The Dark Knight Rises reviewed by Mark Kermode

[@maverickmegastar]

Since Ebert passed away Mark has been my favorite critic..

[@StandByShields]

He's a big guy

[@TomTomTom87]

agreed

[@estd1759]

@@StandByShields For you.

[@IMOReviews]

I think he has a brilliant perspective regardless of whether you agree or disagree with him. I’m always interested to hear his thoughts

[@Epiousios18]

What's strange is I was just watching another review of Mark's and thought about commenting this same thing. Strange how that kind of thing works.

[@TheConciseStatement]

Wish Zöe was on more often. It's like getting a second full review but from the perspective of a normal person.

[@sumanthnagabushan1063]

But Simon is Mr (or Dr) Superb regardless... the complimentary part of the odd couple😄

[@razkable]

i love the passion..wish more people let go of plotholes and small nitpicks and just allow us who enjoyed the film to enjoy it..

[@MrCostaC]

A second review that nobody asked for. She’s cringy.

[@MyHerpderp]

Imagine the tremendous sound that must be produced when Kermode claps

[@kermodeandmayo]

He definitely liked the movie. We've had to delete your comment though. Feel free to repost without profanity.

[@timothyw98]

Making a comparison with Kick Ass, the fighting in crowd sequences had the same underlying narrative. The mob mentality, the police, the hoodlums, the good guys trying to do right. It essentially becomes a no win situation, everyone becomes the freak and the damned.

[@jackbutler3133]

Also get to see Batman fighting alongside the same people who have hunted him as a murderer for years and years, recognizing him as an ally once again after all this year's in their combined struggle against evil.

[@kermodeandmayo]

'Commode' translates as 'convenient' from French to English...

[@Tymbus]

Yeah but in English it is a kind of toilet!

[@peripheralperception2267]

You forget the other meaning of "commode": a dresser. Trust me on this, I am French.

[@LukesEnglishPodcast]

Some great hand-waving going on here from both Mark and Zoe

[@StayFractalesque]

what does that mean? dismissal? how so

[@LukesEnglishPodcast]

@@StayFractalesque Doesn’t mean anything else. I just enjoy the way they wave their hands around while they talk.

[@Goochbot]

Not quite as masterful as The Dark Knight, but still a fantastic movie.

[@litteralyjustsam5262]

@Funk O'Matic calm down

[@ntube7]

Mark preferred Rises! He was quite critical of the Dark Knight

[@KydzPlays]

@@ntube7 There’s nothing wrong with that. I can understand why he feels that way too.

[@syndrome3215]

TDKR is actually pretty trash lol.

[@allofthepoints9636]

@@syndrome3215 coldest take on the internet

[@johnmellor932]

Its actually my favourite of the 3

[@larssonk22]

This is one of my favourite reviews by Kermode. The movie was brutal, epic I shed a manly tear. Nolan constantly surprises me, also credit to the supporting roles. Bane and Catwoman were better than I could have imagined

[@walnutpenguin]

He only cried in 2 scenes, one being when he tells Bruce about burning Rachaels letter and the other being stood at Bruces grave. Both very suitable for 'water works'

[@chrishiggins7166]

The film is well acted, well crafted, stylish, effective, well directed & is overall one of the best Batman films if not the best. (93%) (4.5/5 stars) (positive)

[@badtracking]

Bafflingly, none of the performances are talked about. Tom Hardy is not even mentioned.

[@razkable]

anne joseph caine bale and hardy are amazing in rises...they blew me away

[@robertcooper457]

It's an amazing spectacle if you don't think too deeply about it.

[@Klaaarke]

These films also have more in common with 60s Batman & Robin than they would like to admit: Bruce disappearing from parties a moment before Bats turns up, Villains who risk their plans by explaining them for no reason Sometimes you just can't get rid of a bomb.

[@guyvizard549]

Yep. I totally thought about "...just can't get rid of a bomb."

[@maxrav1831]

I usually hate film reviewers, probably watching Barry Norman all them years. However, with Mark I couldn't agree more. The three films are brilliant and I don't mean to be over the top they just are superb examples of film making and to me personally Nolan never puts a foot wrong.

