'Dark Knight Rises' falls short in trilogy

Dark, thrilling, tense and highly climactic, The Dark Knight Rises is a welcome addition to the critically-acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy, but it isn't the best entry out of the Christopher Nolan series.

On Friday, EXCEL Campus Activities will host a screening of the film in the  Rosebud Theatre. The film is part of its Friday Night Films.

The film is set eight years after The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is retired from fighting crime as Batman. Batman isn't needed any longer after the death of justice attorney Harvey Dent, which relieved the mid-level crime in Gotham City.

It's a time of peace and security, Gotham is secure and Batman is free.

In the sewers of Gotham, however, a new evil rises. Masked criminal Bane (Tom Hardy) leads a group of mercenaries against Gotham with a plan to unleash havoc among the city.

Forced to don his mask and cape one last time, Bruce must once again become Batman and defend his city.

Two things that will turn people off about this movie are the beginning of the film and Bane. It plunges the viewer into a tiresome economic crisis involved with Wayne Enterprises that is absolutely boring and tedious compared to the rest of the film.

Bane, while being a terrifying villain and a fascinating character, is irritating, because the mask over his face that gives him a gruffled voice. He ends up sounding like a cross between Darth Vader and Chewbacca.

Thankfully, the film more than compensates for these faults with its fantastic action, glorious set pieces and visual effects and wonderfully-assembled plot.

Fueled by adrenaline, action, suspense and a highly-climactic ending, The Dark Knight Rises is a competent action blockbuster. Now if only we could understand what Bane was saying underneath that mask of his.