The Dark Knight Rises

It's been too long. 8 years too long since Gotham has seen Batman and 10 days too long for me to see The Dark Knight Rises, but I have seen it now and yes my mind was blown. Although most of you reading this have probably seen the film, for those who haven't this review is spoiler free.

'Eight years on after the events of The Dark Knight, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.' This plot is a vague outline of the film but like all Christopher Nolan films there is much more happening then you first think. Although this is a story about Batman and Bruce Wayne, a lot of time is given to the supporting characters as their arcs have a huge impact in the end. New supporting characters to the final instalment of The Dark Knight Trilogy include Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake. Both proving essential to the plot and both being nothing but awesome.

A lot of people have been saying that Anne Hathaway steals the show but for me it is Joseph Gordon-Levitt who has a much larger part in the film then I first anticipated and as usual he gives an incredible performance. Anne Hathaway is still very good though. Although never referred to as Catwoman, her take on the character is the best yet, she is kick ass and gets most of the gags. All of the performances in the film were top notch as well. Christian Bale as usual gives a thrilling performance that brings Bruce Wayne's story full circle. Micheal Caine as Alfred is just perfect as is Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox and Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon.

Tom Hardy also plays a great villain. The Joker is out and this time Bane is in. Unlike previous villains, Bane is a physical challenge for Batman, bringing some awesome fight sequences that will make you hold your breath in agonising awe of the end result. That's the great thing about Nolan's Batman films, unlike other superhero films you don't know whether your hero will make it out of the film alive. Tom Hardy is just great and is really menacing in the role, no wonder all of Gotham is scared of him. The guy is the new Darth Vader but with a foreign accent and less breathing problems. I also had no problem with hearing the lines as was previously feared from early footage. Even Batman's voice was slightly toned down making it less laughable.

The film still has a serious tone and theme that the previous films had but this still has quite a few laughs and feels a lot more like a comic book movie then The Dark Knight did, not completely though. This still is a long way off the tone of The Avengers which makes comparing them very hard as both feel completely different. You could even argue that this wasn't even a superhero movie as we don't even see Batman for the middle section of the film, emphasising the fact that this is Bruce Wayne's story. If this wasn't a Batman film it would still be as good!

As usual, Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is spot on and really heightens emotions throughout the long film. A long film that never bores and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Although it was 10 minutes longer then The Dark Knight it definitely did not feel like it at all!

Being the final instalment of Christopher Nolan's trilogy the ending had to round off all the character stories he had created in the first two films and it certainly did this and more! The final act of the film for me was completely perfect and gave me goosebumps throughout and even a few tears to my eyes. An ending that was more then I could have hoped for as a farewell to a Batman that will go down in cinema history. It lives up to its hype and is one of the best films of the year so far. To me The Dark Knight is a fraction better but never the less The Dark Knight Rises is definitely a 5/5.

Thanks for reading!

P.S I am happy to announce that my blog in now a member of LAMB, The Large Association of Movie Blogs. I would like to say thank you to LAMB for accepting me and thank you to all those who are now reading this after being directed from the site, I hope you carry on reading all my posts to come!

Arising The Dark Knight

Most of the world is anticipating the release of The Dark Knight Rises this coming week and hopefully all expectations will be met! Those expectations are high though, especially after the masterpiece which was The Dark Knight, argued to be one of the best superhero movies ever made! The universe Christopher Nolan has created for Batman is a million miles away from other incredible films in the genre such as The Avengers. Batman deserves a decent send off and if anybody is going to do this threequel justice it is the same man that brought him into this new world. The man who hasn't made a bad film yet! In this post I am going back to the first two films and finding out what made them great and what will make the third greater. In Nolan we trust.

Batman Begins
I remember enjoying this film when I first watched it but because of the other colourful and campy superhero films out at the time it never stuck in my mind the way it does now. Maybe it was because I was younger and now that I am a bigger film fan I realise how awesome this movie is! Rewatching this makes me realise how special this version of the Batman is. Nolan takes the character who's previous incarnations had a wide range of being hit or miss. Best we forget nipple suited George Clooney, no matter how much I love that man!