[@claudes.whitacre1241]

Bane was the best part, I thought...God, that voice...a real villain voice.

[@harrymail7]

Americans always use English accents as the villain. Sounds scarier for some reason

[@harrymail7]

@@lydhavet-music yes I know. That is why I am saying Americans use British actors woth Brotish accents to play the villains. It always sounds better to them.

[@harrymail7]

@@lydhavet-music Yeah I know Nolan is British aswell. It's a common thing for a villain in films aimed towards the US to have a Brotish accent. It sounds more exotic and intimidating to them.

[@keretaman]

@@lydhavet-music yea but compared with this, Bale is british and does an american accent.

[@Matthew-ve7uv]

Jesus Harry you keep changing what you say and acting as if you aren't. Have some shame, man.

[@TheHappo]

Absolutely loved this, brings Begins and Dark Knight together wonderfully, and more comic booky, lots of great nods to fans, whilst retaining Nolan's style. Loved it loved it loved it.

[@Survivethejive]

inception was lame

[@smittenthekitteninmittens2679]

+Survive the Jive........what a well thought out and articulate critique!!......you should do it as a job!

[@PantheonLincoln]

I've just started watching this video, having just come back from seeing The Dark Knight rIses, and I agree with Kermode's comments on the Burton Batmans being a bit panto. I found the 1989 Batman flick VERY overrated. Nolan's trilogy pulls a weird trick of seeming radically different to the original comics, yet they're closer than you think when you dig deeper.

[@BradderzSG]

I love Mark Kermode he's so passionate on movies and i respect him for it

[@Grifftinderpals]

I sat there aghast at Tom hardy's silly voice, and sorry, just not enough Bat screen time. On further viewings the film has grown on me, and Tom's ridiculous 'Connery in a bucket' accent. In fact I realise it could not have been any other way, the Dark Knight Rises is a natural conclusion after the peak of the previous film. Could have done without the 'will Robin carry on' bollocks though...oh, and the title was crap, for some reason I could not get that out of my head.

[@TheMonkeyKey]

"They're good gadgets, they do the stuff."

[@farneyblakeley]

What I didn't like about this film and the series in general is that the only people who have any fun, have any joy about themselves are the villains. It's a very depressing view of society. The city streets are reduced to an arena for combat with little thought given to noncombatants by either side. I could say more along those lines but will hold off. I did tear up at the end but still felt I had been put through a very long relentlessly dreary experience for that payoff.

[@z0uLess]

The first thing that hits me when watching this is how far we have moved culturally since then.

[@Jordannadroj20]

in what sense?

[@z0uLess]

@@Jordannadroj20 in the sense of things moving faster and faster, movements being shorter and shorter, the pulse of information oscillates in a more strained sense.

[@1qwasz12]

This was not a good movie. The Dark Knight was not a good movie. But Heath Leger was a revelation. He, and only he kept the franchise together.

[@aryankaushik93]

Nah

[@JY-ev5ms]

Talking bollocks mate

[@FabianEllis]

This is great, never seen Kermode so passionate about super-hero movies- this is why cape flicks should be made by great artists who have an understanding of creating compelling, epic visuals (as that's what the comics are full of). The Spider-man trilogy, Superman, Guardians of the Galaxy, Aquaman are also well made super-hero by auteurs with vision and an understanding of the source material. As much as the MCU is a great interconnected series- it needs more experienced and skilled filmmakers capable of creating true spectacle and not just messy green screens to truly be worthy of the size of the cinema screen.

[@PeteBeast]

SPOILER: The only thing I disagree with is an open ending. I believe it is very clear that Batman lives at the end.

[@blennerville2]

Better paced film compared to Dark Knight. I enjoyed it more and had more fun.

