Holy Review Batman!

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

To me, this is and will likely always be the defining set of Batman movies.  They did a wonderful job of erasing the stain on the franchise that was Arnold Schwarzenegger making horrible horrible ice puns in Batman & Robin.
               
I’m going to be honest.  I was kind of nervous about Bane being the big bad of the final movie.  I mean, come on, Bane?  Yeah, sure, he “broke the Bat” in the comics, but we’ve already had that story, and aside from that, in my opinion, he’s never been more than a B-list villain.  His look in the 90s Batman: The Animated Series compared to the new look didn’t help.

I did really like that they nailed the cultured refined psychopath vibe in this movie.  Again, I won’t even mention Batman & Robin. *shudder*

By the way, how sad is it that the extra playing the kid doing the national anthem at the football game had a far better voice, and knew the words better, than any of the professional stars to “grace” the super bowl in recent years?

Anne Hathaway as Catwoman.  Please permit me a bit of stereotypical male appreciation, but wow, could she work that cat suit.

I can’t find a picture online of her riding the Batcycle from behind, but shame on you, Mr. Nolan.  You had to have planned that since the first movie.  It was engineered to show off her butt.

Here’s a picture from the side to hold you over until the DVD, guys.

Er, back to the movie.

It was well written and enjoyable.  It was a great set up for Batman 4: The Dark Knight Concludes.  Unfortunately, there won’t be one, so I came away kind of lukewarm.

I think except for poor Heath Ledger’s death, they would have been better off switching Dark Knight and Dark Knight Rises.  The ending left me with more questions than answers, and felt like a bait and switch.

Maybe I’m wrong.  Maybe it’s because I’ve enjoyed this series so much, and I’m sad to see it end.

Still, I did love this movie, and I look forward to adding it to my collection.

I recommend getting your friends together, busting out the Batman tees, and heading to the movies.  This is one to see on the big screen.

The Dark Knight Rises gets the first use of the Nerdly seal of awesomeness, and who wouldn’t rather have that than an Oscar?

PS: Here are two more shots of Hathaway as Catwoman.