‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Review: A Beautiful War Epic

Christopher Nolan’s most recent and final addition to the now Dark Knight Trilogy has hit theaters and is expected to make some serious money.  The monumental success of comic book movies over the past two decades has made way for blockbuster action stories like never before.  Most recently, ‘The Avengers’ and ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ have been praised while setting world box office records.  ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ will not be an exception to this phenomenon, but Nolan’s newest film is much more than a comic book movie.  It is a war epic masterpiece full of inspiration, hope, and heart, outmatching every superhero film to date including its own predecessors.

When we last left Nolan’s Batman universe, The Joker had been caught, Harvey Dent was dead, and Batman was wanted for murder.  ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ picks up eight years after the events of ‘The Dark Knight’ and we find Bruce Wayne reclusive, retired in his billionaire mansion.  When the evil and muscled up mastermind Bane sets out to destroy Gotham, Wayne must don the cape and cowl once again to save the city from total annihilation.

     The writing and story of the film is an intricately woven cohesive narrative offering the audience a chance to engage personally in the final outcome.  Much like ‘The Dark Knight,’ there are exhilarating twists and unexpected turns but with the added notion that nothing has been held back.  Nolan puts all the cards on the table this time, positioning the audience into a mind-set of finality, and the stakes are very very high.  In terms of storytelling and audience investment, it just doesn’t get much better than ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ 

The all-star cast delivers like never before.  Christian Bale reminds us of his skill in performance duality, playing both the billionaire playboy and menacing detective crime fighter and city savior with excellence.  Tom Hardy gives Darth Vadar a run for his money as the ultimate evil persona Bane.  And much like the late Heath Ledger did with his performance as The Joker, Anne Hathaway quiets concerned fans by giving one of the best live-action Catwoman portrayals of all time.  

Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman return in their respective roles, and it should come as no surprise that they deliver unprecedented performances.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt shines as John Blake, a beat cop and major player in the quest to save Gotham, while Marion Cotillard impresses viewers as the wealthy business woman Miranda Tate.  If there is anything to be negatively criticized about the cast’s performances, it would be Cotillard’s strange final seconds on screen, but with all things considered, this is a very minor flaw. 

   The scope of action in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ goes well beyond anything ever done before.  By the time Bane is done ravaging the city, Gotham is all but reduced to rubble.  With the use of massive city explosions, car chases, flight battles, heat seeking missiles, bridge and football field detonations, an entire city held hostage, and a climax that involves hundreds of people battling in the streets of Gotham, Nolan has has made the ultimate war epic movie.  There is not a negative thing to be said about the colossal action in this film.

Ultimately, there are two major drawbacks to ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’  The first one being the absence of Heath Ledger, for which obviously no one is to blame.  The reason ‘The Dark Knight’ stood out from your standard comic book movie was because of Ledger’s exceptional maniacal performance as The Joker.  As great as ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is, one cannot help but wonder what could have been had the late actor been involved.  The second and more discerning drawback is the lack of character history for Catwoman.  There is very little information given with regards to her background and her motives.  With such rich comic book source material to work with, it would have been nice to see some of her history played out on screen.  To its credit, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ offers plenty of wonderful Bane backstory, and the film does top out at nearly 3 hours.  Perhaps the writers felt the main antagonist was more deserving of character development, and such a decision is most understandable.      

Indeed, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ offers sophisticated and high-stakes story, near perfect onscreen performances, and unparalleled action sequences, but in the end, what really makes the film special is its ability to trigger a genuine heartfelt sentiment from the audience.  Movie-goers can expect to walk away feeling entirely emotionally fulfilled, and it is this element of the film that will ensure ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made.  In the same sense, The Dark Knight Trilogy will undoubtedly find a rightful place next to the original Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings as a trilogy for a generation.  Don’t put it off a second longer.  Go enjoy this masterpiece. 

    

'The Amazing Spider-Man' Review: Finally, the webslinger done well.

The latest blockbuster from Columbia Pictures, “The Amazing Spider-Man,” is a refreshing new start for the popular comic-book character.  The Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man trilogy that preceded this film was an outright disgrace to those who know and love the Spider-Man mythos.  In this 4th and latest installment to the franchise, writer James Vanderbilt and director Marc Webb are extremely respectful to the source material, and the few liberties they take work very well.  “The Amazing Spider-Man” is the first live-action Spider-man film that does the character justice.  With very few flaws, the film offers a solid story, strong characters played by an even stronger cast, intense action, stunning visual effects, and well-timed comedy.  

           

Set in modern day New York City, high-school teenager Peter Parker finds a clue that could lead him to the truth about his parents’ death.   This path puts him on a collision course with Dr. Kurt Conners, a scientist turned giant lizard whose evil plan threatens the entire city.   After being bitten by a radioactive spider, Parker dons the infamous spandex costume and becomes the hero we all know and love.  “The Amazing Spider-Man” is yet another origin story, but the evolution of Parker’s superpowers is done quickly, and is done well.  Before you know it, Spidey is web slinging through the city and fighting crime. 

