Dark Knight Rises and then sinks

Rating: 5/10 (5 August 2012)

Let me state that I have not been a fan of any of the batman films with the exception of the previous Nolan version of the Joker. Heath Ledger was terrific as the Joker and gave the film a jolt of energy that no other in the series has.
I have always disliked the choice that Bale makes to be such a dour character. It makes most of his scenes so grim without any of the intended gravity. Bane the twisted villain is also relatively low key and so it makes the battle scenes and the others also more stagey and less involving. Anne Hathaway, as Catwoman, is quite good, adding what little energy and fun that the movie has to offer. The attempt to have a fun game of cat and mouse between batman and catwoman unfortunately falls flat given Bruce Wayne/Batman's insistence on being depressed/dour. It should have been better.
Add to that a movie with a very long running time with surprisingly few battles to get the adrenalin going, and I spent a lot of time looking at my watch. Finally, I get that Gotham City was not a shining city on the hill even in the best of times, but freed from governmental structure the "good" citizens of Gotham would make the French revolution look like a picnic is just offensive reactionary propaganda.
Finally the plot arch where Batman needs to be emotional reborn before he can be victorious is just tedious and formulaic.
I know I am spitting in the wind with this review, but sometimes you just have to anyway.