Big Screen Peter: The Dark Knight Rises

In The Dark Knight Rises, the third and supposed final installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Gotham is plunged (once again!) into utter chaos.

And while the previous two movies were stunning visual and narrative accomplishments, this crowning chapter was a clunky, overwrought affair. It granted viewers plenty to gawp at, but nothing sustaining, even at its more than 165-minute run time.

This go-round the chaos is courtesy of Bain, an imposing man forced to live with a life-sustaining muzzle. While physically imposing, Bain's character had an intriguing penchant for ornate speech and a force-wielding power over individuals. The power of the character, however, was unequivocally lost due to the effects of the deep and raspy voice mechanism employed by the filmmakers. Large chunks of dialogue went completely unrealized as a result. This confusion effectively neutered Bain as a narrative force.

To get much more into the intricacies of the plot would be a disservice. There is a lot going on in the Dark Knight Rises. Too much in fact.

It somehow straddles the middle ground between being quite long, but still not long enough. The movie — constructed as it was, with an intersection of past and future — needed much more time to convey the story's details without undue haste (it might not be palatable for studios to release a three-hour film, but there is ample evidence to support the success of such lengthy films. And if ever there was a franchise to support it, Batman qualifies).

An alternative would have been a pared down version of the film that eliminated certain plot aspects to create a leaner, more focused approach. Instead of taut action or in-depth storytelling, The Dark Knight Rises inhabits an unfortunate middle-ground riven with plot holes and hurried narrative that serves neither the film nor its audiences to its fullest extent.

Admittedly though, there are bright spots.

Anne Hathaway is a pleasant surprise as the cat burglar cum Catwoman Selina Kyle. Her quick-witted turn gives air to the complicated psychology behind the role. Further, the physicality of the role is never lost within the action scenes. This aspect is handled remarkably well by the director Nolan. His tracking shots and choreographed fights are quite memorable.

The choice for a realist view of the effects of Batman the person is admirable. While there are always dark or scary moments in the fight versus good and evil, the outcome is never truly in doubt. Here though, we see Bruce Wayne dealing with the effects of his alter-ego, broken down and aging rapidly. Nolan grants audiences a large bit of doubt as Batman falters again and again while chaos entrenches itself in Gotham.

Super heroes, and the resultant films about them, are invariably about good triumphing over evil. They pit the paragon of civil piety against a distorted vision of perfection. When triumph finally does come in The Dark Knight Rises, it's less convincing somehow. It's trite and cloying, as Nolan opts against a more biblical (if not obvious) denouement for a ribbon-tied present to the studios.

In this, there was nothing novel or exceedingly genuine about The Dark Knight Rises. It was an incongruously beautiful and explosive, yet undeniably hum-drum affair. And coming as the final installment, it can be seen as nothing but a cinematic disappointment.