The Dark Knight Rises

By: Christopher Nolan (director), Christian Bale, Michael Kane, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cottilard, Jospeh Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy (stars)

The Story: Batman has been out of commission for 8 years, but when some other bloke in a mask tries to take over Gotham, Bruce Wayne puts his back on.

The Review: The Dark Knight was better. Let’s just get that out of the way so that we don’t have to question “which of Nolan’s Batman films was the best.” In fact, in many ways Batman Begins is better too. However, this does not mean, in any way, that Dark Knight Rises was a bad film. It survived the Curse of Three! Now the question is how to review the damn thing without giving anything away. The first problem is quite simply that there was no way it could live up to its predecessor. I actually went to the Trilogy Event hosted by AMC and watched all 3 in a row–great for being able to see all those connections big and small….but it also makes Rises have to live up to both films immediately instead of in retrospect. The Dark Knight is just so damn good that when Dark Knight Rises starts, your anticipations and expectations are staggering. Some of them are fulfilled…but enough aren’t.

The Dark Knight – Movie Review

This has been the best summer for superhero movies. Ever.

Falling in the same league of greatness as Iron Man and Hellboy 2, The Dark Knight holds up just as strong. Though truth be told, the movie doesn’t really feel like a superhero movie. Sure, there is a hero running around in a costume (occasionally unintentionally looking humorous), and a villain intent on madness and mayhem, but in a post-9/11 world, the amount of terror that the Joker brings to the city of Gotham feels frighteningly real. With no superpowers, no random freak accidents, no displays of too-futuristic technology (there is some, but like in Iron Man, the technology seems genuine and believable, even if we don’t actually have it yet), this movie seems almost plausible.

But what makes the movie most enjoyable is the almost non-stop suspense. The Joker makes it apparent very early that he does not hesitate to kill and shows no mercy. As such, nearly every character featured is placed in a life-threatening situation, and some do die. Adding to the suspense is the slow and gradual revelation of the many facets of the Joker’s plan. This causes me to ask “Do you think he plans it all out ahead, or makes it up as he goes along?” (And yes, I stole that from Pirates of the Caribbean.) Not only is The Joker an extremely well written character, Heath Ledger is perfect for the part. As much as Robert Downey Jr. was Tony Stark, Heath Ledger is the Joker. It is therefore both satisfying and saddening that this is his final role. This is by-far the best super-villain adaption to grace the silver screen yet.

Yet with all the focus on The Joker, it feels as though he is the main character – and indeed, he may be. Harvey Dent seems to be the other chief player, as we see the major evolution (or is it devolution?) of his character. Both characters maintain a believable persona, and while extreme, they never seem over-the-top. Batman seems to take side stage as he’s put more on a reactionary role to the various crimes of The Joker and other gangsters. Nonetheless, Batman is successfully able to display the symbol of heroism that he is throughout the film.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this film, my main complaint can be summarized in three words: “Why so serious?” The Dark Knight is perhaps the most aptly named movie that I have seen because it is simply that: dark. Between all the scenes of grungy crime, of terror-filled suspense, and occasional grotesqueness, there is very little room for any humor. Given this is supposed to be a depressing film, but its serious overtone seems to weigh it down in several places. Even in the rare moments when we do get a chuckle, it is almost always the result of dark humor. Am I the only one who thinks edge-of-your-seat movies can still make you laugh? Cloverfield sure did. (Grade: A-)

-M. Staples

A Second Opinion

I am sure most of you now know what the movie is about so let me just cut to the chase and say that The Dark Knight actually manages to live up to the hype. Heath Ledger IS that good as The Joker and his Oscar worthy performance should go down as one for the ages. The grounded storyline IS a crime epic that manages to transcend the comic book trappings in just about every way. The cast IS that good, as everyone brings their “A” game to each and every scene.

To be totally honest, the only complaints I can think of have to do with the nature of Batman in general. As Staples mentions in his review, there are moments where Batman feels just a touch out of place amongst the deadly serious, realistic tone of the film. Also, Bale’s “Batman voice” works well enough, but when given lots of dialogue to speak in that voice, it comes off as forced and a bit silly. These are minor complaints, however, and I only mention them to justify why I did not give the film an A+ instead of…(Grade: A)

-Kyle Posluszny

A Third Opinion

This is easily the best comic book movie ever made. It’s also the best movie of 2008 (so far). When stripped down, the movie’s a crime drama with just a hint of superheroics (and super villainy) thrown in as dressing. Its relevant subject matter – the post 9/11 theme – is disturbing, yet compelling. A lot of people compare this movie to Michael Mann’s Heat, and I agree with that. And while there may be some parallels the two movies share, The Dark Knight easily stands on its own as a superior offering (not to mention more unique).

