The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Verdict: Forget this summer; the third instalment in Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy will be remembered as one of the most anticipated film events in history. Following the hugely successful first two Batman films, Nolan and his hugely talented ensemble of cast and crew were tasked with rounding out the series with a film that could live up to the global hype. And boy, did they. One of the greatest films I’ve ever seen, and I can’t imagine it gets much better than this.

Batman Begins surprised everyone upon release. Overnight, Christopher Nolan went from being known for mind-bending small-scale independent features like Memento, to a darling of the mainstream audiences; he became a superhero in his own right. The Dark Knight catapulted Nolan into the upper echelons of directors. Almost universally lauded as the greatest film of the last 10 years, TDK took the superhero genre to new heights by introducing a terrifying realism to Gotham. Heath Ledger’s legendary turn as The Joker will be remembered for as long as movies continue to be talked about and the sheer magnitude of the film was incredible. So how could it possibly be topped? Answer: with a topical storyline; with raw emotion of the like barely captured in mainstream cinema; with 60 minutes of stunning IMAX visual; with the interlinking of the past with the present and future for Gotham; with a wholly brilliant film, in The Dark Knight Rises.

With so much hype surrounding the film’s production, it seemed difficult to turn without hearing a new rumour about the plot, or cast, or filming location. With several TV spots, trailers and clips being seen around the world it began to seem increasingly unlikely that Nolan could spring one of his signature surprises. But what were we thinking? No one could have predicted the scope and sheer scale of this film – both in terms of visual effect and emotional power. I would urge serious cineastes to try their hardest to see The Dark Knight Rises at an IMAX cinema… it’s indescribably awesome.

Okay, so the cast.

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman – hugely impressive and brought a previously-unseen emotional depth to the role, as Nolan honed in on the man behind the mask. The film was publicised as being more about Wayne’s story than Batman’s, a shrewd and (with hindsight) necessary way to end the trilogy.

Sir Michael Caine as Alfred – by God, the man can act. I wasn’t the only one welling up during two unbearably emotional scenes with Caine; and most of the people I was seeing the movie with were large Liverpudlian men. Alfred, though a relatively small role, has become vital to the story of Batman as Nolan tells it.

Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon – serves as a linking device not only between the beginning and the end of Rises, but indeed from the start of the Batman story to the ending point of the third film. Believable, stoic and brave, just as the Police Commissioner should be.

Tom Hardy as Bane – horrifying. In a good way. Bane was always one of my favourite villains from the original comic books, and provided a physical adversary the likes of which Bale’s Batman hasn’t faced before. With only his eyes and voice to convey emotion with, Hardy does a characteristically brilliant job at being an über-baddie.

Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle – I won’t lie, I wasn’t enthused by this casting when it was announced. But I was blown away by Hathaway’s performance. For a start, she looks pretty amazing in the catsuit. But there’s so much more to her performance than Pfeiffer-esque sex appeal. Hathaway’s Kyle is tough, smart and – importantly in my opinion – able to at least match the men blow for blow in the fight scenes.

Details of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s role as John Blake were kept pretty close to the chests of the filmmakers. Anyone who’s seen the film will understand why. A genius move by the writers, and played very well by Gordon-Levitt, Blake is integral to the fight against Bane’s citizen army.

Some big-name performances by some big names – I’m thinking of Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman and Tom Conti in particular, here – keep the film’s story ticking over.

Nolan’s prowess as a filmmaker is truly and epically demonstrated for the world to see in this film (though really, who was doubting it before?). The revolutionary theme of the film, made topical with live-shoots at the site of the Occupy protests, is certainly reminiscent of Sergei Eisenstein and Fritz Lang. Huge action sequences including the storming of a prison (can you say Bastille?), the exploding of Heinz Field (one of my all-time favourite movie scenes ever) and physical skirmishes of EPIC proportions between Bane and Batman announce The Dark Knight Rises as the greatest – and most ambitious – superhero movie of all-time. The duality of light and dark has played a big part in the Nolan/David S Goyer imagining of Gotham previously, and in this film much of the action occurred in daylight. A pretty brave move by Wally Pfister (cinematography) and Nolan, but it works hugely well in reinforcing the notion that Bruce Wayne doesn’t have any superpowers, per se. He’s just a guy, his main tool really is his money: This is a huge theme in TDKR as he battles against Bane and his army.

Following one of the greatest cinematic performances of all time by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, Hardy had a tough act to follow. Speaking for myself as always, I have to say I found Bane as terrifying as he was originally intended to be. Hardy was utterly brilliant in a supremely restricting costume and provided the perfect antithesis to Bale's controlled Batman. Their duels are among the most dynamic scenes of the film, and Hardy deserves huge accolades for his masterful turn as Bane.