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne was brilliant choice as he really throws himself into the role, as is expected from the method actor who bulked up to play the role. Other great casting includes Michael Caine, Liam Neeson and Cillian Murphy.

The great thing about this film was that it took Batman and brought him into a Gotham that was believable, even the Batmobile was created in real life and was originally being designed for the armed forces.

The scarecrow was a great villain and kept with the theme of fear and coming to terms with it. It is not a perfect film but not all origin stories are. It does take ages for Bruce to don the cape and cowl! Action is solid and most of the acting is too. A great film but unlike the next it is not perfect.

The Dark Knight
Now my first viewing of this film was completely different to how I viewed Batman Begins. The Dark Knight blew me away. I didn't know what to expect from this film but after the first viewing I couldn't wait to watch it all over again! The story, acting and film making is just spot on. This is one of my favourite films ever, I cannot describe how much I love it! I may not be as big a fan of the character of Batman as I am of Spider-Man but this film was just full on awesome!

Heath Ledger's performance is just incredible, his version of the Joker is now one of cinemas greatest and one of the best cinematic villains ever. Everything about this film is perfect, the only thing that is a bit off is Batman's voice which seems a bit over the top but will hopefully be toned down for the threequel.

Incredible.

The Dark Knight Rises

Well the wait is almost over. The final instalment in the Dark Knight Trilogy. This could be the highlight of Christopher Nolan's career and hopefully will be his best film yet! I trust Nolan even if I was bit iffy with his decision to include Catwoman in the mix. I'm confident Anne Hathaway will do an excellent job though. This time the villain is Bane played by Tom Hardy who is a brilliant actor and I can't wait to see what he does. A flying vehicle called the Bat has also been included and this promises to bring some exciting new action sequences. Trailers look awesome and the 13 minute featurette just blew me away. I love Nolan's work on using old school techniques in modern day blockbusters.

Unfortunately I won't be seeing this until I get back from my holiday late July. Which means my review may not be up until August. I am sure it will be worth waiting for!

So amped for this, best film of the year/ever? I blooming hope so! I wasn't looking forward to this as much as I am now at the start of the year as I was worried as to whether Nolan could pull it off or not, but... In Nolan we trust.

Although on holiday I do have a post ready to be released whilst I am away which contains reviews of two brilliant comedies, God Bless America and 21 Jump Street. So please keep an eye out for that on the 24th of July!

Thanks for reading!

What Would Travis Bickle Do?

The other day I was riding my bike to my girlfriends house. I was riding up a street, same as usual but there were two people standing on the pavement. A boy and a girl. As I rode past the boy spat at me and the girl called me a t**t. For no reason whatsoever! I did nothing, I just rode past. Secretly I wished I had worn my Spider-Man costume underneath my clothes so I could avenge myself. But unfortunately I didn't. Instead I was left angry and thinking, what would Travis Bickle do?

Martin Scorsese's big breakthrough character, Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. In my eyes Travis Bickle was Scorsese's version of Batman. The most realistic version of Batman there could be, even more then Christopher Nolan's version. His aim: To wipe the scum off the street of New York. Imagine if he was real. Imagine if he was today.

He would be disgusted and he would be angry, imagine what he would do to the two people who spat and swore at me? - Only imaginable in Martin Scorsese's mind! But what if he wasn't alone? What if he was with another American psycho Patrick Bateman.Only he is more messed up about wiping the scum off the street, or anyone in that case. But unlike Travis Bickle he has money. This is team up that can only be made in dreams. But if The Avengers movie is anything to go by studios may think up some pretty awesome team ups!?

Our society nowadays has become more and more divided economically and with the increase of superhero films it won't be long till some messed up person takes a stand against the higher powers or the people who need to be taught a lesson, like the two people I met!

Secretly I think everyone wants to take a stand but maybe not in the way Travis and Patrick did!