" Sometimes, a man rises from the darkness. "

The Dark Knight Rises

Eight years have passed since Harvey Dent's death and Gotham City is experiencing a time of peace where levels of crime and corruption are low.  Batman is still held responsible for the death of Dent and hasn't been seen since that night. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) now lives as a crippled recluse, unable to move on from the tragic events that cost him the love of his life. Wayne realises that Gotham City may once again need Batman when a determined terrorist leader known as Bane (Tom Hardy) threatens to destroy the city.

Nolan's long awaited conclusion to the trilogy certainly lives up to its overwhelming expectations. The lesser known Batman villain, Bane asserts himself as a worthy villain as he proves he is as intelligent as he is powerful. Bane is introduced in spectacular fashion in the films opening sequence ensuring the audience is immediately intrigued by him. Although Hardy has his face covered up for the entirety of the film he is still able to deliver a very haunting performance. Bane is a menacing and intimidating presence on screen as well as an efficient leader who has a hoard of loyal followers that are prepared to die for him at whatever cost. I think the look of the character is perfect in terms of his mask and mannerisms but the voice unfortunately just doesn't fit. First audiences had to deal with Batman's gruff mumbling voice and now they are confronted with Bane, whose voice at times is very hard to understand and unfortunately causes some of his great dialogue to be lost.

The other new inclusions to the cast include: Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Marion Cotillard as Miranda a halfhearted attempt at a love interest for Wayne and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake a committed and honourable young cop. Hathaway is a real stand out as the cunning Catwoman who proves she has the smarts and skills to match it with the brute force and power of Bane and Batman. Gordon-Levitt has quite a large role in the film and his character Blake seems to understand the pain Wayne is going through better than most. Although Gordon-Levitt provides a strong performance he is unfortunately given the bulk of the corny lines and cliche scenes. The faithful trio, Alfred, Gordon and Fox also return, with Caine in particular giving his most moving performance of Alfred as he tries to secure the safety of Wayne by having him realise this is a battle he might not be able to win.

This is a dark film with very haunting characters and serious themes. The film in essence shows what would happen if a terrorist organisation was successful in gaining control over a city. The film has such a realistic feel to it as impressive shots of New York City are used for Gotham and familiar events are featured such as a football match. This results in Bane's terrorist attack evoking emotions that are all too real in present society. At the end of the day this is a film and should be viewed only as a source of fiction, but just maybe Nolan has made the film too realistic in it's themes of glorified violence and destruction.

One of the most gratifying ideas from the film is that there is always hope even when faced with overwhelming depression or tragedy.  The first act could be judged as too slow as there is very little action due to Wayne's depleted nature both physically and mentally. Similarly to Batman Begins there is very little evidence of a superhero as Batman hardly makes an appearance in the first half. However the film continues to build in anticipation so that Batman's inevitable rise in the final act is all the more impressive. Bale has delivered solid performances in both predecessors but he is challenged here to play a fallen hero who has to transform into the ultimate symbol of hope. Bale succeeds in every manner portraying such deep emotions of loss and undeniable determination convincingly.

The film may not be as good as The Dark Knight but if that's all this film is remembered for than audiences are not appreciating what Nolan has tried to achieve. Everything about this film screams conclusion and it's for that reason that the film is so successful. Nolan knew when going into the filming that he was making a finale not simply another sequel and as a result he isn't afraid to go out with a bang. The final hour would satisfy any fan of the series as Nolan delivers an unforgettable display of action and emotion all accompanied by the thunderous score of Hans Zimmer. 

In The Dark Knight Rises Nolan goes back to the origins of his trilogy to ensure every loose end is tied up whilst still ensuring there are several Nolanesque twists along the way. There are moments of corny dialogue and the pace of the film starts very slowly but by the time the film ends you realise you have just watched a truly epic masterpiece of such quality that is a rarity of modern cinema.