A little bit of politics. A little bit of Drama. A whole lot of noise. The Dark Knight Rises, but the trilogy hits a low.
The Dark Knight Rises hurls Tom Hardy’s Bane into view, a revolutionary bent on uniting the oppressed masses against the capitalists and authorities who keep them under control. It’s a predictable shot at political commentary, one inspired by Dicken’s Tale of Two City’s, whose ending the film quotes. Unfortunately, the film’s political message is garbled as Bane, who supposedly serves as a liberator of the people, seems willing to blow them all up, which surely doesn’t help the vote. To be fair, though, given Bane’s horrendous diction he’d likely make a terrible leader anyway. . .but I digress.
The film, which runs at two hours 45 minutes, often feels like an exercise in suspending disbelief, most notably when Bane chooses not to kill Batman when he clearly has the opportunity. . . . well, I guess there’s just no accounting for the logic of ad guys.
Probably the biggest flaw in The Dark Knight Rises, however, is Bane. He’s boring. Previous bad guys in the trilogy were wonderful and memorable characters; the only thing Bane will be remembered for is his tragic voice. There’s simply no excuse for a blockbuster movie to have incomprehensible dialogue.
Batman was right to begin; the original movie in this trilogy was exceptional, but it’s been downhill from there. If you love big and loud movies, then you’ll be satisfied, but If you’re like me and crave some purpose to your story, you’re going to leave the cinema feeling painfully hungry.