Meh.

Rating: 6/10 (31 January 2015)

Where to begin? Where to start?
Well, this is Nolan's final chapter and conclusion to his Batman trilogy, and compared to the first two, well it falls short despite a few amusing moments. The film has a very bad pacing issue and has way too many subplots, unnecessary ones I might add, more than it can handle.
The biggest issue I have is how little Batman is in this film. For a movie that is almost three hours long, there is barely any Batman in it. At the most probably twenty minutes max. Speaking of Batman, he is totally out of character here. I know that this is a film, and there is a difference between a film and a comic-book. It's a different medium and it has to be adapted. But even with that being said, everything Bruce Wayne does in the film feels very unlike him based on his development over the course of two films. He's retired for eight years which is a long gap between the events of second film. He's crippled now, walking with a cane and he manages to bang Miranda Tate played by Marion Cotillard, while in the beginning of the film its made clear he's still not over Rachel.
Batman's arc is also very uninteresting. We see Bruce learn to become Batman again with a magical knee brace that somehow give him the ability to kick bricks off a wall and then when he encounters Bane, he gets crippled again, now being held hostage and learned to become Batman again. It's very tedious and very boring to be exact.
This time around Nolan manages to savor the quiet moments in the film. It's not as brisk as it was in The Dark Knight, but he goes back into Batman Begins territory. I commend that he's trying to make it different compared to The Dark Knight, but it ultimately does not work and it only provides to be disheartening, rather than thought provoking. Another issue I had is how much emphasis is made around Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character John Blake and other supporting characters like Matthew Modine's Deputy Commissioner Foley. I don't think the film needed those characters, and all that time could have been focused on Batman, despite their service to the plot.
Despite the plot being very convoluted, it does manage to keep itself together for the most part. The absence of Heath Ledger is sorely felt. What also bothers me is the absence of his influence, while Harvey Dent's influence is clearly felt. The film makes no mention of the Joker, now it may be due to some issue or being respectful to the Heath Ledger's estate, but this renders The Dark Knight as a hypothetical film in between Begins and Rises.
What save the film for me were the two villains. I particularly enjoyed Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. Throughout the hype I wasn't buying her in the trailers, and thought she'd be the weakest link, but thats not the case. She has attitude and kicks butt. Tom Hardy does a commendable job as Bane. He shows ruthlessness and has a thing for choking or snapping people's neck. He physically torments Batman something other villains in the series never did. One of two aspects that bothered me about Bane was his reasoning to inspire hope, to torment the city of Gotham with a nuclear bomb for months, allowing Batman to recover. Why couldn't he just blow it up and the mission would be complete? Which leads me to how disappointed I was to know that his role was nothing more of a henchmen or a second in command when Marion Cotillard's character's true identity is revealed. To be honest I also saw it coming, seeing the set photos her in costume, and being a comic-book fan I already knew who she was. As always the bright spots are Michael Cain who has a heartbreaking scene with Bale, Gary Oldman as Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.
Lots of loose ends and logical plot holes as well. One for example is how in the world did Bruce Wayne get back to Gotham without any money, any identification, and any help whatsoever. The usage of The Bat, Batman's flying vehicle is very impressive, the football game sequence is also very thrilling and there is a decent chase and action sequence with the Batpod in the beginning. However its almost as if every other chase sequence mirrors all the other chase sequences in Nolan's previous installments. Don't get me started on the first fight Batman and Bane have. It's very slow and very loose, and kinda humorous might I add. I get that this Batman is very grounded, but I wanted more energy within the hand to hand combat scenes, more flare, but we don't really get that in this film.
I don't know whether to dislike or like the film's final conclusion, but I must say it's quite a refreshing take on how to end a superhero trilogy. It's not like I wanted to dislike this movie, it was one of my most anticipated films of 2012 and judging by the marketing it looked great. Compared to the first two terrific installments this one does not measure up. It's frustrating, but that is a testament to how great of a director Christopher Nolan can be with his two previous efforts.
6/10