Any film which includes a scene with 11000 extras is bound to be impressive. Fans of big action movies will love the colossal scale of the stunts and effects. Fans of emotional drama will love the human aspect to Wayne. Comic book fans will love the loyalty Goyer and the Nolans keep to the original comics. Film buffs will love it for the innovative use of film, lighting, sound and knowing references to some of film’s greats. In summary: this film has something for everyone. And that something is a bucket-load of AWESOME EPICNESS.

The true brilliance of this series of films lies in its universal appeal. The combination of Pfister’s outstanding cinematography, Hans Zimmer’s powerhouse score, the unforgettable script from Christopher and Jonathan Nolan, the incredible costume design by Lindy Hemming, an impossibly talented acting ensemble and Nolan’s inspired direction has made The Dark Knight trilogy a new generation’s Godfather. An emphatic must-see. It’s a work of genius.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Directed by: Marc Webb

Verdict: In this reviewer’s opinion, the reboot is superior to the Raimi/Maguire version – due in large part to great casting and good use of live-action/computer-generated Spidey action sequences. It’s a fun summer-flick and continues Webb’s impressive body of work, but somewhat unsurprisingly fails to reach the dizzying heights of Christopher Nolan’s Batman series. The plot is inevitably predictable in parts and there are some subplots that get lost in its course, but I would recommend The Amazing Spider-Man to anyone looking for a funny, action-packed film with real human (and spider) interest.

I think most people will be aware of the plot/story of this film before they see it; boy meets girl, boy gets bitten by spider, boy gets super powers, boy kisses girl, boy saves world. There is not a whole lot one can do with this story in making a Spiderman film. What Webb (how AWESOME is it that the guy directing this is literally called Webb?) and the screenwriters James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves have managed to do is breathe new life into an over-told story.

 Even given the current trend of comic-book hero movies, most people still thought rebooting the Spiderman franchise just 5 years after the last of Sam Raimi’s ‘Spiderman’ trilogy was a bold move made too soon. I think most people will think twice about this after seeing Webb’s (in my opinion) superior telling of the Spiderman legend. Not only is Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker more likeable and believable as a super-hero than Tobey Maguire’s version (sorry Tobes), but 2012’s backstory to the super powers is more complex, and therefore less patronising to the audience.

The opening sequence of the film sees Peter as a young child discovering his father’s study broken into. A few surreptitious shots of spider-related paraphernalia ensure we’re all aware Peter’s dad has a huge impact on what’s to happen to our boy later on. Peter is shipped off to Aunt May and Uncle Ben and later discovers his father was working for OsCorp on regenerating cells and limbs. This eventually leads to the inevitable accidental radio-active spider bite and the manifestation of Peter’s spider powers.

 All that is a long-winded way of saying that in Webb’s version, there’s a bit more mystery, intrigue and scientific credibility. For me however, the gripping sub-plot of Peter’s parents is one of the film’s major downfalls. Their disappearance is barely touched upon after Peter becomes the titular Spider-Man. I mean, I get it; if I could suddenly swing across New York on a regular basis I would probably be a wee bit distracted too. But… it was very much a film of two halves: the first had Peter Parker (lonely, tortured boy looking for answers) and the second had Peter Parker (newly confident Spiderman with sudden lack of regard for family mysteries and a penchant for high-speed action sequences).


Are the Parkers dead? Did Peter somehow cause their death? Who broke into the study? These are clearly questions that will eventually be answered, but could perhaps have been broached a little further. I could probably let this point go, if it weren’t for the further untied ends of the search for Uncle Ben’s killer and the mystery of Norman Osborn’s fatal disease. Webb’s inclusion of the post-credits scene between The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and *insert guess as to who the other person is here* is a clear statement of intent for a sequel, in which we can only hope these issues will all be happily resolved.

Perhaps, even, the mysterious figure in the prison cell at the end is Peter's father??? Yeah okay, I'll save my sleuthing for Twitter. But despite the minor issues with subplot, the film is really well done. The scenes depicting Parker’s transition to Spiderman in particular lend the film humility, comedy and entertainment value.

The acting ensemble of Garfield, Ifans and Emma Stone is great casting and the trio provide great acting to amplify a well written and directed film. The real-life romance between Garfield and Stone can only help the love story between Peter and Gwen Stacey that is supposed to be at the heart of the story. The supporting cast of Sally Fields, Martin Sheen and Denis Leary are also hugely believable and give great performances. And of course, there’s the Marvel stalwart that is a hilarious Stan Lee cameo – this time as a librarian oblivious to the end-of-world destruction going on around him.

The special effects were virtually flawless and the scenes where ol’ Spidey is called into action were breath-takingly stunning. The editing throughout and James Horner’s score also contributed to The Amazing Spider-Man being truly an amazing, family-friendly film.

 A great start to what will hopefully be one of the great super-hero film trilogies.