Real Talk By: Vex aka Primo Grande

When I first heard that Batman was being re-booted I was amongst the group of folks that could care less. Tired of the cartoon-esque portrayal of Batman, and other various character inaccuracies. Then one day my cousin El Padrino convinced me it was worth a watch. He is one of the few people on this planet who shares the same love for movies and quality of presentation. Needless to say I was impressed and looked forward to Nolan’s up-coming films. The second Batman film was good as-well, but maybe a little over hyped in my mind.

The story in the third installment is the weakest out of all the three films. The film attempts to tug at our social strings by presenting us with a battle of the financial classes. The script offers parts full of action from time to time but are quickly followed by sections that just seem to drag along. Nolan seems to have  forgotten he was making a Batman film and borrowed from some of his other works. While I enjoy Nolan’s more realistic approach to Batman the plot holes and un beliveable “did that just happen moments?” make you question his vision. Nolan’s Batman films are held to a higher standard than just a comic book blockbuster, that’s why I am reviewing this as a film and not just a movie. I wonder if it was Nolan’s approach in the last two films that raised expectations that perhaps could not be met?

Perhaps it can be blamed on how the third film recycles the prison liberation story from Batman Begins and throws in some uninspired additional writing. I for one blame the lack luster villains. Cat woman was the most entertaining of the bunch but still lacked the punch of previous villains in the franchise. While Bane was presented as a El Che wanna be, he came across more like El Que?  Other characters in the film which I wont mention to keep it spoiler free, add just enough depth to the film to keep it from falling apart. It may seem that I am being harsh but in all fairness this is not just a critique of the film. Nolan has no doubt raised the bar for comic book movies films what have you, but also seems to have forgotten about the characters he has been entrusted with.

It is sad when a director thinks that he is bigger than the characters in his movies, and ruins substance with a predictable vision. Nolan brought much from his approach on Inception to this film and it just doesn’t work. I once praised his film making style but it has grown quite predictable, literally knew the ending halfway into the film. While I appreciated his more realistic approach at first, now you wonder if that is what Batman needed. Batman has a wide range of villains that perhaps don’t meet Mr. Nolan’s reality standards, and this is were I believe he lost track. We go to movies to be entertained whether it’s explosions action story violence sex drugs or all of the above. Some movies are for thinkers and some for the part of the population that just wants to see s#!t go boom. Nolan has made it very clear his trilogy was for thinkers but failed to deliver a proper closing.

Don’t get me wrong this is a good movie but a sub par film. I recommend this movie to anybody not invested into Batman and more into Nolan’s trade mark  interpretation ending films. People who enjoyed the first Dark knight will probably have mixed feelings about this one. I think it’s fair to say it’s not worth 15.00 dollars but still watch it at the movies, there are some larger than life sequences. This by far better than any other Batman by other director’s but also suffers from the director’s formula. This film would have been better if shorter than it’s almost three hour run, but I can’t discuss what should be cut because that treads into spoiler territory. All things considered tho’ this is still a good Batman movie, it is one of Nolan’s worst.

The Dark Knight Rises Gets

3 Out of 5

What’s Legit?

+Tim Burton wasn’t the director.

+Larger than life fight sequences.

+Great cinematography.

What’s Perpetrating?

-Plot holes that can’t be overlooked.

-Botched ending.

-Nolan’s forgetting that this was a Batman film and not another Nolan find muck.

Follow me @Vexamillion_TLR