The Dark Knight Rises ☆☆☆☆☆

First off I'd like to say that if you have seen Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, enjoyed them but are thinking 'I'll wait for the DVD' for this one then DON'T. Catch it while you can on the big screen, it is entirely worth it.
If you haven't seen either but are intrigued I'd recommend the entire series, if only to get to see this final film.

Next I need to point out that I absolutely cannot review this film without spoilers so this should be as far as you read if you have not seen TDKR yet.

So to reiterate: SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

Ahem.

As there are multiple spoilers I will not give the usual run down of the plot, rather just launch in with why I thought it deserved five stars.

Even though it has been four years since the last Batman film there is hardly a difference between the execution or the special effects, and that is because Christopher Nolan rather wisely stayed clear of the pull of 3D. I personally thank him because I cannot watch 3D movies without obtaining a splitting headache, but equally the rest of the world and Batman fans everywhere should thank him for not creating effects for the enjoyment of the 3D audience. I could see if the studio had demanded 3D that the Bat would have flown over our heads, the footballer running from the disintegrating earth would have run into our laps, and Anne Hathaway's boobs would have been in our faces somehow.

The continuation of the story from The Dark Knight was pretty seamless, one can only imagine had Heath Ledger not died then perhaps The Joker would have made a return as Cillian Murphy's scarecrow does, playing the manic Judge, Jury and Executioner that Tom Hardy's bright new world of Gotham demands.

Tom Hardy, what can I say? When I could understand him I was mesmerised by the Sean Connery-esque lilt, and even when I had no idea what he was saying I remained fairly terrified. He was enigmatic (helped by the mask holding his face together) and engaging, a thrilling figure on screen. The bulk of his presence is more than enough proof to the audience that he could kill Batman. Seriously, Hardy has shoulders you could be carried on for weeks. The emotion too that is conveyed by Hardy's eyes is consuming, the tears at the end are almost heartbreaking enough to make you forget he has broken a great many necks in this film.

Marion Cotillard is a convincing femme fatale, the one who seems to be so right for the broken Bruce but instead is his mightiest enemy, the one who gets him killed. I adore Cotillard and am happy she appears to have become a darling of Hollywood as, as much as I love the French language, it is nice to not have to read the screen when she is on it. The back story of Cotillard's Miranda is compelling, and although I thought Bane was not the child of Ra's Al Ghul but actually his protector, I must admit I did not see it coming that Cotillard was that child, despite not being entirely sure of her as a good guy.

As for the actual good guys in this movie I LOVED both Hathaway's Catwoman (who is notably never called so) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Robin (who is only referred to by this name at the end). I was unfortunate to see one of those occasionally hilarious Meme's that revealed who JGL's character really was, but it did not spoil anything really. His performance as Blake, the cop who knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman and still believes in him, is brilliant. He is another actor I cannot get enough of and is ageing ridiculously well, whilst Nolan gives him the roles of his life so far. That final scene of his going up into the Bat Cave was so tantalising as well - you just wanted the film to carry on with Robin, something that no one would have said about Chris O'Donnell's boy wonder.

Anne Hathaway is fantastic as Selina Kyle, the cat burglar who has gotten in with the wrong kind of people. Though the loudmouth next to me in the cinema proclaimed 'she's not as good as Michelle Pfeiffer' I have to vehemently disagree. Pfeiffer was part of Tim Burton's Batman world, a crazy and more fantastical realisation who is rejuvenated by her many cats when she suffers a near fatal accident.
Hathaway embodies the realism of Nolan's vision for Batman, and actually upon further reading on the character her Selina Kyle is the closest to the original comic book creation. If anything could turn a straight girl gay it would probably be seeing Anne Hathaway in that skin tight leather catsuit, Hardy's shoulders were just enough to stop me falling over that line but seriously, that suit was entirely unforgiving and hats off to Hathaway for looking as amazing as she did.

Hathaway kicked serious butt in this movie, and she did it in six inch heels. A fantastic performance and a worthy adversary-come-perfect partner for Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne.

Ah Christian Bale, though out-done on shoulder muscles by Mr Hardy he does still cut a pretty fine figure on screen. A recluse at the start he is reminiscent of an old man shuffling about his mansion in depression. When he finally puts the Batman suit on and comes sweeping in I actually beamed, it was so exciting to see him back. Bale is an incredible actor and manages to balance the gravelly voiced Batman with the broken Billionaire with great skill, you can see him positively light up when Hathaway's Selina makes her first impression upon his life.

The relationship between Bruce and Selina I couldn't get enough of - I wanted more banter and more screen time between the two. Bale and Hathaway matched each other on cock-sure confidence, wit, and emotion. I knew the ending would be of the two of them and the romantic in me beamed yet again as Bruce Wayne finally gets his happy ending with a woman to challenge and excite him without making him feel guilty for his sacrifices.

The recurring characters, apart from Batman of course, are the indomitable figures of Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman. Each carry on the spirit with which they began the trilogy, Caine as the father-figure who has to break Bruce's heart to make him move forward, Freeman the genius who sucks Bruce back into living with more toys for the Batman (including the coolest flying machine ever), and Oldman as Commissioner Gordon who has sacrificed his family the same way Bruce Wayne has sacrificed any chance of having one - by staying remote and on edge with the lies about Harvey Dent.
They are all brilliant, but then men of their stature in Hollywood would not be anything less. Caine is particularly wonderful as the father-figure who can never be as close to the boy he sees as his son as a real father can be.

Now this film is not without its faults. Toward the end there are a series of shots that seem to have been edited together a little hastily so that I was confused at when exactly Cotillard had gone 'missing', how close the Research and Development basement was to the hostages and how Fox and Bruce could get there without incurring more fighting. But these are trivial really in the grand scheme of the film and understandable as the film is a hefty 165 minutes in length already, although I could have easily watched another 30minutes.

Christopher Nolan has done a masterful job in my opinion with the Batman franchise. I have commented before in reviews that I am a Marvel girl through and through, but the Nolan's Batman trilogy could have been invented by the brothers and no one would be any the wiser (Jonathan co-wrote the latter two films). They are so much more than comic book adaptations and have been a strong addition to the DC franchise, making up for the embarrassing previous incarnations of the caped crusader.

Though I do not want to go into heavy detail of why these special effects were exceptional (the sewer bombs were just fantastic and that football field being demolished from below? stunning), I want to make a special mention of The Bat. This vehicle (can I call it a vehicle?) is incredible, it doesn't look like a bat in the slightest, more like one of those flying beetles, but even then you think someone with the time, money, and ingenuity could make something like this work. THAT is the real touch of genius that Nolan and his brother have brought to these films, there is something at the back of your mind that thinks 'yeah, one day, that could happen in Bill Gates' basement'.

Special effects and scenery aside (Gotham looks more like Manhattan film by film), the characters are what make this film worth watching. The dialogue is slick and never cheesy, there is humour and emotion in the words and the performances, and there are more British actors in this than you can shake a stick at, you just have to spot them.

I loved each and every performance. I loved each and every scene. Hathaway and Gordon-Levitt are my stand out stars but they do not steal their scenes...well Hathaway does sometimes.

I had no intention of owning any of the Batman films (let alone Green Lantern or Superman) but I think I may have to rethink my stance on DC. Nolan has certainly convinced me with this final offering that Batman is worth investing your time in, and some shelf space.