The Dark Knight Rises
Sony Classical - 88725431172 (Cd)

the conclusion to Nolan's Batman trilogy comes to a close with a thunderous bang with action and pathos abound. Now I loved the trilogy but when it came to the music I was not such a fan of Zimmer's work. till this day there are very few cues I can pick out of the albums that are truly decent. The music for The dark Knight Rises is like a good wine, its value goes up with age. On the first listen I was tempted to just shrug this off as Zimmer's usual atmospheric nonsense, but after seeing the music withing the film and several other listens it becomes apparent that there is much to love. of all the big thematic material present on album, the cue to me that stands out is Bane's theme. complete with under chanting which translates to he is rising, the theme gets its biggest rendition in Gotham's Reckoning, or at least its most listenable. The fact that the theme still plays on in later cues but leaves little impressions demeans just how listenable the theme actually is. The final cue should be noted is actually tracked in from The Dark Knight, in fact Rise is strikingly similar to the cue A Dark Knight, but that actually doesn't diminish its importance or impact in the film. Without James Newton Howard helping Zimmer, there is a lack of smaller moments in the score, but there were so few even with him that it is barely noticeable. So in the end the score is like the other two: in your face and propulsive. Using a mix of orchestral and synthetic might to create an atmospheric atmosphere that thankfully Zimmer was the most consistent with (Some series and trilogies don't even get that). Some are off put by this synthetic atmosphere, particularly the moments when it gets loud, and I don't listen to all of the cues. My favorites are Gotham's Reckoning, The Fire Rises, and Imagine The Fire are the stand out cues for me. Maybe in time I will find more to like, but if you find enjoyment in this depends on your capacity to handle in your face bass and synths.