This version of The Joker is perhaps the scariest incarantion yet. He’s not a man transformed, nor is he a man with an agenda. He’s pure chaos and when he says that all law abiding citizens are just a small push away from becoming just like him, it’s easy to believe. Throughout the movie, The Joker uses this mantra to test the law, the citizens, and all the key players that dwell in Gotham City. And in the end, he’s proven wrong on a broad scale. But the damage he inflicts to Gotham’s infrastructure is undeniable. Everyone who survives his onslaught of terror is changed morally for the worse. No one is left unscathed, clean, or innocent.

I can’t say enough about how tight the script to this movie is. Never did I ever feel a single line of dialogue felt out of place or cheesey. The runtime definitely feels like two and a half hours by the end of the movie, but it’s by no means a slow movie. It’s just emotionally exhausting, and you’ll understand when you see what these characters go through. I won’t go into performances since you’ve probably read through all the initial buzz, but I will say the entire cast is spot on perfect. Because of Heath Ledger’s untimely demise, most of the attention is being directed towards his performance which is brilliant. However, I must stress that Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart do beyond exceptional work as well.

I can’t see Christopher Nolan making a better Batman movie than this. Part of me just wants him to hang it up and move on to something else. But another part of me never wants his unfettering vision of Gotham City to ever die. Because a super hero movie has never felt so grounded. So real. No other villain will ever be able to challenge Batman at this level. The only person I can see Batman taking on next and having some semblance of urgency is Superman (Dark Knight Returns style). (Grade: E for Epic)

– J. Montes

Wanted – Movie Review

During the production of this movie I heard the script would be only faithful to the comic “in spirit”. Usually when movie studios follow this creed, the source material’s completely lost. It didn’t help that Mark Millar was uncharacteristically quiet too, only mentioning that he used the money he got from the studio to remodel his kitchen. Then there were the delays by Universal and talks of reshoots. Things didn’t seem to be boding well for Wanted. But lo and behold, the movie has finally seen release. And you know what? It’s actually not that bad! James McAvoy does a very good job of going from lovable loser to hardcore assassin, and the transformation he goes through is pretty convincing.

For fans of the book, I’d say the first quarter of the movie is faithful to comic. From there, it spirals into unknown territory. We don’t know if Wesley is going to run into his dead father again and there are certainly no signs of super villains. As a summer blockbuster, however, this movie is loaded with action. Some of it works, like a harrowing train scene where Wesley and Fox confront their elusive target, while other sequences (like just about anytime there’s an on-foot chase scene or a car chase) fail due to horrible editing and so much shaking camera antics that it may make you throw up. The story? It’s nothing special. For those who haven’t read the comic, there’s a nice twist in the latter half of the movie that’ll be a nice treat. Having read the book, I was hoping to see it, and was actually caught off guard when it happened.

There’s a lot of dark humor, violence, and language to merit Wanted a strong “R” rating. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a movie like this, and I applaud Universale for taking a chance and “growing a pair”, as Wesley would say. It’s a fun, unapologetic, entertaining movie. And yes, Wesley’s little jab at the audience is in there too (though not as controversial and degrading). See it with a big crowd if you can and your enjoyment will be exponentially better. (Grade: B)

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

Part of me is curious as to why Universal even bothered to use the Wanted name, as it could have easily had a new action franchise on its hands. That said, I had a blast watching the flick regardless.  The actors clearly had a great time making the movie and it shows throughout.  Angelina Jolie rocks as sexy assassin, Fox, James McAvoy proves he is leading man material, and Morgan Freeman nearly steals the entire movie with some well placed F-Bomb.

The action is fast, intense, and brutal in all the right ways.  The dialogue is sharp and, while it has some unnecessary moments, the story was told well.  This is really THE adult action blockbuster of the summer (actually, I think it’s the only one) and I recommend it to anyone looking for a superhero style flick for the more mature crowd. Wanted is one hell of an entertaining ride.  (Grade B+)

-Kyle Posluszny

The Dark Knight – Two new videos!

Check the exclusive alternate Comcast OnDemand trailer:

Also, the official website posted a small clip of Two-Face. You’ll have to click the “HA” of Gotham to access it.

Batman: The Dark Knight – HD Trailer

Simply mindblowing. Get it now in HD here.