[@SB992REBORN]

NOW THIS IS WHY I LOVE THE BRITISH!!!! US AMERICANS, WE TAKE EVERYTHING FOR GRANTED AND IT'S STUPID!!! BUT BRITISH PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT A FILM, BIG OR SMALL, AND RECOGNIZE WHAT A MASTERPIECE IT REALLY IS LIKE WE ALL SHOULD BE DOING RIGHT NOW!!! FILM IS NOT JUST A PIECE OF ENTERTAINMENT OR A MERE ENJOYMENT TO BE HAD OR A GIMIC, IT IS AN ART.... A CREATIVE ART THAT MORE PEOPLE SHOULD BE HAPPY THAT IT WAS EVEN MADE! IF YOU CAN'T APPRECIATE MOVIES LIKE THIS, THEN YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF....

[@OsBKenshin]

"I think sometimes people look too hard to find anything we can to pull something apart. A movie is supposed to be an experience. It's not meant to be a check list of a bunch of small things that don't really matter in the end. The Dark Knight Rises hit every emotional note it needed to. It weaved multiple characters into a solid story and none of them felt short changed."

[@joshyposhesq7893]

Kermode Rules, he told Spielberg about seeing Jaws in Turnpike lane, I remember that cinema, love your reviews, top dog critic!!!

[@themadmathematician3]

Kermode is clearly wrong about the ending being ambigous, right? Spoiler warning. We are both shown that Fox discovers that the autopilot was fixed and that the pearl necklace, Selina was wearing, had gone missing. Did Caine imagine these things as well? Also in the entire trilogy we have not been shown unreliable images other than when characters were clearly medicated. And questioning what is real or not is not a central theme of the movie.

[@playthatfunkymusicrobot]

It twists my melon that this was potentially rated NC-17 because of one alleged scene.

[@braggyreyes]

tdkr was awesome, those who havent seen it, see it for urselves, its great, you be the judge, i give 10 of 10 stars!

[@turnbacktime6618]

i preferred the tdkr to tdk. no offence but heaths joker was beyond overrated.

[@Hoscitt]

Easily the weakest of the trilogy

[@youngsandwichgaming9071]

Nah, definitely a better film than begins

[@jhogg135]

Ur overwhelmingly excited to see a movie you've already seen twice?

[@enigma19833]

I LOVED the film, but the ending wasn't "open to interpretation" in the slightest! It was completely clear and spelled-out and totally unambiguous. Unless you want to go the "Alfred was hallucinating/daydreaming/imagining Bruce and Selena in Italy at the end" route, of course. But it's a pretty big stretch and not really supported by anything else in the film.

[@Goochbot]

I preferred it to TDK and BB. I loved the atmosphere and there's more emotional weight to it in comparison to the other films, and it wasn't in constant climax mode that TDK was ( I do love TDK though). Also that ending, was perfect.

[@KajiCarson]

The film is kind of a masterpiece. I felt it tried to do SO many things, but it succeeded as almost evey thing and theme. HUGELY ambitious film, and rightly so. It delivers. I LOVED it.

[@possumGFX]

One can have opinions on opinions you know. Ah nevermind :)

[@Totes1829]

That was an intelligent review! enjoyed it plus the movie is Amazing!

[@LSJShez]

I can't see how it owes Inception a dept, when they were made by the same person.

[@RobAyling]

Just went and saw The Dark Knight Rises at the BFI IMAX - I thought it was incredible! Just an amazing way to finish an amazing trilogy. Nolan - You have done us Bat-Fans proud :)

[@goodluckjamshid]

Hey I agree with everything you said, BUT, I feel like you're the victim of a (now) common misconception. The ending of this movie is not INCEPTION-esque, that you have to leave it to everybody to interpret it in their own way. It's a straight-forward ending, which is (spoilers for those who haven't seen it)... Batman is alive. He clearly fixed the autopilot months ago, and jumped out at the end (as it shows in the Lucius Fox scene). So there.

[@roscoemarshall7307]

ahhh gotcha

[@Kallesanus]

Mark is awesome

[@conorfurlong]

I wonder if Mark still feels this way, as most would think (as I do) that Batman 89 is far superior to TDKR.

[@aryankaushik93]

nah

[@c.m.9369]

Why do people keep thinking that audiences that liked TDKR might have "changed their minds", just because there are other opinions around? Yes, TDKR is probably the Nolan-Batman movie that has gotten the most flag a while after it came out... but Kermode clearly liked it. Why would he have changed his feeling about the movie, just because, as you say, "most" (although, really wonder how you came to that conclusion) think that Batman 89 is superior.

