Cinematic Releases: The Dark Knight Rises

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The Dark Knight Rises
Bigger. Better. Sleeker. More fluid. These are the words I would use to describe Christopher Nolan's stunning conclusion to his Batman trilogy. Not only do these words define the film, but they will resonate in my mind every time I think of the epic tale that finally adds closure to this modern day crime saga.

As a fan of the first two films in this trilogy, I had a hard time swallowing the fact that Nolan might have something special up his sleeve with his final entry in the franchise. At times, I was extremely outspoken about the lack of excitement in the trailers. The film looked devoid of action and just plain stagnant. I was wrong. Dead wrong. The Dark Knight Rises is Nolan's best work to date and will go down in history as the best in this franchise.

The action moves at a frenetic pace but is much more defined this time as the best sequences take place during the daytime. This is a definite change in tone from the The Dark Knight and a positive one at that. Nolan made an obvious choice to make this a sleeker film with a different dynamic, for both character and environment. Yet, it still maintains Nolan's distinct vision of a real world Batman.

Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker was undoubtedly a great performance and probably the best part of The Dark Knight. However, his character lacked a back story which ultimately made him a more mysterious and much darker figure, but without defined ambition. This time around, we get some background on our villains, taking the game play to a much higher level with a much stronger foundation in great story telling. Bane has a method to his sinister madness unlike The Joker and his love for sheer anarchy. This increases the stakes and makes for a thrilling ride through the back streets of Gotham City.

The Dark Knight Rises will definitely go down as the best in this franchise and will undoubtedly spawn countless wasted hours as studio execs ponder the ways to continue and/or reboot. Personally, I say let the Batman rest for a while and bring him back when he is most needed...................Gotham will need him again, one day.

Edit: The one major complaint I have about the film is Bane's voice. After tweaking the original vocal track, I think they could have made his voice much clearer.

Related Article: Dear Nolan Fans, Shut Up.

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