Media Project Review
The movie I have chosen to review is The Dark Knight Rises, directed by Christopher Nolan. I have seen this movie several times and enjoy the whole Nolan directed Batman franchise, making this movie very easily accessible to me. This movie stands out for many reasons, just one of which being the film itself. The Colorado shooting was the main news topic for several weeks and created an entire Batman only crisis, shown in this link. (Colorado Batman Shooter)
One of the greatest parts of this movie is the visually stunning images, from the landscapes to the attention to costume detail, such as Bane's terrifying get up. (Bane Picture) The ability to inspire and to terrify through visual stimulus is very apparent throughout the film.
The premise of the movie is that Bruce Wayne has been retired from Batman for some time, and now must come out of hiding to fight an unprecedented evil in the form of Bane and his seemingly endless army of loyal political extremists. Some behind the scenes facts about the movie, the director of the successful franchise has declared this his last Batman movie, most likely to free his time to focus on the many films his company has been charged with producing since their success with hit films like Inception. Another film feat for Dark Knight Rises was that in order to play Bane, Tom Hardy had to wear a mask that was molded so tight to his face that a maximum of one hour was declared for his time in the costume. Because of this films recent nature, it has not had time to accumulate nominations or awards; however, it is favored for a nomination of Best Picture. The following link will provide trailers on the film The Dark Knight Rises. http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/thedarkknightrises/
All of Christopher Nolan films share a similar film score style, as most share a composer in Hans Zimmer. The stirring tones set the emotion for scenes to come, and Nolan and Zimmer recognize this and use it to their advantage. Dark Knight Rises stands out among Nolan's past films because it displays a true sense of post deep end diving, showing a Gotham City that has taken a plunge into insanity and anarchy. This movie pioneers ahead of other superhero movies, due to the fact that Batman Begins can really be credited with starting the modern superhero movie era, it naturally has progressed faster, a kind of foreshadow for the rest of the genre.
This movie has been picked apart for its apparently current themes and ideas, however, the actual inspiration is somewhat dated. Nolan credits his plot to the novel A Tale of Two Cities, this is evidence that there is much to learn from the past. With plot themes picking apart today's modern financial revolution and other so called movements, Dark Knight Rises takes a swim in shark infested waters and shows realities that public could not comprehend otherwise. The most obvious theme would be the 99% movement, a coalition of ratty urchins combined to share their voices and tear down the people with the ability to grant them an escape from desperation, however, in the film the rich don't get away unscathed, shown as frivolous, you see a lack of structure that could save everyone involved, including the common man.
The strengths of The Dark Knight Rises would be in its acting. Its score. Its intentions, and its ability to create a fresh idea in our minds and becoming a real influence on our though process. Some weaknesses would be a slight dissapointment in the lack of a strong support role from Heath Ledger. Ledger being a true fan favorite, played a rollercoaster of a Joker, leaving all other attempts at renditions of any villain just fighting for second best. This movie was great; a real ride from beginning to end, and in no way was a poor film. The attention to detail carried this movie's plot through any doubts or critcisms. Dark Knight Rises is Christopher Nolan's best film so far, surpassing the other Batman movies and fullfilling all expectations. The on screen and off screen impact of this movie will ensure its survival and set it on its way to becoming a true classic. For the most part, Dark Knight Rises has received extremely positive reviews, a testament to its strong storyline and enjoyable visual experience.
As a true cult fan, I have been engaged in the entire franchise for quite some time. I frequently use lines from the films whenever and wherever possible. I had already purchased Nolan's previous films, but if I hadn't, i would have purchased all of them after watching Dark Knight Rises. I have been fervently researching Nolan's work for sometime, and I view him as a true visionary, able to catch real humanistic behaviors and emotions. While Nolan's films are very forward thinking, his unique style is not quite appreciated by the older generations of my family, but many of my friends and family enjoy his movies as much as I do. I have concluded that The Dark Knight Rises is a true stepping stone for modern motion pictures and is a very enjoyable film. As for what I've learned from doing this review, it is that movie critics are severely over paid.
