Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Liam Neeson, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
The Caped Crusader’s reputation was damaged in the last installment of the Batman franchise. This go-round he’s looking for redemption. And moviegoers love a redemption story. Bane (Tom Hardy) is a sympathetic bad guy and capable foil to a tarnished Batman (Christian Bale) and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne. Bane has Gotham’s sworn officers on the run, its citizens cowering and its politicians blubbering. OK, so the situation is normal for the politicos, but everybody else is paralyzed with panick. With Batman knocked off his throne as the city’s savior, who will come to his beloved city’s defense? And why is Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) even in this film? Batman purists will likely see the appearance of Catwoman as a misstep by the filmmakers since Bane’s villany is peerless. Other than that egregious flaw, fans should be thoroughly entertained. –p.d. lee
