The final curtain drops on Christopher Nolan’s reign over the Batman universe this Friday when The Dark Knight Rises lands in theaters nationwide. Fan anticipation for this movie cannot be higher as audiences expect the director to deliver and then some. This is making movie critics think twice about their stance on Hollywood’s blockbuster, but for the most part reviews are saying that The Dark Knight is actually better.
It may be a bit hard to believe that a bigger budget with a deeper cast does not translate into a better movie, but that pretty much sums up how studio execs have been approaching sequel efforts for years, often seeing similar results. The problem is that the movie is definitely not bad. In fact, many are calling this the best movie of the summer and that includes The Avengers; however, what Christopher Nolan makes is neither Batman films nor movies about people invading dreams. No. He makes masterpieces and that is what critics around the globe were expecting during their early screenings of The Dark Knight Rises.
You might find a few critics willing to say this is the best in the trilogy although even they appear to be on the fence about it. The main difference is the film now feels over-bloated. Essentially, they replaced three cast members with four and it shows as the movie had to go longer in order to fit it all in. Even that was not enough though as some are saying that the action sequences felt forced at times like there was a ton of dialogue to be explored that simply did not see the light of day. That action is being called clunky as well which should not be incredibly too surprising. The Dark Knight Rises has a lot more of those types of sequences, implying the presence of a very large magnifying glass.
While the previous sentiments may seem rough on one of the most well-reviewed movies of the year, there are certainly five positives for every negative. Receiving heaps of praise includes the visceral nature of the plot (this is a Nolan movie after all) and its stellar ending. The film’s stacked cast is also said to deliver with specific mention of Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle more than anyone else. Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are getting the predictable love, so it probably was not worth the mention for most. Catwoman is extremely tough to pull off and the fact that Hathaway did it is relatively astounding.
Outside of that, critics say anyone who sees this movie will be treated to a 45-minute ending that is one of the best in modern day cinema. They say it will leave this trilogy feeling as a single entity thanks to its cyclical nature. The last thing of note that they said though…and probably the most telling…is everyone seems to agree that Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises makes Marvel superhero films appear childish which should please many theater-goers who loved that about The Dark Knight.
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