The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises is the climax of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, and in the run up to its release people were eagerly waiting to see if it would live up to the ridiculously high standards set by The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight Rises is incredible, and is the perfect conclusion to this particular run of Batman films.

The start of the film sees Gotham largely crime free since Harvey Dent’s death has provided the police with greater powers. Batman has been outlawed and Bruce Wayne hasn't been seen for eight years. However, out of sight, the mercenary Bane has been gathering support and has built up an underground empire with which to complete the work of the League of Shadows. He holds Gotham to ransom with a nuclear bomb and imprisons Batman in a seemingly inescapable pit. When Batman frees himself he returns to save Gotham. He is tasked with defeating Bane, stopping the bomb and winning over the people.

As with The Dark Knight, I watch this film for the moments that Bane is on screen. While Tom Hardy’s performance has nothing on Heath Ledger’s Joker, and he is nowhere near as scary, Bane is a truly sinister villain, and his adaptation from the comic book character is brilliant. Tom Hardy does an excellent job with Bane, and his dedication to the role cannot be faulted. I especially liked the moment in which Bane breaks Batman’s back, which is lifted directly from a famous Batman comic. Bane’s voice is well worked as well, and definitely fits the character, however there are times when it’s very difficult to understand what is said because of the mask. Also, I often had the feeling that the speech was in fact ‘voiced over’ as it didn't seem like the character was speaking. The difficulty here is that Hardy doesn't really use his eyes to speak a lot of the time. However, I suppose these are problems that inevitably arise with such a character.

I would have liked to see more of Batman in this film to be honest. I understand why he did not feature initially, but compared to the previous two films there was a distinct paucity of Batman scenes. I can only think of two major Batman scenes, and this was disappointing. Nevertheless, I absolutely loved the way that the trilogy was closed. The ending is incredible and I suggest that if you haven’t seen the film now is the point to skip to the next paragraph. Have you? Good. I genuinely thought that Batman had died in this film. It wasn't one of those moments where the character ‘disappears’ and you are meant to think he’s dead, but then he climbs back or whatever. There was genuine disbelief in my mind the first time I saw this, and as the end is slowly revealed to the audience piece-by-piece I get the feelings that come with a huge twist. I thought that killing off Batman was the perfect way to end this trilogy, but when the final scenes came up I was delighted with the end. This was a refreshing change from the superhero films which always plan for a sequel, and was good closure for the film set.

The supporting characters in this film were also excellent. Morgan Freeman is always a welcome appearance on my screen, and Lucius Fox did not disappoint me in this film either. Similarly, Michael Caine is again marvelous as Alfred, and I loved the fact that he and Bruce Wayne had an argument. Instead of being the subservient butler, Alfred is given a chance to show that he’s more than a little annoyed with his master. The character of Miranda Tate was quite good in this film as well. I loved the storyline revolving around her and Bane, and did not see the potential for that at all and was astounded when the pieces slotted into place.

I haven’t forgotten Catwomen, who I thought was fantastic. This Catwoman is a drastic improvement on the Batman Returns Catwoman. She was strong, independent, and a villain/hero in her own right. Anne Hathaway was a wonderful casting choice for this role, and manages to be strong, imposing and immensely attractive all at the same time. The Dark Knight Rises has an edge on many other films because it manages to incorporate more than the one villain and the one hero perfectly. It is an example to films like Spider-man 3, or even Batman & Robin which try to have more villains than can be coped with and as a result the film suffers. Finally, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a welcome addition to the already glittering cast. His character is very interesting, because there’s a twist around him too. This twist was another one which I did not see coming, but one which I could appreciate. Basically, the thing to take away from the (brief) character analysis is that there are a lot of twists with a lot of characters.

The Dark Knight Rises is a phenomenal film, but I think it suffers a little bit by inevitable comparisons to The Dark Knight. It can’t compare to it, but it shouldn't be judged by it. On its own, and as part of the trilogy, it is a fantastic film. If you’re a Batman fan and you haven’t seen it then there is something wrong with you. Obviously if you have no interest in comic book films then don’t watch it, but if you’re thinking about it, or wanting to watch it, you must see it. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Memento

Memento is one of Christopher Nolan’s earlier films, and it is without a doubt one of his best. It follows a man who is trying to find the man who raped and murdered his wife, but he has amnesia. This in itself doesn't sound like much of a plot, but the whole film is presented in reverse. Scene-by-scene happens in reverse order and it is up to the audience to piece together what is going on. When the climax of the film comes, it is phenomenal if you've managed to keep up with the movie.

By presenting each scene in reverse, Nolan makes sure that he keeps your attention throughout the film. Memento keeps you thinking after you've finished watching, and once you put everything together your perception of nearly every main character changes. For example, Natalie starts the film as trying to help Leonard but becomes more and more frustrated with him, and develops into a spiteful person. However, chronologically, she starts off very hostile towards him but develops more sympathy and understanding. Also, in film terms, Leonard is a man getting closer and closer to the main who killed his wife, but is shown to be more and more damaged chronologically speaking.

Guy Pearce stars as Leonard Shelby, the man with amnesia who is trying to find his wife’s killer. For me, he is fantastic in this film, and his character has a sort of speech which he delivers every time he sees a new person. Because he can’t remember if he’s met them before he has to deliver this speech explaining what’s wrong with him. Guy Pearce manages perfectly to make the audience believe in his character, and his intonation when he is giving the speech to every person doesn't change one bit. Also, his character is as believable at the beginning of the film as it is at the end, which is a testament to Pearce’s ability to develop his performances.

Carrie-Anne Moss appears as Natalie, and it’s quite difficult to describe her character. She starts (or ends) the film as Leonard’s friend, but ends (or starts) as the girlfriend of the man that Leonard killed. Obviously this makes her very hostile, but as she experiences him more, Moss does a very good job of showing how sympathetic she has become to him. When she agrees to help him find the man who killed his wife the audience doesn't think anything of it, but when you piece together the different scenes this comes across as an act of kindness towards the man who killed her boyfriend. Her ability to develop from friend to hostility, and to play hostility with such intense cruelty is marvellous.

Joe Pantoliano is Leonard’s friend Teddy. His character is perhaps the most complex in the movie, as he seems to be a friend, but as the movie goes on the audience discovers that he is a (dodgy) cop who is trying to get Leonard out of town before he hurts more people, or gets himself killed. Sadly Leonard’s twisted behaviour coupled with his amnesia result in Teddy being killed at the beginning of the film. I think Pantoliano does very well in Memento, but the real plaudits have to go to Christopher Nolan. Throughout the film, the audience isn't sure whether or not to trust or believe in Teddy, and I went through a progression of dislike to sympathy with his character. Nolan’s ability to make the audience do this is incredible, and should have won an Academy Award for his direction in this film.

As it goes, Memento was (wrongly) not nominated for a single Academy Award. It was beaten to the nominations by a number of (in my opinion) lesser films. Another plaudit going Memento’s way is the response from scientists to its release. Usually when there’s a film dealing with a psychological issue, many people are quick to point out exactly where the film has gone wrong in portraying the disorder. However, Memento has only received positive responses from many psychologists, and this too is a testament to Christopher Nolan’s fantastic commitment to the accuracy of his films.

Memento is an absolute classic in my opinion. It is the kind of film that can appeal to everyone. If you like films about medical conditions, or if you like mystery, or if you like thrillers then Memento should be on your watchlist. It’s frequent listing as one of the ‘films to see before you die’ underlines this. However, if nothing else, watch it for the end. When everything pieces together and the jigsaw is complete, you mind will be blown. And if that doesn't get you watching it, nothing will.