[@SuperLaney81]

Best of the 3. Period.

[@mannylee1983]

Christopher Nolan paying them back in “Spades”.....good one.

[@OscarHarding]

What a great, insightful and passionate review! I wish he'd made more of a comment on the characters/actors, but... wow. What a film!

[@edwardkinsey5680]

Best batman trilogy better

[@RADMANRB]

This is the most genuine review of this movie on youtube. He actually gets what this movie was supposed to be. Lots of people that didnt like this movie didnt like it because its not the dark knight 2. People really need to look at this movie as a character piece because in that regard,its one of the best comic movies ever made, and in terms of the character of batman and portraying the greatness and depth ofhis character,this is the best film of the trilogy. Its not perfect, but it getsthe char

[@Grogster2007]

Batman Returns was the best

[@JapanJohnny2012]

i found it bloated and convoluted, a nolan hallmark.

[@LoneCloudHopper]

I felt the same as Kermode. This was the Batman film that I've ALWAYS wanted to see. I'm not saying that it's perfect, or as good as The Dark Knight, but I enjoyed this one more and I can't wait to get it on DVD. For me, Nolan came through! :)

[@RareBirdGames]

It's very mediocre, watching the second time was incredibly boring.

[@Jcolinsol]

I meant "The Dark Knight" 2008. It was early, I hadn't had my coffee. Doesn't change the facts. This movie's political philosophy is fucked up, the plot is nonsensical, it's sexist, etcetera.

[@connormcleod9595]

Superb film and superb ending to a great triology

[@cartmanfan4life1]

I do think that this is at the very least a good movie, that's extremely well made and entertaining. But I don't know, for something that was so eagerly awaited and for something that was concluding such a good series, I felt that while it defiantly delivered, it could have done so a lot more then it did.

[@Gokulio]

Great review by Mark. Nolan's Dark Knight triolgy, imo, is the greatest trilogy of all time.

[@nicoladavies1848]

Yep my fave too

[@allofthepoints9636]

The Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy

[@RareBirdGames]

I saw it the second time in IMAX, but it just got worse. You know that feeling where the movie will never be good to you, and you never have intention of watching it again? I had that feeling the second time. The plot holes are the icing on the crap cake, its the lack of adapting the characters properly that pisses me off. TDK left me feeling he was going to continue as Batman, but no. He sacrificed the story to connect it to Batman Begins.

[@Fondrom]

An intelligent review, its clear he knows his stuff whereas other reviewers, especially the American ones make little lame jokes with someone laughing along on their video, complain about 'plotholes' when they're easily justified

[@eivoMSeb]

I agree with pretty much everything that guy said. Except for one thing. The end of the movie is not open to any interpretation. It is not. Trust me I am not one of these KZbin geeks or trolls, I'm not going to start crying because you don't agree with me . But seriously you cannot watch the end of this movie and still wonder. Chris Nolan couldn't have made it any clearer than that.

[@paulflint6254]

TDKR is the best film out of the trilogy

[@alansmith4655]

DOCTORWHO ISGR8 Nah.

[@codyrw8397]

@ARYAN KAUSHIK D MB11589 NO

[@codyrw8397]

@ARYAN KAUSHIK D MB11589 Fair enough 😊

[@jovanyolivares421]

I love how they wave their hands around over them lol but great review and some what they say helps to what I would agree on but again funny actions while talking lol :P

[@supersatanic]

It was quite nice. It had more substance than the avengers.

[@yamisupersaiyan]

Yeah, everything does have problems. I'm just confident many people are naming for TDKR aren't so. Dude, this is a review. TYPE SPOILERS. How are the police underground a plot hole? or the stock exchange? They had hostages. The rope jump was done with a very good rope, Wayne is rich, so of course he'd have the equipment to do something so simple

[@keithspringston9283]

I also liked this more than the dark knight. It was more exciting to watch I thought. I thought bane was scarier than the joker.

