'The Dark Knight Rises' to the occasion

The Dark Knight Rises to the occasion.

Christopher Nolan's final Batman blasts out of the Bat Cave at the speed of light. He packs the plot with hypersonic tension and while it runs a bit long -- but what Batman movie doesn't? -- Nolan keeps you hooked and the story moving.

-- Local show times, theaters, trailer.

Usually the first film in a superhero series is dynamite, the second so-so and the third tanks. From the very basic, and quite terrific Batman Begins to the somewhat dragged out The Dark Knight, each of Nolan's Batman films got better than the one before.

This one is the best. More superheroes should go out with this kind of a bang.

A new villain arrives on the scene. Trained and then rejected by Bruce Wayne's mentor, Henri Ducard, the masked and massive Thomas Bane is a force of nature. In the sewers of Gotham, Bane organizes an army to take over the city. His ultimate goal is the destruction of all. The mystery is why.

A bunch of side stories punch up and fill out the plot. Anne Hathaway is Selena Kyle, an uncommon cat burglar who becomes known as Catwoman. She and Wayne play a nice game of romantic cat and mouse.

Central to the plot is the always excellent Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake. He is a police detective and an orphan, and a man that relates to Wayne's struggle. Blake also suspects Batman and Wayne are the same person.

Rounding out the returning characters are Michael Caine's Alfred, Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox and Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon. All play key roles in a complex and compelling, but sometimes preachy plot. The whole 1 percent-er thing is understandable, but c'mon.

Other than Batman Begins and going back to the 1960s TV series, Batman has always been about the villains. He tangles with the most interesting villains in comic book and movie history. And some of the best actors of their days have played those villains on the small screen and the silver screen.

Two Jokers — Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger — dominated their movies. In the 1990s series, Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman and Danny DeVito's Penguin stole scene after scene from Michael Keaton. Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tommy Lee Jones and Uma Thurman graced the less successful 1990s films.

Greats such as Caesar Romero, Vincent Price, Burgess Meredith, Frank Gorshin, Julie Newmar, Victor Buono, George Sanders, Eli Wallach, David Wayne, Eartha Kitt and Lee Meriweather had a blast as the villains on the 1960s popular TV show and in the single theater-release movie.

Tom Hardy (Inception) plays Bane. He wears a breathing device and owes his dialogue delivery and personality to Darth Vader. The device gets in the way of much of the dialogue, but it doesn't matter.

Unlike most of the Batman films, Bane is a decent but not particularly interesting villain. He's there to create chaos that gives Nolan an excuse to do some damn-fine special effects and fight scenes. The destruction of parts of Gotham City and the action sequences are spectacular.

Much more fun as a villain is Hathaway's Catwoman. If the film has a flaw, and it does have them, it is Hathaway not getting enough screen time.

The Dark Knight Rises actually lets the Dark Knight rise. Nolan and his co-writers, brother Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer, focus on Wayne's struggle with his alter ego and the direction his life should take.

Christian Bale is the best actor to ever play the character. He rounds out Wayne and Batman with a performance that takes both on an emotional roller coaster that adds pain, uncertainty and doubt to the character's machismo. Bale is much more fun and interesting as Wayne than he is as Batman. When doing the Caped Crusader, he becomes the necessary but not so interesting fulcrum.

Christopher Nolan promises this is the final Batman. We're done. It's a good ending, and if a final scene is any indication, his movie may also be an interesting beginning.

Mr. Movie rating: 4 1/2 stars

Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Morgan Freeman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Matthew Modine

Rated PG-13 for mature themes, violence. It’s playing at the Carmike 12, the Fairchild Cinemas 12 and the Walla Walla Grand Cinemas.

5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen

4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it's your type of movie.

3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on DVD.

2 stars to 1 star: Don't bother.

0 stars: Speaks for itself.

This story was originally published July 18, 2012 at 11:55 AM with the headline "'The Dark Knight Rises' to the occasion."