Batman rises

The third installment in Christopher Nolan's trilogy proves both dark and delightful

By Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jul 20, 2012

~~<p>Potent, persuasive and hypnotic, "The Dark Knight Rises" has us at its mercy. A disturbing experience we live through as much as a film we watch, this dazzling conclusion to director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is more than an exceptional superhero movie, it is masterful filmmaking by any standard. So much so that, its considerable two-hour-and-44-minute length notwithstanding, as soon as it's over, all you want to do is see it all over again.</p>
<p>That desire comes despite — or perhaps because of — the fact that "The Dark Knight Rises" might be the bleakest, most despairing superhero film ever made. It uses a wholly terrifying villain to emphasize the physical vulnerability of a hero we sometimes forget is no more than human. And it underscores the black moods and sense of dark destiny that have always clustered around the psyche of billionaire Bruce Wayne and his somber compulsion to fight crime.</p>
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Potent, persuasive and hypnotic, "The Dark Knight Rises" has us at its mercy. A disturbing experience we live through as much as a film we watch, this dazzling conclusion to director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is more than an exceptional superhero movie, it is masterful filmmaking by any standard. So much so that, its considerable two-hour-and-44-minute length notwithstanding, as soon as it's over, all you want to do is see it all over again.

That desire comes despite — or perhaps because of — the fact that "The Dark Knight Rises" might be the bleakest, most despairing superhero film ever made. It uses a wholly terrifying villain to emphasize the physical vulnerability of a hero we sometimes forget is no more than human. And it underscores the black moods and sense of dark destiny that have always clustered around the psyche of billionaire Bruce Wayne and his somber compulsion to fight crime. Login for more...