Editor’s note: We are saddened by the recent Aurora, CO events and respect the victims and their families. 

Editor’s note: This is a spoiler-free review. Check back for an in-depth analysis of the film (with spoilers). 

Eight years have passed since the events of Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning superhero epic, “The Dark Knight.” Bruce Wayne (Academy Award Winner Christian Bale) is no longer Batman, Gotham City is in peace, but turmoil grows between those who have little and those who have a lot when Bane (a brutal and imposing Tom Hardy) decides to terrorize Gotham and break the city to its core. The only one who can stop this threat is Wayne, himself, if he decides to take up the mantle once again and save Gotham from total destruction.

Director/co-writer/producer Chris Nolan delivers a film of satisfying magnitude that ties, not only its themes and core, but characters back to “Batman Begins.” An unconventional superhero film really, Nolan’s film is a powerful, thought-provoking social commentary for our times, touching on themes like terrorism, class struggles and nuclear power, it just so happens to be about a major comic book character. Nolan’s set pieces are not only massive in scale but thematically as well, at times I thought this was Nolan’s version of the groundbreaking silent classic “Metropolis.”

It’s not easy to follow up what some still consider the finest superhero film ever made (“The Dark Knight”) but Nolan and co-writer Jonathan Nolan, are up to the challenge of delivering a satisfying finale to the Batman trilogy, and deliver they do. Christian Bale, in his best and most emotionally powerful performance as Bruce Wayne, shines with haunting vulnerability and exceptional presence, while other performances are phenomenal as well. Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon again exudes authority and responsibility in a commanding way, while Anne Hathaway (in a sassy scene-stealing turn as Catwoman) proves a perfect femme fatale for the Batman universe and a great anti-heroine to the film. While Joseph Gordon Levitt is pitch perfect and wonderfully subtle in a significant role as John Blake. The truly emotional impact comes from one of the film’s most heartbreaking relationships; that of Bruce and Alfred (a terrific and fatherly Michael Caine). 

The action scenes are magnificent to watch, simply put. They are visually arresting set pieces of enormous cinematic grandeur.  Shot beautifully by long time Nolan collaborator, Wally Pfister, the film has a naturalistic use of blues and muted colors to present the devastating conditions that Gotham finds itself in.  Nolan knows how to shoot action well, his sense of location and geography are astounding. You know where the characters are and where each vehicle is headed. He showed this great skill on “The Dark Knight” and in here he delivers again, with great chase sequences and also monumental fight scenes between Bane and Batman, which are suitably brutal. Bane proves a physically worthy opponent to the Bat during a magnificent and terrifying early fight scene in Gotham’s underground.

Another aspect worth praising, and this has always been a staple of Nolan’s trilogy, is that Hans Zimmer’s bombastic, booming and operatic score is remarkably fantastic. Using chaotic and resonant orchestrations with his usual flair for electronic and synthesizer heavy tracks, Zimmer has created a score that fits wonderfully with the film’s themes of pain and redemption. 

But “The Dark Knight Rises” isn’t perfect. It is flawed, especially in the numerous plot points that Nolan orchestrates. At times it can be convoluted enough and some of the minor characters might be somewhat rushed into the picture and not have a particular effect on the narrative. There are some pacing issues as well, particularly in the middle, but they work because of the tone the film presents in my opinion. However this is one of those cases where the good aspects of the film completely overshadow the negative.

No, “The Dark Knight Rises” isn’t the best film of the year, but it’s something a lot more rewarding— an operatic piece of summer cinema at its finest, Nolan and co. have crafted one of the most spectacularly produced and thematically ambitious superhero epics in recent memory, and in the process they have completed in a richly satisfying way their take on the Batman mythos. Emotionally powerful, magnificently acted, with visual grandeur to spare and thematically rewarding, “Rises” delivers on what every summer movie should. After most superhero franchises, often failing in their third entry, Nolan proves that it is possible to remain consistent; his trilogy shows a triumphant reminder of his successful take on the character and now stands as the best superhero trilogy ever made.

Five out of five picks. 

Oscar Garza may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.