The Dark Knight Rises

A grandly ambitious but spectacularly flawed film, "The Dark Knight Rises" still endures as a tremendous film, one that (excuse the pun) rises above its flaws to produce one of the riskiest, most satisfying superhero film in the history of the genre.

Eight years after the events of "The Dark Knight," Gotham City is free of organized crime thanks to the legacy of Harvey Dent, whose descent into the murderous "Harvey Two Face" was successfully hidden by Commissioner Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Batman (Christian Bale). A law created in his name essentially eliminated mob activity, and the people of Gotham have enjoyed relative peace since.

Bruce Wayne, meanwhile, hobbled by his injuries from that night and traumatized by the death of his beloved Rachel Dawes, has hung up his cape and cowl and become a hermit. His company has fallen into disarray even as the city prospers.

Enter the villain Bane (Tom Hardy), an imposing, charismatic figure in a mask that delivers a drug to him that prevents him from feeling pain. His and Wayne's pasts are linked, and, like his villainous predecessors, he wants to destroy Gotham.

Bane is an indestructible force of nature, more than a match for a hobbled Batman and breaks him physically and emotionally before unleashing his plan on Gotham, isolating it from the outside world and disabling the police force inside.

Batman, aided by a young police officer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and catburglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), who sports a familiar set of feline ears.

Director Christopher Nolan takes his story once again in a direction other superhero film's didn't dream to go, creating an endgame for his hero that he set up through the first two films. The result is a definitive end to the trilogy, done in a fashion other filmmakers (or studios) wouldn't dare.

Perhaps his greatest trick is, despite months of spoilers and rumors that spoiled the film's twisty ending, Nolan still managed to surprise, with just enough doubt to keep you guessing.

Still, there are a few leaps in logic and some pretty significant plot holes along the way. There are several contrivances, too-convenient hiding places and secret stashes of spare weaponry, and unexplained leaps in narrative. The entire plan is a little contrived and has been lampooned by fans and critics alike.

But "Rises" is still a triumph, not the meticulously perfect film that "The Dark Knight" was, but still a tremendous film more than worth your while if you haven't sought it out yet.

The bonus features are cursory, with little beyond standard featurettes. Nolan is notoriously stingy with his home video special features, and this trend continues. More story insights and deleted scenes would have been welcomed, but the film is the main attraction here anyway, so it's hardly the end of the world.

Film: 4.5 Yaps Features: 3 Yap