Review: The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises, if not to new heights, then to a thrilling finale

The Dark Knight is risen. He is risen indeed. Christopher Nolan’s third Batman film promised to be an epic conclusion to The Dark Knight saga, and it is truly epic in ambition, scale and action. Though there is no use in claiming that The Dark Knight Rises is perfect, for those who are fanatical about the films it should be an incredibly satisfying end to the trilogy.

We return to Gotham eight years since The Dark Knight. The streets have been cleaned up with the help of the heroic example of the myth of Harvey Dent. Bruce Wayne has become a recluse and Batman is no longer required. All seems well. However, a new villain is on the horizon in the form of the masked man-mountain, Bane. His intentions are unclear. All that is apparent is that he should be feared. As dangers mount, will Batman return?

Profile: Christopher Nolan

Ahead of the release of The Dark Knight Rises, Reel 6 re-evaluates the career of one of the world's most talented filmmakers

There have been few directors as obviously talented as Christopher Nolan. The simple fact is that he has never made a bad film. His least good film is Insomnia, and that is a very watchable, solidly put together thriller: not poor by any means. The man has the consistency of a metronome.

Yet, it is fascinating to look at how this filmmaker has developed. The former English Lit. student at UCL never went to film school, and has described himself as learning by going out and making films. Certainly, this is borne out by how his movies have developed and improved.

Trailerwatch: New Dark Knight Rises Trailer

Almost as if in response to the release of Avengers Assemble, a new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises has been released.

Whilst the Reel 6 verdict was that Avengers Assemble was a blockbuster masterpiece, it has to be noted that Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight remains the high watermark of recent superhero movies.

Expectations for the conclusion of the trilogy are high, and the first trailer was predictably impressive visually, but it seemed a little cluttered. Was it perhaps going to be a slightly overblown finale which might crumple under its own weight?