So the Dark Knight Rose

Leah Marie and I had a rare outing without the Things today. A generous couple watched them while we attended The Dark Knight Rises. First, let me say that I have a lot of respect for Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker. He is a master of his craft, and right now, it seems like he can do no wrong with a script and while sitting behind the camera. When I review a film, I tend to speak in generalities so as not to give anything away, so forgive me. The film started perfectly, and the tension built at an even pace until the payoff. It was, in every way, as epic as I had hoped it would be. Tom Hardy rocked the screen as Bane. Without an epic bad guy, most movies of this type completely fail for me. The villain must be every bit the man and sometimes more the man than the hero is. While Tom Hardy will not receive the same recognition that Heath Ledger did in his powerhouse performance as the Joker, Hardy does not stand in the shadow of that performance. For one, he is physically too big. I read that Hardy packed on 30 pounds of muscle to play the role. Well, he certainly flexed every bit of that muscle and some acting muscle to deliver a performance worthy to play opposite Bale's Batman. I loved the film, from the development of the story to the interwoven subplots. In the end, it was tightly wrapped up. I will admit that it left me a little wanting. It is not, for me, as good as The Dark Knight. Not just because of Ledger's performance, but because that film was a rare breed where everything worked to a perfection that one rarely finds in film. It's far too much to explain in even a long post, so I won't attempt to do it here. However, I will say that The Dark Knight is one of the best films I have ever seen. It might even be the best film I have ever seen, so no one should be shocked to hear that I still like it the best of Nolan's Batman films. However, The Dark Knight Rises is worth every moment. Another great story filled out with great performances and a fitting end, even if there was a nagging feeling inside for something a little more. What that something is, I can't put my finger on, but whatever it is, it does not take away from a film that tries hard to be everything it can be and tries hard to surpass what Nolan accomplished in the second film and mostly succeeds.