The Dark Knight Rises Review

Batman's done. After three films, Christopher Nolan brings an end to the story of the caped crusader. And despite it's rather uninspired title 'The Dark Knight Rises' is a worthy send-off for one of cinema's most enduring and recognizable heroes. My hopes for this movie were high, especially when considering its predecessor which is probably the best superhero movie in recent memory.

That's probably why, at the end of this movie, I felt a little down. This is it, the ending to Nolan's series and I was not sure what to feel. Everything's there, every character reaches a fitting conclusion, so what the hell am I missing? Maybe a second viewing, one not hampered by unrealistic expectations, will diminish these feelings and make the movie stand out more clearly. 

It is, certainly, a very enjoyable film, worthy of the names of everyone involved. But a lack of focus seems to pervade the story. Parts of 'The Dark Knight Rises' are a mess, the middle suffers from its convoluted storytelling. An element which was already present, but a lot less distracting, in 'The Dark Knight'. This film's story could have been told much more effectively, which would've helped the impact of its conclusion.

As it stands the film is still very good. Nolan finds the perfect point of entry with Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) still dealing with the death of his true love at the hands of the Joker. Batman has dissappeared and is still held responsible for the death of Gotham's white knight Harvey Dent. Meanwhile on the other side of the world a terrorist named Bane is plotting his attack on the fair city.

Bane is an interesting character. He had to be, considering the villain that came before him. Heath Ledger's brilliant turn as the Joker is still fresh in our minds but Tom Hardy's Bane is something else. Here's a man the size of a gorilla, donning what appears to be a gas mask and he speaks with an unnervingly uncharacteristic voice. He's brutal but cunning, and for the first time ever we fear for Batman's life as an unrelenting Bane pummels him. In short, he's the Anti-Batman.

Joining him is another well-known character. Anne Hathaway offers us a delightfully sinister version of Catwoman. Considering the ending it is unfortunate that we don't get to spend more time with her character. Another new addition is Tom Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a young cop who might be more deserving of the batsuit than the grief-ridden Bruce Wayne.

Batman's three allies also return. Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Alfred (Michael Caine). All portrayed by veteran actors, these characters, with Alfred in particular, serve as the emotional core of the film. These are the men who have stood by Bruce Wayne and Batman and are about to be tested as well.

When the storm comes this film reveals itself to be a lot more loyal to its comic book origins than 'Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight'. The evil plot involves a nuclear bomb meant to level the city of Gotham. It might sound a little familiar but it works fine. Nolan knows how to dial up the tension and the film's climax is hugely entertaining because of it.

In conclusion, we leave Christopher Nolan's Batman on a hopeful note. The ending manages to tie everything up in a satisfying way. And, however unlikely, the prospect of sequel isn't out of the question. Seeing how things are at the end of 'The Dark Knight Rises' I'm not against the continuation of this story. This final film is an overly elaborate but very effective way of bringing this solid trilogy to a close.

The Amazing Spider-Man Review

'The Amazing Spider-Man' is a peculiar project, so before I begin my review I'd like to take a gander at its troubled history. A few years ago director Sam Raimi was gearing up for a fourth ‘Spider-Man’ film. Tobey Maguire was returning as the titular hero and the movie was already well into pre-production. However because of issues between Sony and the director the studio opted for a reboot instead. Subsequently Raimi and Maguire left the franchise to Sony’s mercy.

Meanwhile the appropriately named director Marc Webb came off his directorial-debut '(500) Days of Summer'. Sony saw something in this newcomer and handed the reigns of the would-be blockbuster to Webb. Filling the way too tight spandex suit this time is Andrew Garfield from 'The Social Network', also an up-and-comer.

I'm not a superhero kind a guy, really. My interests don't reach much further than the Batman movies so I wasn't bugged by the liberties this film takes with the original story. From the start I genuinely liked what I was seeing in the trailers for 'The Amazing Spider-Man'. Garfield seemed way more likeable than goody two-shoes Maguire and the tone of the film appeared to be slightly less goofy than Raimi's films. But still I was curious if audiences would take to a different version of the same story.

Now that I've seen it can I say that I liked this version a lot more. Sam Raimi's films, especially 'Spider-Man 2', are good but this is better. Supported  by a sympathetic cast, Marc Webb succeeds in bringing us one of the most entertaining summer blockbusters yet. Even though Spider-Man's origins have already been well-explored this latest incarnation manages to make it feel fresh and involving. It also scores points by aiming at the emotional core of the characters.

I was especially surprised by the touching scenes involving Garfield's Peter Parker and his aunt and uncle, played by Sally Field and Martin Sheen. It's been a while since we've seen such heartfelt moments in an action flick like this. It's apparent that Webb's focus lay on this element of the film and the action scenes suffer visibly. The editing in these adrenaline-fueled sequences is often too quick making it hard to follow exactly what's going on.

Of course, every superhero needs a baddie. In 'The Amazing Spider-Man' we get the one-armed scientist Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), a former collegue of Peter's lost father. When an experiment to regenerate his arm goes awry Connors turns into a huge humanoid lizard. This rather fantastic element clashes with the quite down-to-earth tone of the movie's first half. Luckily, it never seriously derails the movie and the confrontations between Spidey and the Lizard, especially the one taking place in Peter's high school, are very entertaining.

'The Amazing Spider-Man' also benefits from its score. Veteran film composer James Horner creates a memorable musical identity for our hero. It's great to hear some good thematic music in a major blockbuster instead of the bland industrial works of Hans Zimmer and his cronies. 

So did Marc Webb succesfully reboot a series which didn't really need to be rebooted? Yes, he did. Here's to hoping Webb's new series won't be cut short like Sam Raimi's.