Dark and Epic

Dark, Heavy, Epic.

That was my reaction to "The Dark Knight Rises." It was so good.

Last night I went with two of my brothers to see "The Dark Knight Rises." I was a little tentative about it, because I was not a fan of the last movie. The reason for this was the Joker.

The Joker has always been one of my favorite Batman villains, thanks to my having grown up watching "Batman: The Animated Series." As that show is my main frame of reference for the character, my idea of the perfect Joker is one who is dangerous and deranged, but at the same time, completely hilarious. The Joker in "The Dark Knight" was just disturbing. The only thing he did that I found funny was to dress up as a nurse, and that one scene wasn't enough for me to like the whole movie. Plus the end, having Batman take the blame for Harvey Dent's crime spree and then disappear, was just an overall depressing way to end a movie. I don't like movies with depressing endings.

Still, this was a Batman film, one of my top three favorite Superheros, so I couldn't NOT see it. Plus, because this was supposed to be the final film in a trilogy, so I was optimistic. They wouldn't end a trilogy badly would they? I went with high hopes, because I really wanted a good ending. I am so glad I did, because I got exactly what I wanted.

Aside from the fact that it was a Batman film, the other biggest reason I really wanted to see this movie was for Anne Hathaway. She's one of my favorite actresses, so when I heard she was playing Selena Kyle, AKA Catwoman, I instantly became 10 times more excited for the movie. She was amazing in the role, and I loved that they eventually made her into an "Anti-Hero" instead of a one dimensional villain. I love character growth. :) Probably my favorite scene is when she appears out of nowhere to save Batman. It's one of those moments where you just want to punch the air and cheer. :)

The main villain was Bane, and he was much better than I'd hoped. Bane has never been one of my favorite Batman villains. He's usually depicted as wearing a Lucha libre style mask, which to me is halfway ridiculous, so I liked that they changed the mask completely. This also involved changing the source of his "Powers." There are no real "Super-powers" in this trilogy, but they used his mask as a medical device that blocks pain in his body. He didn't use the venom serum to "Hulk Out" like most of his other incarnations, he just had this mask giving him painkillers 24/7. That combined with his incredible, but still allegedly, humanly achievable, strength, was what made him a formidable foe.

There was one other villain in the story, though for those of you who haven't yet seen the movie, I won't say who it is. The character goes by a different name for almost the entire film, and toward the end their real name is revealed. If you aren't familiar with some of Batman's more obscure foes, you probably won't have any idea of the twist that's coming, but halfway through the film I figured out who this person really was, so I felt quite gratified at the end to learn I was right.

This movie was SO much better than the last one. It was not a "Fun" Superhero movie, like Spider-Man, but it was still an amazing film. The effects were great and the sound was massive. It's not the kind of movie I usually like. It's very heavy through the whole movie, and there isn't any comedy to lighten the mood at all. But it is a gripping film, and the end was so good. I hesitate to call final act "Beautiful," but one scene came very, very close, and I'm pretty sure that someone behind me needed a Kleenex. :p Oh, who am I kidding. After a movie that heavy, that scene WAS beautiful. I loved it. :)

If you are a Batman fan, you must see this movie. You will not regret it.