The Dark Knight Rises Impressions

So I got my butt out of bed early this morning to see "The Dark Knight Rises" with the RENTS (parents). I've been chomping at the bit to see the final installment in Christopher Nolan's trilogy, being a big fan of his previous two movies, "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight."

I was a little worried about seating as we got off to a late start leaving the house. Luckily the theatre was actually less than half full and we had our pick of seats. I couldn't help but wonder if recent events with the opening of the movie had something to do with the lack of people in seats. Or it could just be that the movie is showing on a hundred screens at the AMC. In any event it was definitely the least packed "blockbuster" I've seen on opening weekend this summer.

Right off the bat the movie picks up on events left over from "The Dark Knight" and also picks up threads from "Batman Begins" as well. It would be to the advantage of the viewer to screen the first two movies before watching "The Dark Knight Rises" to get a complete picture of what's going on. Having said that I think the movie can pretty much stand alone if necessary.

For anyone who hasn't heard, the movie is 18 hours long. I compensated by slowly sipping my small Coke throughout the movie. Too bad I couldn't get an extra small Coke for twenty-five cents less (thanks Futurama!). I learned my lesson after viewing "The Amazing Spiderman," nearly drowning in my own piss by the end of the movie, not a pleasant feeling.

Once again Nolan did a great job with directing. Everything from the actors to the locations were as realistic as could be considering this is a comic book movie. I was most surprised by the superb job of Anne Hathaway playing Selina Kyle, a casting choice I thought was dubious initially. In fact she was one of my favorite characters in the whole production among a fantastic cast.

One of the few complaints I would have about the movie was the character Bane. I love Tom Hardy's acting and the character he played in general but I had a really hard time understanding what he was saying throughout the movie. Fortunately this seemed to get better toward the latter half of the film. "The Dark Knight Rises" won't be winning any awards for sound editing.

In conclusion, a fantastic last outing for the "Dark Knight Trilogy." Full of action with a decent story that ties up some loose ends and takes the viewer for a couple of appreciated twists and turns. The series ends well on an emotional high note that I didn't see coming. Go see this movie! I would rate it as my favorite in the trilogy followed by "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight." My favorite popcorn flick of the summer. A-