Diary of a Fangirl: The Dark Knight Rises

Oh. My. GOD.

"The Dark Knight Rises" was absolutely perfect.  Purrfect (couldn't resist!).

I'll admit it--I initially had reservations due to the fact I'd been spoiled on there being no Joker mention, and the fact that Anne Hathaway was cast as Catwoman (wut?).  And I was worried--genuinely worried that the franchise would end on a sour note.  Good lord, was I horrendously wrong, and thankfully so.

Christopher Nolan is a mad genius.  This story was tight, flawless, and has a tremendously satisfying (and fitting) conclusion.  I will admit to guessing one thing about fifteen seconds before it happened in the film, thought the ending was going one way, then guessed the other way about five to seven seconds before it happened.  Man, what a wild ride it was.  The casting was top notch, and yes, I did underestimate Ms. Hathaway.  What I didn't see coming, however, was Mr. Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  I will refrain from fangirling him here, however, and save that for my post tomorrow.  That being said, he is one helluva an actor, and I see great things on the horizon for him.  Where Heath's brilliance left off, I believe that Joseph will pick up the slack in the actors of my generation.

Here's one thing I won't do...I refuse to compare this film to its predecessor, "The Dark Knight," for I love that film dearly (and holy cow, what a sequel!).  I loved them both for very different reasons, and I will add that it is rare for a trilogy to have a great sequel, let alone a third installment.  It's quite a feat, and Nolan accomplished this with perfection.

Also, there was one moment where my eyes were watery...and that is no easy feat.

Bane is a very different villain than the Joker, who was witty and charismatic.  Bane is a beast--brute force that demands to be seen and reckoned with.  No finesse from this guy--just gripping fear.  Even his voice creeped me out, let alone his imposing presence.  Tom Hardy was great and perfect here.  Where the Joker wanted chaos, Bane wanted a strange retribution and anarchy.

I can't, however, mention viewing this film (which I wish to see again next week) without mentioning the shootings in Aurora, Colorado.  I was near tears this morning when I heard about it, and deeply saddened for those poor people.  Cinema is one of the few places where people can join together in something that they love.  The audience in my theatre cheered, applauded and laughed together in moments of the film.  It was a shared moment of love and geekery and fun and entertainment.  It was just painful to hear of  that joy diminished in pain, and sadly death.

That being said...I saw the film several hours later, and had a good time.  Life must go on; we must all continue living, and not the let the evils of the world win.