Summer blockbusters come and go every year. Most of the time, they are just a big budget and flashy special effects, accompanied with a flimsy plot and wooden actors. However, one recent summer mega-hit, The Dark Knight Rises, broke that trend. This was an excellent film that combined the great special effects you would expect from a blockbuster, an original plot, and some excellent acting by the lead roles. When you take all of its parts, you get nothing less than the greatest superhero movie of all time.

In a typical summer blockbuster, you will find a massive budget and dazzling special effects in order to draw in viewers. The Dark Knight Rises is no different in this regard. All throughout the film, there is eye candy galore. Whether it was the plane hijacking by the villain Bane in the first five minutes, or the mid-air battle over Gotham City, there are several moments that will get your blood pumping and put you on the edge of your seat. But the event that was the greatest, in terms of special effects, was the implosion of the football field. In this scene, lead villain Bane is completing his takeover of Gotham City. He decided to show his stranglehold over the city with a massive show of power; he imploded a professional football arena during a game, as well as destroying the bridges and tunnels out of Gotham, terrifying the city’s citizens. This scene was so breathtaking because of its juxtaposition to the thousands of extras that director Christopher Nolan placed in that scene. It was this huge number of people that helped give this sequence a real feeling of fear. It was this showing of power that gave some backbone to Bane’s brute persona. If he could cause that much destruction, then he must be a powerful villain. In a way, that scene was the thing that gave him the strength and evil he was attempting to convey; the special effects gave him power.

While the visuals were a spectacular part of the movie, it was the original plot that blew me away. All three of Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies are based off the comics, meaning that diehard fans will already know the outcome of certain situations. The Dark Knight Rises took a creative turn away from its readable companion and it was this departure from the expected that gave the film a stronger sense of surprise, especially the last half hour. In the comic books, Batman’s sidekick is Tim Drake, better known as his alter ego, Robin. At the conclusion of the film, Gotham City police officer Robin Blake was the one that took over as the protector of Gotham, and is the presumed new Robin. This was a complete surprise to every viewer and it was the correct choice. This change from the expected was an excellent decision by Nolan, as this film is now extremely memorable and even has the option to become an entire new spinoff in the Batman universe. Nolan made himself a much richer man with that change in the finale.

The actors in a film are always important to the film’s overall quality. If a film has an outstanding plot or script with subpar actors reciting the lines, then those aspects of the film will become lost behind the wooden actors. Solid acting also gives an air of believability to the film, which is especially important in the extremely fictional superhero genre. This is an area that the Dark Knight Rises excels in.

Christian Bale reprises his role as the Batman himself, Bruce Wayne. Only this time, Batman is on an extended hiatus and retirement. With this film taking place eight years after the previous film, Wayne has fallen into disrepair; suffering from arthritis, cartilage damage, and depression. Bale expertly sells this battered Batman through his grunting and hobbling and wallowing in self-pity. One of the more moving sequences in the movie is Wayne’s recovery from a fractured spine, courtesy of the villain Bane. Wayne decided to confront Bane and had his spine broken, then to add insult to injury, Wayne was thrown into an underground prison and left to die. It was during his recovery where Nolan shows the growth of Bale’s character. A major part of Batman’s persona is his lack of fear. In his seemingly inescapable prison, Wayne realizes that fear is a necessary part of life and it is something that makes you human. Bale sells this drastic characterization perfectly.

Tom Hardy plays the main protagonist, Bane. Hardy sells the violent brute persona quite well. However, his role is the one weak point of the film, at least until the final few minutes. Bane is a completely one-dimensional character, with his only motives being destruction and violence. In the final minutes, however, a different side of him is shown. A flashback is played to Bane protecting a little girl from the underground prison. Up until this point, Bane is shown as nothing but a brute focused on destruction. With this flashback, he is shown to have compassion and caring on some level, fleshing out his character.

Anne Hathaway plays the other lead role, Catwoman, AKA Selina Kyle. Catwoman is a difficult person to portray because she is an ever changing, inconsistent character. One moment she is attempting to steal priceless jewels, the next moment she is trying to protect the citizens of Gotham. Her relationship with Wayne/Batman is also inconsistent. At certain times, they are bitter adversaries, yet at others they are allies with a deep emotional connection. Hathaway does not fall into a pitfall of a one-dimensional Catwoman, as she expertly portrays the back-and-forth repartee and questionable motives that are required for a believable anti-hero.

The Dark Knight Rises falls under the category of summer blockbuster with its flashy special effects, yet Nolan sets it apart with a terrific script and solid actors in the lead roles. Thanks to Nolan’s creative vision, the Dark Knight Rises was the greatest film of the past summer and the greatest superhero film of all time.