BATMAN - THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

BATMAN - THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Several years ago, Batman was blamed for the murder of Harvey Dent and, without telling the full story to Gotham City, he disappeared. By coincidence, Bruce Wayne became a recluse in his mansion at the same time. However, a brutal attack on Gotham City's stock exchange led by BANE, a masked criminal mastermind (aren't they all?) brings the caped crusader out of retirement and the stage is once again set for the battle between good and evil.

The plot is horribly complicated.  If you must know details, click here, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Bane is one of the best villains I've seen in a Batman or Superman movie. His wit and psychopathic sense of irony are outstanding. With his mask, heavy breathing and accent, he compares with Darth Vader.  In some of the shots, he even looks like he's wearing a cape instead of a jacket.

Another good character is SELENA KYLE, the Catwoman.

Michael Caine is superb as Alfred, Batman's manservant (face it, that's what he is) and Morgan Freeman is good as Lucius Fox, Batman's weapon's manager.

The plot has enough holes for a fleet of Volkswagens. The worst is a scene where Bruce's doctor tells him of his horrible arthritis and advises him not to go skiing. Yet a few minutes later, you see him as Batman performing incredible feats of derring-do.

There are a lot of plot twists, and most are fun.  A big one at the end, I felt was cheating because the director hadn't left any clues to justify the twist.

As a cinematic effort, this one is better than the other two in this series (with their cartoon villains), but it isn't great.  As a workout movie, it's pretty good. The first half is quite exciting. The second bogs down a bit with overly long chases and fight, but even so, it's worth at least ++++ - it will get your pulse up to a run. If you see it, let me know what you think.