The Dark Knight Rises

Rating: 2 out of 5

Starring: Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman

Playing at: Click here for Montreal showtimes starting late Thursday and here for Imax showings, starting late Thursday.

Parents' guide: Violence, language.

Christopher Nolan concludes his Batman trilogy in typically spectacular, ambitious fashion with "The Dark Knight Rises," but the feeling of frustration and disappointment is unshakable.

Maybe that was inevitable. Maybe nothing could have met the expectations established by 2008's "The Dark Knight," which revolutionized and set the standard for films based on comic books by being both high-minded and crowd-pleasing. With Christian Bale as his tortured superhero starting from 2005's "Batman Begins," Nolan has explored the complicated and conflicting motivations of man as well as the possibility of greatness and redemption within society.

Here, as director and co-writer, he's unrelenting in hammering home the dread, the sorrow, the sense of detachment and futility of a city on the brink of collapse with no saviour in sight. Gotham is under siege in ways that tonally and visually recall 9-11; what is obviously the island of Manhattan gets cut off from the outside world at one point. Rather than seeming exploitative, it's just one of many examples of the script from Nolan and his usual collaborator, his brother Jonathan, making the franchise feel like a relevant reflection of our times. Identity theft, economic collapse and an uprising of the disgruntled, disenfranchised have-nots against the smug, comfy haves also come into play.

There's so much going on here, though, with so many new characters who are all meant to function in significant ways that "The Dark Knight Rises" feels overloaded, and sadly lacking the spark that gave 2008's "The Dark Knight" such vibrancy. The absence of Heath Ledger, who won a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the anarchic and truly frightening Joker, is really obvious here. It retrospect, it makes you realize how crucial Ledger's performance was in making that Batman movie fly.

By comparison, "The Dark Knight Rises" is plot-heavy, obsessed with process, laden with expository dialogue and flashbacks that bog down the momentum and — dare I say it? — just flat-out boring at times. Yes, the Batman world through Nolan's eyes is supposed to be moody and introspective; you've got to admire the fact that he is willing to challenge us this way when summer blockbusters so often feel flashy and hollow. And yet at the same time, it takes some giant leaps with its characters which either make no sense, haven't earned the emotions they're seeking, or both.

"The Dark Knight Rises" does feature the kind of impeccable production values we've come to expect from Nolan's films; many members of his core team are back, including cinematographer Wally Pfister, editor Lee Smith and production designers Nathan Crowley and Kevin Kavanaugh. "The Dark Knight Rises" feels weighty and substantive — and, thankfully, isn't in 3-D — but it takes on an even grittier look than its predecessors as Gotham City devolves into desperation and ruin.

But Nolan's approach is so coldly cerebral that it's a detriment to the film's emotional core. It's all doom and gloom and no heart. There is no reason to care about these characters, who function more as cogs in an elaborate, chaotic machine than as real people whose souls are at stake.

It's been four years since "The Dark Knight" came out but eight years have passed in terms of story. Bale's Bruce Wayne suffers in self-imposed exile, sulking about Wayne Manor, mourning the loss of his darling Rachel and carrying the burden of blame for the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent. His goal of a peaceful Gotham has been achieved, but he's left as a man without a purpose. Michael Caine, as the ever-loyal valet Alfred, brings dignity and eloquence to the film as he begs Bruce to carve out his own form of happiness. Fellow veterans Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon and Morgan Freeman as gadget guru Lucius Fox are their usual dignified selves, but they don't register the way they should because the film is so overstuffed.

Several new characters manage to draw Bruce out of his funk in various ways. Anne Hathaway brings some much needed zest to the proceedings as Selina Kyle, otherwise known as Catwoman in the Batman universe, a slinky thief who punctures Bruce's bubble when she lifts his fingerprints from his safe, along with a beloved pearl necklace. She's selfish and cynical, only looking out for herself, but at least she goes about her crimes with some verve and style. They never call her Catwoman by name, and she's never as campy as Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry were in previous film incarnations of the role, but she's always fun to watch.