[@molly0000000s]

A comic book film that owes more to the realism of Michael Mann's Heat, Occupy and the French Revolution than to any comics. Plotholes are one thing, but being daft is another.

[@SB992REBORN]

NOW THIS IS WHY I LOVE THE BRITISH!!!! US AMERICANS, WE TAKE EVERYTHING FOR GRANTED AND IT'S STUPID!!! BUT BRITISH PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT A FILM, BIG OR SMALL, AND RECOGNIZE WHAT A MASTERPIECE IT REALLY IS LIKE WE ALL SHOULD BE DOING RIGHT NOW!!! FILM IS NOT JUST A PIECE OF ENTERTAINMENT OR A MERE ENJOYMENT TO BE HAD OR A GIMIC, IT IS AN ART.... A CREATIVE ART THAT MORE PEOPLE SHOULD BE HAPPY THAT IT WAS EVEN MADE! IF YOU CAN'T APPRECIATE MOVIES LIKE THIS, THEN YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF.....

[@blokey8]

I was expecting it to be "dead amaze" on the evidence of The Dark Knight. Luckily, it also had the "totes emosh" element which that film lacked to an extent and which certainly weren't present in The Avengers for me. There are one or two flaws, but I really don't care because I loved the rest so much- favourite film of 2012.

[@kermodeandmayo]

Isn't the French for toilet 'toilette'?

[@AnytingGoes]

Have you ever thought that some people dont have the same opinion as you? She loved the movie and so did most other people and some express that in different ways. Youre in the minority and it must suck because the rest of us understood the story, the artform and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@mrbrandonmartin388]

It blows my mind that people are willing to look over the major, and i mean MAJOR problems with DKR but they are so whinny over the reboot of Spider-man. While i do love DRK, The Amazing Spider-man was a great movie and so enjoyable.

[@acediamondx]

That is completely the point of superhero stuff. They play up the violence and then condem it. Anway, violence in films does not lead to violence in real life. If someone comits a crime after watching this, they must have had the intention to comit violence before watching the film.

[@theanmolsharma4094]

greatest superhero film EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[@RareBirdGames]

I'm jealous you can endure this film more than once, but remember one thing. This film won't age well...I'm sorry but the actual filmmaking/storytelling flaws will depreciate this movie fast...Enjoy it while it lasts though! :)

[@davidian3412]

I re-watched the Dark Knight trilogy recently with my daughter and we agreed that it is a masterwork.

[@Unwindfilms]

Bane's English accent must resonate in Kermode ears as I could not understand some of his lines myself lol. I liked the film but not as much as Zoe or Kermode :-)

[@coreyristic9234]

I enjoyed The Dark Knight more. I thought Heath Ledger’s Joker was a better villain than Bane. Rises is a good film but isn’t in the same league as Dark Knight.

[@Mehbz]

I ABSOLUTELY ADORED IT! One thing Mark fails to mention is the beautiful moral situations the characters find themselves in, which engage the audience and ask us, what would you do?! WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO BECOME?! WHAT WOULD YOU SACRIFICE?!! Utterly stupendous film making. Utterly.

[@blennerville2]

The review of this and the Dark Knight are among just the very few of Marks reviews i think are good.

[@AseannaesA]

I absolutely love Mark, he is fully able to reflect on both the love and the hate in his reviews and it is so great. Knowing that there is an actual reason behind the slow beginning because that it immerses you in the struggle of Bruce and the bombastic climax. Genius!

[@Satan97458]

The Dark Knight Rises = Best Movie Ever

[@IvanKroloCroGeek0424]

Its 12 minutes longer than the last one.... I dont understand this complaint when the last one was almost just as long.

[@Misiulo]

Okay, okay. We got it. everything Nolan is the bestest ever.

[@yamisupersaiyan]

Nothing doesn't have problems or plotholes. They are perfect in quality consistency.

[@mrawesome669]

Batman Begins 9/10 The Dark Knight 10/10 The Dark Knight Rises 7/10

[@gamerguy8476]

Dark Knight rises underrated af

[@yamisupersaiyan]

Name the plot holes and inconsistencies. I assure you many you think are, aren't

[@dee85ist]

Yes so true, you have to watch this film a second time too really love it, i did.

