Introduction

So Father Christmas Warner Bros. sent the Mayfair Mum Household an extra Christmas stocking this year packed with lots of goodies for us all.

First up was the final film in Christopher Nolan’s latest Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises (12). No, it’s ok, we didn’t let Little Chap (4) watch it too! With reviews of 5 stars and quotes like “Awesome” and “Brilliant”, this was either going to be a great evening in front of the tv or a complete flop! For the first time ever, I think, Mayfair Dad got just a teeny tiny little bit excited about my getting to work with some lovely PRs on my blog.

Film info:

• Name: The Dark Knight Rises
• Certificate: 12 (contains moderate violence)
• Length: 160 mins   
• Director: Christopher Nolan  
• Stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Morgan Freeman       
• Rated: 7.5/10      
• Genre: Action/Adventure
• DVD Price: £10 (on Amazon at time of publication) 

A disgraced Batman is in hiding (but clearly not forgotten), having taken the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, eight years ago. However,  the appearance of a cunning cat burglar and the arrival of a ruthless madman, Bane, changes everything. Batman is forced out of his self-imposed exile by Bane’s reign of terror and results in the ultimate battle for Gotham City’s survival…but will Batman survive too?

Our first reaction was “What the… is going on?” as Mayfair Dad and I realised we hadn’t seen either previous film yet, a fairly crucial requirement for the end of a film trilogy (yes, I know, hardly the credentials of a bona fide film critic!). However, once we had got over ourselves, the plot gathered pace enough for us to calm down and get into the film. We enjoyed it. There were some great gadgets  – a batmobile/plane, a batmobile bike that drove sideways to turn corners where police cars could only stand still and wonder how?! There was a truly dreadful bad guy and more than the usual touch of futurism/make believe that makes the Batman/Gotham City fantasy package what it is.

Link to official trailer here >>>

Overall ratings: 7/10

In general we thought it was a good film and felt that if we’d spent the money on a copy of it ourselves, we wouldn’t regret it.

Likeability of characters         8/10

Characterisation in such a well known story is important – it has to be true to the stories and chemistries seen on screen before or it doesn’t ring true – a bit like a Bond film where Moneypenny doesn’t drip with sarcasm and suggestion. In this case, there was evident chemistry between Batman and Catwoman – it would have been too disappointing if that hadn’t been the case, in deference to Michelle Pfeiffer’s feisty portrayal of the feline creature. Though I can’t say the same for the “attraction” between Batman and the other love interest.

General story line       7/10

This is a hard one to score as we did agree the last 30-60 minutes drag out just a little. Not in a dull way, just in a “Oops! We forgot to tie that loose end up too, so how shall we do that…?” way. That having been said, the plot was convincing enough and had an awesome twist in the tale. The only possible exception to this was the ending concerning Batman’s ultimate fate…(I’ll say no more!)

The Ending     6/10

Fairly low score, I know, but again, this isn’t because it was a bad ending. Just that it felt a little contrived and just a teeny tiny little bit… well, unlikely.

Overall score?                        7/10

Overall impression:

Overall, we both agreed that we’d enjoyed an action packed evening’s viewing. I mean really, what’s not to like? With more than its fair share of world class actors,  a dash of humour in the right places, LOTS of action (= happy Mayfair Dad!), some special effects, a plot with a wicked twist (no clues here!) and actually a pretty good soundtrack to boot, this was living up to the reputation that came before it.

Turkey it wasn’t (which was just as well, as there’s been enough of that around lately!).