The Dark Knight Rises (12A) *****

The Dark Knight Rises (12A) *****


Dir: Christopher Nolan


Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt


Synopsis: Eight years have passed since Bruce Wayne (Bale) hung up his cape and cowl after the events of The Dark Knight, and Gotham is free of the organised crime that plagued it for so long. However, a new terrorist - Bane (Hardy) - has arrived in the city, and the caped crusader must return to protect the people who know him only as a wanted man.

Verdict: The hype that surrounds the latest - and final - act of the Dark Knight trilogy is, without hyperbole, huge. Nolan has created a Batman that many people will be sad to see end, as Warner Brothers is set to reboot the DC comic hero again. Is the excitement surrounding this film well deserved though? In short: yes.

This final instalment is definitely the darkest and most emotional of the three films - from the love stories to the intensely dramatic fight scenes, Nolan leaves no doubt that this is the last chapter, the last time we'll see his incarnation of Batman and, rightly, he has held nothing back in the delivery of The Dark Knight Rises.

The aspects of the previous films play strongly here, with flashes of The Dark Knight as Gotham celebrates Harvey Dent day, remembering the day he died and the message he delivered of a city free from the mob (and for Comissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), the lie he disguised to protect the idol Dent had become and condemnation of Batman as the villain): and the whole ideology of Batman Begins returns with a vengeance to build the story up and ending where it began.

Hardy (Star Trek: Nemesis, Bronson) is picture perfect for Bane - his build, his mask, his purpose are all tailor-made to create a sinister and evil presence. The only problem with him is the problem that has been speculated and argued over since we first saw footage of him - thanks to the mask it is very hard to understand him sometimes, and I was left feeling like all too often I'd missed important pieces of information that he was divulging, and then catching only the catch-phrases made famous in the trailers. Having said this, it could be argued that it feeds in to the characters nature and makes him appear more evil. But this can be left to debate. Aside from this, the role is delivered so well, not least when compared to the Venom fuelled hulk in Batman and Robin when the original concept of the genius behind the strength is lost completely in a mindless, muscle-bound monster.

Then we have Anne Hathaway (Alice in Wonderland, Bride Wars) as Catwoman who serves to be as much an anti-hero as Nolan's Batman has become. She is, of course, a thief who does her job well but has morals, which serve her development as a character from helping Bane to secure his plans for Gotham to her helping to bring them down. Hathaway's portrayal of the character fits perfectly with the tone of Nolan's franchise - someone strong and confident in herself as a bad-guy yet, when faced with the prospect of Bane's world, someone who can just as easily change to the 'other side'. As she says to Wayne: "I'm adaptable," and she means it.

The other new member for Dark Knight Rises is Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, Brick) as John Blake, the one member of Gothams police who, live Oldman's Gordon, believe Batman is a force for good. As we know from the trailers, we see Gordon in a hospital bed, which leaves the floor open to Levitt to assume his role as a doer, someone who exists to help Batman. We know that he can deliver with Nolan in command as Arthur in Inception, and he portrays Blake with a sense of urgency and determination that is an almost mirror reflection of Oldman's Commissioner.

The standard cast return with the same level of talent as you expect from them in their roles by now, taking on the lessons of the previous films and using them to build on the characters and, almost, deliver new people. Michael Cane's Alfred is a case in point for this, with his small but incredibly powerful part in the film which is a huge part in getting the emotions going for this final instalment.

Nolan has outdone himself with the Dark Knight franchise. With three films that are hard to choose between to say 'this one is better than the rest', and while Batman Begins is slightly behind the second and third in terms of darkness, drama and thriller, it still stands that he has not disappointed at any stage.

The Amazing Spiderman - 3D (12A) *****

The Amazing Spiderman - 3D (12A) *****


Dir: Marc Webb


Starring:Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans


Synopsis: A full reboot of the Spiderman franchise, this film chronicles a new storyline of the red and blue webslinger, including new origin story, new girlfriend and new enemies. High School student Peter Parker (Garfield) is bitten by a genetically modified spider that gives him super-powers, and must fight the lizard (Ifans) in order to save New York.


Verdict: Reboots are a Marmite film industry; some like them, some don't. Likewise, some reboots work, others don't. The second live action incarnation of Spiderman is, to me, a good reboot, and opens a new perspective on the story - one which focuses on Peter's family and the relationship they have to him and Oscorp.

The decision by Webb to introduce the other woman in Parker's life, Gwen Stacy, is a good move to distance the new film from the original trilogy, but you do get the feeling that Mary Jane is going to be needed at some point to introduce the love triangle that is prevalent in the comics. The twisting of the Lizards character though is an odd combination of the Jekyll and Hyde Lizard from the comics and the Green Goblin, where the Lizard's separate psyche over-runs the human side.

