Just got back from watching the Dark Knight Rises and here are my thoughts on that film. If you're worried about spoilers then you're better off not reading this.
It was a really good film. Probably my favourite of Nolan's trilogy. The dialogue was certainly better and all the best lines weren't being given to the Joker this time around.
It's not as groundbreaking as The Dark Knight which broke superhero movie tradition by killing the hero's love interest and ending on a downbeat note. Then again, it's not trying to be the same film. Apart from Bane, whose schemes of breaking into the stock market or attaching the detonator to a single citizen are reminiscent of Heath Ledger's Joker, this film borrows more from the original film in the trilogy, Batman Begins
One of my favourite things about the Nolan Trilogy is that all of the characters get to contribute to the plot. It's not just Batman against the villains, with some incompetent police officers on the sidelines. Michael Caine gets some good emotional material when Alfred . Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon I liked the John Blake character and the "Robin" revelation was a real punch in the air moment.
I'm still indecisive about whether I like Bane as a villain. Tom Hardy is a good actor, and one who always makes every performance different from the last, but I found some of his Bane dialogue difficult to interpret. The voice also made some of his scenes unintentionally humorous. Anne Hathaway made a great Selina Kyle who, like all great Catwomen, walked the line between being Batman's ally and adversary well
A lot of people have argued that Batman is working to maintain the capitalist system and Bane represents the Occupy Movement. However, this is a broad generalization.
Bruce Wayne's choice to seclude himself from society is what causes problems for the children at the orphanage and also allows the League of Shadows to exploit Wayne Enterprises. The system is by no means portrayed as perfect, since John Blake chooses to break free from it at the very end. I'd argue that the film is about the importance of involving oneself with society. "Anyone can be Batman" says the man himself, and that's the point.
