The 1989 “Batman” with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson set the bar very high for superhero movies. Sequels with George Clooney and Val Kilmer, pretenders to the Batman role, reduced expectations and the Batman sequels were mercifully curtailed.
When Christian Bale became the new Batman in “Batman Begins” in 2005, his performance was adequate, with his personality rather blasé, and his “Batman voice” annoying, to say the least. Liam Neeson is always a screen presence, and the movie was entertaining, in spite of Katie Holmes being totally miscast. In “The Dark Knight” in 2008, the movie survived Christian Bale, with an Oscar-winning performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker and an exceptional performance by Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face.
In “The Dark Knight Rises,” Christian Bale arrives as Batman. His whole demeanor has evolved into the role. He finally shows an ability to adapt, from a depressed invalid into a shadowy figure, finally metamorphing into a bona fide superhero.
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Returning to the fray are Gary Oldman as the irrepressible Commissioner Gordon, Michael Caine as the quintessential butler, “Alfred”, and Morgan Freeman as the weapons genius, “Fox.” Marion Cotillard is alarmingly convincing as Miranda Tate, a new love interest for Batman plus more.
Perhaps the most surprising performance was by Anne Hathaway. Prior to seeing the movie, I had strong reservations about her being cast as “Selena Kyle” (Catwoman).
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Note: a little of Batgirl’s DNA may have gotten mixed in.
But Ms. Hathaway exceeded all expectations, with exceptional delivery of her lines, combining a comic and a serious nature to her character, and performing the action roles with flair.
Tom Hardy is fine as “Bane,” a villain that replaces personality with raw power. From my personal perspective, the one disappointing performance was by Joseph Gordon-Levitt as “Blake,” a young police officer with a major role in defeating Bane. He lacks any sort of dynamics and leaves the viewer with total indifference to his presence in the movie.
“The Dark Knight Rises” has some epic moments and may one day be considered a classic. It is the first time since the 1989 Michael Keaton movie that I felt Batman had again ascended to his status as one of the greatest DC characters. Thank you to Christopher Nolan, Director, for returning the real superhero to us. The Batman symbol shines over Gotham City and over all of America once more.
