![[the-dark-knight-rises.jpg]] ## Reviews ### [[2024-09-26]] When I saw this in the cinema upon release I thought it was a fairly flawed follow-up to [[The Dark Knight (2008)]]. It was a very good film. But it was a bit long and had a villain whose motives were more vague and less believable than the Joker's. My experience wasn't helped by seeing it in IMAX and being unable to hear the dialogue for most of the film (there wasn’t a problem, it’s just how [[Christopher Nolan]] likes his audio. Which is insane. And it’s the reason I don’t see new Nolan films in the cinema anymore). Since then though it’s become one of my rewatched staples, and I’ve seen it another 6-8 times. Though my feelings for it remained the same. That it was great, but rather flawed and lagged in parts. But I’ve just gotten back from seeing it in the cinema again. And I’ve walked away with an increased opinion of it. Firstly, it wasn’t in IMAX, so I could hear basically every word. But more than that it was just wonderful seeing a proper high-quality blockbuster in the cinema. The cinematography, soundtrack, sound design, and action were wonderful and great to see on the big screen. Aside from [[Civil War (2024)]], I haven’t had a cinema experience come close to it for quite a few years. Sure, there's some cringy moments – especially from [[Anne Hathaway]]'s Catwoman. And it remains a flawed film. But it’s still a Nolan film, so it’s many times better than nearly all the dross that I see these days. The Dark Knight Rises is still a wonderful film to sit back and experience. **83%** [Find out where to stream it](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/the-dark-knight-rises). [This review is also on Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/elliotclowes/film/the-dark-knight-rises/1/). ### [[2012-05-20]] This is slightly worse than the last one but still great. It sadly falls short when it comes to the emotional and thoughtful parts of the film (and there aren't many of them in fact), where the previous one did so well. Certain scenes just felt like they were missing a few more seconds or another camera angle. This is the 'action romp' of the series and it delivers in that regard. The action scenes are perfect. The few emotional scenes are not.  Some random notes: - It was really bloody loud! I think this is partly due to the film and partly down the cinema. I've seen it twice, both in IMAX, and on the second viewing the sound was turned down a bit. However, I missed a bunch of VERY important dialogue in both viewings, that later had to be pointed out to me by friends who heard it properly. There's nothing worse for the viewer or filmaker than stuff being missed thanks to poor/loud sound. The background music was often too loud at times too. - Bane's voice wasn't mastered despite all the tinkering. Though I got used to it as the film went on. - I was really worried this wasn't going to deliver. - I'm also worried that my score is bloated via goodwill from the other two films. I've seen it twice and thought deeply and do believe it deserves its 4.5/5 though. - When the Batman first appears in the film I just couldn't help smiling. It's a great moment. - The soundtrack is as good, if not better, than the last one. - Bane is badass. - Christian Bale hadn't gained as much weight back after "The Fighter" as I'd liked. I'm sure this is mostly not accidental by Nolan, but Batman wasn't buff enough for me. [This review is also on Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/elliotclowes/film/the-dark-knight-rises/).