The other woman in Bruce's life, however, is woefully underdeveloped — which is a real problem because she plays a key role in the film's climactic revelations. Marion Cotillard (one of many alumni from Nolan's "Inception") co-stars as Miranda Tate, a wealthy philanthropist who hopes to work with Wayne Enterprises on developing clean, sustainable energy. The romance that develops between her and Bruce is utterly unbelievable.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt adds a youthful presence as John Blake, an up-and-coming member of the police force who inspires Bruce to revisit his own childhood as an orphan. Gordon-Levitt as solid as always but there's not much to his character aside from earnestness.

Then there's Bane, a muscular mass of pure evil who orchestrates an elaborate takeover of Gotham City. The role is a huge waste of what Tom Hardy can do; his character is so one-dimensional and poorly defined, he's never so much a fearsome figure as a large and hulking one. It doesn't help matters that it's often difficult to make out what he's saying beneath the cage-like muzzle that covers his nose and mouth and alters his voice. Hardy can be sexy and charismatic (as he proved in "Inception") but also a dangerous and unpredictable figure. None of that is on display here. He's all brute force.

But he is the instigator of the film's dazzling opening sequence, worthy of the best of James Bond: a daring aerial manoeuvr in which Bane kidnaps a scientist by hijacking his plane from the skies above. That's probably the most effective of the many set pieces Nolan stages here, although the collapse of Heinz Field during a packed football game also has an urgent, visceral quality, with thrills that recall the most imaginative moments of "Inception."

This is the problem when you're an exceptional, visionary filmmaker. When you give people something extraordinary, they expect it every time. Anything short of that feels like a letdown.

It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act. But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane.

Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar® winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter”) again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake. Returning to the main cast, Oscar® winner Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules”) plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) reprises the role of Lucius Fox.

The screenplay is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. The film is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.

Behind the scenes, “The Dark Knight Rises” reunites the director with several of his longtime collaborators, all of whom worked together on the “The Dark Knight.” The creative team includes director of photography Wally Pfister, who recently won an Oscar® for his work on Nolan’s “Inception”; production designer Nathan Crowley; editor Lee Smith; and Oscar®-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“Topsy-Turvy”). In addition, Paul Franklin and Chris Corbould, who both won Oscars® for the effects in “Inception,” supervised the visual and special effects, respectively. The music is composed by Oscar® winner Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King”).

In helming the film, Christopher Nolan is utilizing IMAX® cameras even more extensively than he did on “The Dark Knight,” which had marked the first time ever that a major feature film was partially shot with IMAX cameras. The locations span three continents and include the American cities of Pittsburgh, New York and Los Angeles, as well as sites in India, England and Scotland.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures. Slated for release beginning July 20, 2012, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Following the events of ‘The Dark Knight,’ it has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Caped Crusader sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act. But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane. The epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Tom Hardy as Bane, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Jim Gordon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, Michael Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, and Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate. The film arrives in cinemas and IMAX on July 20th. You can check out my previous interview with Anne Hathaway for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ here.

Joining ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ as this iconic character and having seen Christopher Nolan‘s first two Batman movies, what was it like to get the call that you’re playing Selina Kyle/Catwoman?

Anne Hathaway: It had been a journey just to the audition process. First it was rumours that Christopher Nolan was considering a new female character, then it was that he was going to meet with a couple girls, then he told me what the character was, then it was whether or not I was going to be one of the girls to screen-test. It was a three and a half month process, so by the time I got it, it seemed like it couldn’t possibly happen. I mean, I’d loved the character, Catwoman, since I was a little girl. It just didn’t seem possible that it would be a reality in my life. So then when I did get it and I went to set, it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had working on a movie. It’s still very pinch yourself territory (laughs).

I knew that the franchise was extraordinary, I’d seen ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight.’ I was really excited to be a part of it. I was apprehensive that I was the “new kid” and I might stick out like a sore thumb (laughs), in a way that I didn’t want to. But everyone was really inclusive, Christopher Nolan made me feel right at home right from the beginning. He was great, he gave me wonderful direction with where to start with, with the character. By my third day on set I didn’t feel like I hadn’t been on the first two films, I felt very much at home and accepted.

