One star for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's fresh and believable take on the rookie cop with street smarts, ideals and courage.
One star for Anne Hathaway's purr-fect performance as the Catwoman.
One star for an aging Michael Caine, in memory of the man who was a king.
Beyond that, it's all a murky sea of meaningless explosions, sodden speeches, missed opportunities, and plot holes you could drive the Batmobile through.
Some lowlights include . . .
A super villain who mumbles so much he might just as well have a sock in his mouth. And speaking of laundry, why can't Bane afford an undershirt?
A doctor who explains in clinical detail, with X-rays, exactly why Bruce Wayne can't fight anymore. Just so his fight scenes will feel even more fake than they already did.
A pointless half hour in a phony-looking prison in some make believe foreign country where guys walk around all day clapping and chanting. Cool Hand Luke, this ain't. I really didn't care if Bruce Wayne climbed out of that stupid hole with a rope -- but then, the guards didn't seem to care much either. ("Climbin' out of here, boss!" "Yeah, Bruce, climb on out of there.") All I wanted was for Bruce to "prove" himself by eating fifty eggs, like in the Paul Newman classic. And at the end he could send the boys a postcard of him back in Gotham City, wearing a custom-made suit, with his arms around Miranda and Selena Kyle. And the card could just say, "Boys, playing it cool -- Bruce."
A staggering total of 3000 cops trapped in a sewer for three months -- yet they all emerge in clean uniforms, in good health, ready to beat Bane's minions in a good old-fashioned street brawl. And even that was more exciting than watching Bane and Batman go one-on-one.
This movie could have been twice as good and half as long, with one tenth of the money spent. All it takes is imagination, courage, and respect for the audience.
One star for Anne Hathaway's purr-fect performance as the Catwoman.
One star for an aging Michael Caine, in memory of the man who was a king.
Beyond that, it's all a murky sea of meaningless explosions, sodden speeches, missed opportunities, and plot holes you could drive the Batmobile through.
Some lowlights include . . .
A super villain who mumbles so much he might just as well have a sock in his mouth. And speaking of laundry, why can't Bane afford an undershirt?
A doctor who explains in clinical detail, with X-rays, exactly why Bruce Wayne can't fight anymore. Just so his fight scenes will feel even more fake than they already did.
A pointless half hour in a phony-looking prison in some make believe foreign country where guys walk around all day clapping and chanting. Cool Hand Luke, this ain't. I really didn't care if Bruce Wayne climbed out of that stupid hole with a rope -- but then, the guards didn't seem to care much either. ("Climbin' out of here, boss!" "Yeah, Bruce, climb on out of there.") All I wanted was for Bruce to "prove" himself by eating fifty eggs, like in the Paul Newman classic. And at the end he could send the boys a postcard of him back in Gotham City, wearing a custom-made suit, with his arms around Miranda and Selena Kyle. And the card could just say, "Boys, playing it cool -- Bruce."
A staggering total of 3000 cops trapped in a sewer for three months -- yet they all emerge in clean uniforms, in good health, ready to beat Bane's minions in a good old-fashioned street brawl. And even that was more exciting than watching Bane and Batman go one-on-one.
This movie could have been twice as good and half as long, with one tenth of the money spent. All it takes is imagination, courage, and respect for the audience.