First on the agenda for the review is, inevitably, the special effects. And, having seen it in 3D, I am pleased to report that the 3D works! There were few, barely noticeable hiccoughs, but the vast majority of the effect was crisp and worked well. The only times there were noticeable bumps in the road were in some of the point of view shots, and one shot which flies directly over the Oscorp Tower lightning rod.

The special effects themselves are also really good, from the CGI used for the swinging sequences to the lizard himself - special mention does have to be made in relation to the effect used for the loss of Connors' (Ifans) arm. The use of real-world effects tie in well with the CG as well: the use of scaled skin textures on Ifans and the suit worn by Garfield work well when combined with the CG counterparts.

The casting has also been done well in respects to the film. Garfield is a very convincing Parker - he has the look of a teenager, and his attitude and humour both in and out of the suit is typical of a 17 year old who has a lot on his plate.

Ifans is proving himself in a move away from comedy films with his portrayal of the Lizard. The sense of the 'schizophrenia' that is reflected from the Green Goblin of the first on the original trilogy is good, although clichéd by this fact: the way it affects him both as a general character and a villain is impressive.

Then there's Stone as Gwen, the new girl to replace Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane. She plays her role really well - her relationship with Parker, her emotions throughout the film, they all create a rounded character that, while not standing out as much as Garfield and Ifans she is still does a better job than Dunst's MJ.

With a good soundtrack adding to the experience of the film, the reboot is definitely an improvement on the original films and copies the style of the comic books which have various variations of the characters.

Coraline (2009) *** PG

Coraline (2009) *** PG


Dir: Henry Selick


Starring: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman


Synopsis: Frustrated that her parents don't have time for her since they moved to their new home, Coraline finds a doorway to a world that is exactly like her own except for her parent's being much more fun and attentive. Everything, however, is not as it seems, and this new world turns out to be much more dangerous than she realises.


Verdict: This is another one of those films that, while aimed at kids, you can see why it has been given the parental guidance certificate. While encompassing all the charm and fantasy that you expect, the surreality and darkness of it gives it an edge which some kids could find a little too much.

From the opening scene, in which skeletal, mechanical hands create a Coraline-esque doll, to the revelation of the true nature of the other world, the film plays on the weirdly surreal things that play on the minds of children - insects, rodents, faceless apparitions: all lend themselves to building up the scary nature of the film.

Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach) keeps with his tradition of dark story-telling and signature stop-motion animation to deliver Coraline: based on the book by Neil Gaiman, the story of course carries with it a certain moral undertone to deliver to the age range it is aimed for as any good kids film does.

As with James and the Giant Peach, one of the stand out aspects of the film is the contrast between the real world and the 'other' world -the real world being grey and frustrating and the other world being full of colour and the friendlier (appearance-wise) characters and, just as with James and The Nightmare Before Christmas, the stop-motion animation is great. Usually when I think of stop-motion, Aardman comes to mind, and I always seem to forget that they do not have a monopoly on the technique. It is always nice to see a stop-motion movie in a world where general animation, and even CGI has become the norm in special effects and feature productions.

The cast is well chosen: Hatcher as the real, and other, mother jumps brilliantly between the frustrated parent, fun parent and sweetly sinister villain, and I couldn't help but notice that Fanning isn't actually as terrible as her screeching performance in The War of the Worlds would have you believe.

It is also good to see the British comedy duo of French and Saunders lending their vocal talents to the film in the form of the retired actresses Forcible and Spink respectively - Saunders of course making a mark on voice acting with her part as Fairy Godmother in Shrek 2, amongst other roles.


One could be fooled from the style in to believing that Tim Burton cast his hand over Coraline either in producing or writing, but people forget about Selick being the director behind The Nightmare Before Christmas - famously branded as Tim Burton's as he was writer/producer - but Selick has already proved with James and the Giant Peach and Monkeybone that he can produce something just as twisted and dark as the Alice in Wonderland director can. 

The Dark Knight (2008) 12 *****

The Dark Knight (2008) 12 *****


Dir: Christopher Nolan


Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart


Synopsis: Continuing a year after the events of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight follows Batman, Gordon, and the new Detective Attorney (DA) Harvey Dent in their war on crime, in which a new and extremely dangerous villain has appeared who 'Just want's to watch the world burn'.


Verdict: Where to begin with the second instalment of Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy is a tough question to ask. Do you focus on the tension created throughout the film, the acting talent, the brilliant plot, or the tragedy linked with the film?

