The Dark Knight Rises: The grand saga comes to an end

The movie is not just about bat-gizmos but it has a deeper message in it; about heroism, sacrifice and courage.

Marryam Khan August 23, 2012
There’s a storm coming, Mr Wayne,” whispers Anne Hathaway into Bruce Wayne’s ear, “You and your friends better batten down the hatches, ’cause when it hits, you’re all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large, and leave so little for the rest of us.”

Encompassing current affairs from the Occupy Wall Street movement to terrorism, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Risesdelivers a relevant political message. Although, based on a fictional comic book series, the film’s concerns are very real and thought provoking from which it establishes itself as the story of our generation. With grand expectations pinned onto the last installment of the Batman trilogy, it was at high-risk of over-anticipation but it really came through and boy, was it with a bang.

[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASQqjK47c04]]

The director’s dark, gothic re-imagination of the comics is what sets it apart from other popular comic adaptations like The Avengers and The Incredible Hulk. Because in the end it’s not just about Batman’s ‘super powers’ or futuristic bat-gizmos- although we can’t deny that they were super cool to watch- The Dark Knight Rises is laced with a profound subtext, it tells the story of courage, heroism and sacrifice.



Tom Hardy captures the audience with his menacing performance as the iconic muzzled villain, Bane. Yet, just as he can evoke fear in the audience, he can evoke sympathy as a character with a poignant past and deeper story. Staying true to the original comics, he is presented as an intellectual orator with the ability to make his anti-establishmentarian motives seem rational.



The backdrop of dusky Gotham City paired with gritty imagery of the city’s underground nadirs and remote Middle Eastern prisons presents a bold visual experience. Hans Zimmer’s dynamic soundtrack accompanies the grandiose sets and action sequences to give birth to a spectacle of “intelligent escapism” as one critic describes.

Photo

I’ve personally never really been a fan of Anne Hathaway; I usually find her acting too dramatic and borderline annoying. However, as Cat Woman her performance is bearable, some might even like her in the role of the heroine.



Joseph Gordon-Levitt, on the other hand delivers a remarkably authentic performance as a rookie cop devoted to justice. Nolan’s choice to recast him and Marion Cotillard afterInception was a smart move and proved positive for the film.

Of course, an exceptionally compelling plot line can be expected from the director of Memento and Inception and surely The Dark Knight Rises is no exception. Running a hefty two and a half hours long, there is complex character development seamlessly interwoven with quite a few unforeseen twists. Now of course, I don’t want to spoil the ending, but all I can say is that it masterfully provides a sense of closure to not only the film itself, but the triptych saga.

So what’s the final verdict? When it comes to revamping the Batman series, Nolan knows best. He is an artist that transforms a comic into something more gothic and profound than we ever imagined possible. I will literally sell you my soul if you don’t enjoy this film.

Bat's all folks.

PHOTO: PUBLICITY/REUTERS.

Follow Marryam on Twitter @MarryamK
WRITTEN BY:
Marryam Khan The author is a fourth-year English Literature student at Queen's University from Kingston, Ontario. She Tweets @MarryamK .
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (18)

talal | 11 years ago | Reply nuclear bomb ending was bit over me u know, how could one get away from a nuclear bomb impack in the air, with only seconds left, even the batman itself cant repeat the feat again:)also talia character didnt turn out well enough for me, and ofcourse, the dark knight is the best batman ever...because only of ledger s performance. dark knight rises was all but physical in nature whereas the dark knight was in the mind and where batman was beaten in the mind of his...i like the mind one where u can defeat a persons mind is much more adept!
Tilopa | 11 years ago | Reply The backdrop of dusky Gotham City paired with gritty imagery of the city’s underground nadirs and remote Middle Eastern prisons presents a bold visual experience. Has the author even researched before writing this article? It was not a middle eastern prison but a prison in jaipur in rajashtan ,india built by a rajput king
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