to the Batman Franchise here, and explore some of the Easter eggs hidden in TDKR.