The Dark Knight Rises

Tom Hardy is superb in this denouement to Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy. His depiction of the clever and malevolent "Bane" is intricate and terrifying in equal measure. Christian Bale also has the role very much under control now as he joins forces with his old pal "Gordon" (Gary Oldman) and jewel thief turned "Catwoman" (Anne Hathaway) to rise to his biggest challenge yet... What's great about this film is that is ties up all of the loose ends from the first two; it dots some i's and crosses the t's as the story neatly, and frequently quite subtly, introduces new threads to an old suit of clothes. This is an hugely characterful outing for all concerned - especially Sir Michael Caine as the wonderfully underplayed "Alfred" and Morgan Freeman as the arch-inventor "Fox". The plot takes it's time to develop, there is plenty of to-ing and fro-ing as they battle for the upper hand; new allies must learn to trust and to rely on each other. I found myself drawn to the "Bane" cause more than I ought to admit - a sign of a great baddie; you empathise with the evil (I think of "Darth Vader") especially once the story unveils traits in his character and elements of his history that, to a certain extent, justify his behaviour. The dialogue is sparing and potent and photography is really effective: the light and shade are used creatively with the Hans Zimmer score an huge improvement on his last outing. This is certainly one for a big screen - there is loads to see each time you watch, and though "Batman" was never my favourite super-hero, this has to be up there as one of the darkest and best super-hero films.