[@doswillrule]

I was disappointed by TDKR. I don't think much of Begins, and after near abandoning its central premises in TDK, this film seemed unfortunately obligated to pick them up again. The League of Shadows is so hokey, and while Bane was initially presented as a villain of equal intellect and superior strength, the ending twist ruins his character. Plotholes are numerous, the training montage, Neeson's ghost + 10 minute escape from inescapable prison are absurd and nothing surprised me like in TDK.

[@BigBoss7777777]

Ahaha, you nolan fans are hilarious. Burton put too much emphasis on the Joker and not Batman? Are you actually serious? Batman was in this movie for about 5 minutes in the first 2 HOURS. And he appears maybe 3 times in the entire movie. You nolan fans have no idea what you're talking about or what you want. As long as nolan's name is on the film you'll lap it up. He could turn Batman into a burlesque dancer and you'll claim it's genius.

[@JasonVoorhees6661]

, I like the voice of batman, its different and I do not feel like its bruce in a bat costume.. But Bale's Bruce, is 3 different PPL, the playboi, the real bruce wayne, and batman.. But the bane voice is inspired by a gypsy boxer called Bartley Gorman. I hope that PM I sent you clears up that confusion. But the actors do have a big say on how they want to sound, what I was told by a few comic book fans, is the batman voice, bale wanted a beast voice

[@JasonVoorhees6661]

actually Bale's Bruce plays 3 different personality's, the playboy that most of Gotham sees, the real Bruce Wayne that only a handful of PPL know, and there is Batman. In past versions of Bruce in the live action films, we do not get this. I still say the grunting voice, is a beast voice. Bale said, he wanted his version of Batman to be a animal, as the reason why he puts on the voice. Same as tom hardy, who said he wanted to use some gypsy voice for Bane

[@BigBoss7777777]

Bane, a mastermind brute? We must not have seen the same movie. The twist at the end negates everything we saw before, he turns out to be a glorified henchman thanks to that cheesy twist at the end. You may not give a shit about it as you're clearly a Nolan fan as opposed to a Batman fan but these are the fundamentals of the character, it's like the Joker not having white skin. He could've been the exact same character personality wise but without the white skin people would've been up in arms.

[@JasonVoorhees6661]

no, I am showing you an example of using the toxic use of roids, and it comes off awfully. Bane is terrifying in rises, so what if its not the venom use, its still the essence of Bane. A mastermind brute, that can match Batman stroke for stroke physically and mentally. The mask helps him breath is well, not just painkillers. I am a batman fan, and I can pick apart rises, instead of the little things that I do not give a shit about. And you answered my question, how did Burton use Gordon then?

[@JasonVoorhees6661]

LOL, what happened in the knightfalls comics, Bane broke Batman's back, and fell for taili, so that stayed true to the books. Yea Bane was on steroids in the comics, didn't that happen in batman and robin, and what did we get? need I say anymore. And bane's strength comes from his fighting days of the league of shadows, when you are a trained killing machine, that is far more deadlier than a steroid use monster. Bane was like the comics, a mastermind that broke batman physically

[@JasonVoorhees6661]

this makes sense doesnt it, nicolsons joker falls into acid, and oh yes what happens? he has some weird smile. Yea that made sense didn't it, and its my opinion, just like its marks. I can pick apart rises, but I will need to write a book on the problems of Burton's piece of shit batman films. Tell me this, how did burton treat Gordon in his films, ah yes a fat incompitant idiot, who hardly interacts with batman. Did you not get the title, rises

[@BigBoss7777777]

No no and no. Nolan's characters are NOT truer to the comic. See my other comment. In fact, he's stripping every major character of fundamental attributes. Starting with Batman retiring for 8 years, the comic book Batman would never do that. He IS Batman, Bruce Wayne is the mask And I don't even know what to say to your Catwoman remarks, Michelle Pfeiffer shits all over Hathaway. Her character wasn't even Catwoman which would explain why no one refers to her by her title in the entire movie