The story pushes the audience’s imagination, asking us to believe some pretty far-fetched ideas.  In some areas, this is done impeccably.  In others; it’s a little hard to accept.  For example, Parker’s blue-eyed blonde love interest Gwen Stacey is coincidentally involved in many aspects of the hero’s trials.  Her father just happens to be the chief of police, and her boss just happens to be the main villain.  On the other hand, Parker’s development into his superhero persona is realistically handled, as is the development of his opposition.  Convincing an audience that a man can turn into a giant lizard is no easy task, but “The Amazing Spider-Man” pulls it off.  Both Connors and Stacey could have been more fleshed out to allow the audience a better bond with them and to better explain their motivations, but overall, they are strong supporting characters, and Connors is a worthy challenge for Parker to overcome. 

Although the story has some minor character development issues and believability hiccups, this is more than made up for by the onscreen performances.  Andrew Garfield is a phenomenal Peter Parker and Spider-man, light years ahead of Tobey Maguire.  Rhys Ifans’s interpretation of Dr. Conners is extraordinary while Emma Stone plays Gwen Stacey to perfection.  Likewise, Sally Field, Martin Sheen, and Denis Leary all deliver top-notch performances in their respective roles.  The entire cast is simply flawless.

Moreover, the cast isn’t the film’s only redeeming quality.  The visual effects, action sequences, and fight scenes are mind-blowing.  Occasionally, The Lizard looks a little too computer-generated, but apart from that, the visuals are top of the line.  Needless to say, Spidey swinging through the city in IMAX 3D with the occasional first person perspective is a beautiful thing to behold, and his battles with The Lizard are as fast-paced as they are intense. 

The Spider-Man character has a lot to offer the big screen.  This is the first time we’ve seen that potential tapped.  “The Amazing Spider-Man” is far from being the film that could be when considering the depths of the comics, but it’s a great start.  It’ll be very interesting to see where this franchise goes.  With a little luck and a lot of talent, we might get to see Mary Jane, Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Venom done properly.  Go see for yourself, but remember, this is a comic-book movie.  If that's your thing, “The Amazing Spider-Man” is more than worth the cost of admission, and if you’re going to do it, do it right.  See it in IMAX 3D. 

     

'Brave' Review: Pixar's new film misses the bullseye

The computer-animated adventure film Brave is a visual achievement, which is nothing new for Pixar.  Since the original Toy Story, Pixar has been on a roll, impressing audiences around the world with stunning animation. Brave is no exception.  In fact, visually speaking, Brave might be a cut above the rest.  The lead character's highly detailed orange hair bouncing off the luscious green Scotland landscape makes Brave a hard film to look away from, until you get bored of the story.  The reason why Pixar's latest films, Toy Story 3, Up, and Walle were such marvels was not because of the breathtaking animation.  It was their memorable stories and engrossing characters that made us fall in love.  In these areas, Brave falls flat.

Brave's story is as old as time.  Set in 10th century Scotland, the young princess and skilled archer Merida is to be betrothed to one of three quirky bachelors.  Naturally, Merida is far too independent to have life decisions made for her.  It's the classic tale of the princess that wants to live her own life and marry for love, not tradition.  There is nothing wrong with hashing out old stories.  If it worked once, it can work again, but rather than staying true to a familiar tale, Brave tries to throw a few story curveballs.  And it doesn't work.  
  

Instead of focusing on Merida's quest for independence, the writers chose to put heavy emphasis on her relationship with her mother, and that's the biggest problem.  Every good film sets up a series of insurmountable obstacles for the leading character to overcome.  Rarely does one obstacle take over the entire film.  Why?  Because it doesn't work and it's boring.  Merida's mother insists on sticking with tradition and intends to have her daughter married off, leading to a mother-daughter fallout.  No surprises there, but once that conflict is established, the remainder of the film is spent mending that relationship.  It's rarely a good idea to include two main goals for a film's protagonist, as each goal will take attention away from the other.  Brave leaves the audience wondering, is this a mother-daughter story, or a story about achieving independence?  Pixar tried for both, but did neither well. 


In addition to the mediocre storytelling, Brave also does a poor job with character development.  The film relies too much on comedic effect and does not spend enough time hashing out the characters.  Besides Merida and her mother, everyone is comic relief, making for an ensemble of one-dimensional supporting characters.  There is more than a few laughs to be had at the expense of Merida's clumsy father and the antics of her conniving triplet brothers, but they offer nothing else.  Likewise, Merida's three potential husbands and their fathers are just watered down versions of her own father with cheap gimmicks.

While much is to be admired in regard to its beautiful animation, Brave's story does not hold a candle to its Pixar predecessors.  The film will likely do well, as it caters to a young crowd, especially girls, but what makes the other Pixar films so fantastic is their appeal to a wide audience of children and adults of each gender.  Lets hope Brave is not a sign of things to come.


If you've seen Brave, I'd love to hear your take on it.  Leave your thoughts below.