I can imagine a big thing about finding your character for this film, with its heightened reality, is embracing the world that has been built?

Anne Hathaway: Definitely. It’s very important to embrace the world of Gotham, even though this is based on a comic book, to embrace it as a real world. Once you do that, that kind of takes care of some of the self-consciousness you would feel doing these things that in a day to day experience you would never ever do or dream of doing. But all of a sudden that heightened reality becomes reality. So with that, I just trusted Christopher Nolan and trusted the people he put in place to guide me to my character. I did whatever they told me and tried not to let them down (laughs). And it was very fun, I was scared sometimes that I was having too much fun! I thought I should be working a bit harder, but this was a movie where the harder you worked the more fun it was.

How did you find the experience of working with someone like Christopher Nolan? Whenever I speak to actors that have worked with him, they always comment how calm he is….and that he drinks a tonne of tea.

Anne Hathaway: (Laughs) He drinks a lot of tea, a tremendous amount of tea. I think that’s his secret, it’s all about Earl Grey! I think one of the things that I really learned from him is that being stressed out won’t make a better product. He is so brilliant, so capable, he knows every aspect of filmmaking inside out – and backwards and forwards! But he never loses his cool. There are crazy stunts going on but he stays completely calm. I learned a lot about, in a way, how to approach life, not just films from that. And Chris, he’s a really good person. He’s a deeply wonderful person as well as being an extraordinary filmmaker. I think he’s able to be in the midst of chaos and keep his cool. Also, he has a legitimately brilliant mind, its become an overused word, but when I think of “brilliance” I think of Chris. It’s another overused word, but he’s a genius, these are big words, but he earns them.

You have some tremendous scenes with Christian Bale as both Bruce Wayne and Batman in ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ how was it working opposite him?

Anne Hathaway: I loved working on this movie because, as I said, even though we were working on characters based on a comic book, everybody took it so seriously, they took their craft so seriously. Sometimes on movies, I’ve sort of been made to feel like my acting process was maybe a little bit indulgent or pretentious, on this movie it was completely supported, embraced and encouraged. And I think that’s because Christian has such a great process and Chris has been so happy with Christian’s results. First of all, Christian is an amazing actor, but also he’s had three films to really get inside this character. Where he’s able to go in this film defies the imagination. He’s impressive but he’s also vulnerable, he makes you feel for him so much. I think it’s a masterful performance and I think I was very lucky acting opposite him in as many scenes as I was. And I know this sounds weird, because there shouldn’t be degrees of authenticity, but he’s a deeply authentic person. He’s very much himself, he’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. He’s just such a great, great, great, great actor. Everyday was a privilege.

You get to kick some butt in this film, a lot of butt, how did you find the training process for that aspect of Selina Kyle/Catwoman?

Anne Hathaway: It was more time in the gym than I think I’ve ever spent in my whole entire life, combined (laughs), what I had to do for ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ It was great, they showed me a lot of the stunts that they wanted me to do and a lot of the fighting styles. Chris had said that he wanted me to do all of the things that I could, and I’m a hyper-competitive person so I was like, “I wanna do it all, I want to do everything.” (Laughs) So it was about getting in as good enough shape that I could do all of my own fighting. Which I was pleased that by the end I had. And doing it in heels, I had to learn everything in flats then slowly ramp it up.

I can imagine you learn a lot on every film you make, but how was it on this set, with this cast in particular? You worked with the likes Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, all remarkable in their own right….

Anne Hathaway: Oh yeah, I hope I always learn from the people I work with, then especially when you’re in this kind of company. I remember coming in one day and I saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt and I was like, “Hey, you had that scene with Gary Oldman the other day, how was it?” He was like, “Oh my God, I can’t even talk about what he did.” Then I’m like, “I know, Christian Bale the other day did this thing, and Michael Caine…..” And we were just trading notes about what everyone was doing (laughs), it was like trading Baseball cards (laughs). But it was a masterclass everyday, and everybody came from such different backgrounds, but somehow everyone found the same note to play in the film. And I believe that’s to do with Christopher Nolan and strength of the script.