Those who have already read my Batman Begins review will be aware of my views towards Nolan's re-imagining of the Batman story, and The Dark Knight continues to build on this style effortlessly. The main feature of the second film in the series is the tension that is created due to the character of Ledgers Joker.

This is achieved in an impressively simple way: to use a discordant soundtrack to add to Ledgers performance - a single reverberating note causing discomfort and providing an aural representation of the mentality of the Joker character.

The other feature, which reflects again the style of the films and the psyche of the character is the make-up effects used for the Joker, with his 'war-paint' being as much a part of the him as the performance. The stark difference between this and the make-up used in the camp-tastic TV series and Tim Burton's Batman (and the characterisation by Jack Nicholson) reveals the dark nature of the films.

This brings me onto Ledger's outstanding performance. The way he creates the clearly unstable psyche of the Joker is far and away the best performance in the film, as his character drives the other characters responses. Bale and Oldman's performances show a heightened desperation and urgency, and the 'breaking of rules' that the characters have in order to beat him.

Eckhart also shines in the film with his Harvey Dent (known from the comic's as Harvey Two-Face), portraying the good side of the chracter, shot through with the darkness that is fed by the Joker to become the 'villain' known as Two Face.

Again with this film, as with the last, Hans Zimmer writes the score, and the soundtrack is one of the stand out features of the film, as it has been with Inception and Batman Begins, Nolan's other films which he has produced music for.

Sadly, the over-riding feature of The Dark Knight's media coverage is the death of Heath Ledger, who played the Joker, after an accidental overdose a few weeks after filming had finished. Despite, or possibly in part to this unfortunate publicity, the film still became a hugely successful sequel at the box office, and he received posthumous awards from both the BAFTA's and Oscars for Best Supporting Male Actor.

Batman Begins (2005) 12 - ****

Batman Begins (2005) 12 - ****


Dir: Christopher Nolan


Starring: Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Michael Cane


Synopsis: The legend of Batman had to start somewhere, somehow. Batman Begins charts the events that lead to the billionaire Bruce Wayne beginning his double life as Gotham's most successful businessman and its misunderstood hero.


Verdict: With The Dark Knight Rises only a few weeks away from release, this is the first of a build up to that event, to be followed shortly by the review for The Dark Knight.

The first thing to be said for Nolans latest offering of the Batman story is the dramatic change in style. We're used to the camp-ness of the 60's Batman, and the surreal world of Gotham created by Tim Burton and continued by Joel Schumacher still holds on to vestiges of that silliness. Nolan's re-imagining is instantly darker, less OTT and a lot more serious and believable.


From a Gotham inhabited by genetically altered super-villains, fantastic architecture and a hero with muscles built into his suit (including nipples), we have come to a Gotham that is much like any major city, with organised crime at its centre and a new style of Batman as its protector. 


Where we were once used to Batman having a video-phone in his Batmobile with a direct line to Commisioner Gordon, he is now a vigilante who is, 'officially', hunted by the police and, with this simple twist on the narrative, his character is changed from hero to anti-hero. 


The story itself still clings to the unbelievable that is a requirement of comic-book movies. The gadgets, the new Tumbler Batmobile, the science behind the evil master-plan is all straight out of the pages of a comic, but wrapped up in a far more believable guise than turning a telescope into a freeze ray (Batman and Robin).


Christian Bale provides us with a good new Batman/Bruce Wayne, although the deep, gravelly voice he adopts as the caped crusader to disguise his true identity is a bit off, his performance is otherwise good and, though people may disagree with me on this, Michael Cane as the new Alfred is better than Michael Gough's, due in part to sarcasm, wit, and that his character isn't as doddery as Gough's portrayal of the billionaires butler.


Gary Oldman also stars as Lieutenant Gordon (which means we get to chart his progress through the police ranks) and lives up to his reputation as a great actor with his performance of the tough and honest cop who cautiously trusts the masked Batman to help clean up the street of the City.


It is also noteworthy to add that the idea of Wayne developing his gear himself is now out of the window, with the introduction to the films of Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), a scientist with Wayne Enterprises R&D Department who has much of the gadgets pre-existing and mothballed in the basement of the company.

The special effects used in the film also add to the overall experience. Without giving too much away, the use of CGI to creating terrifying images and play on the theme of fear throughout the film works really well which, coupled with the hard FX used in chase and fight sequences, do a lot to progress the movie.


While this imaging is short lived (DKR being the last film Nolan will make in the series before another re-invention of the franchise to play into a rumoured Justice League), it is proving to be a brilliantly popular incarnation of the DC Comics hero, largely due to it's superb direction and his vision of a darker Gotham.