Just finished watching the trilogy in one go

Rating: 8/10 (11 December 2012)

You know I was never a "Batman" Fan and the previous films didn't help the cause either. But, these films made by Nolan, and I am sure I am not the only one who shares this view, has made us look at the cape crusader in a totally different light turning previous haters into believers. I am one of them, and even though this trilogy is brilliant, some parts of the series stand out far more than others; only a continuous viewing can make you see these things. I have always considered "The Dark Knight" a greater film than Nolan's conclusion, but the viewing today not only confirmed those thoughts but did so with an assertion never experienced before.
"The Dark Knight Rises", for the few who haven't seen it, is about the return of Bruce Wayne as the masked crusader after the arrival of an adversary unlike any he has faced before; Bane. The film is not about this fierce rivalry but more about the evolution of Batman unlike ever shown and the focus on it was pivotal to it's brilliance since Nolan probably understood that a more vivid focus on it's hero than it's villain would draw lesser comparisons to a part of the series hard to match. I loved TDKR and did so more than I thought would be possible because of the unmatched respect I have for TDK, and even though it focused more on it's main protagonist, the reason why TDK was better was because of introducing and tapping into so many other facets than most films can ever aspire to. Some of them are:
i) The Joker, who is not only the greatest character ever portrayed in a comic-book based film, but also one of the greatest characters ever portrayed on the silver screen.
ii)The Joker gave light to not only his insanity but an insight into the truth that ruled the chaotic world that was truer than one could admit. He was the commentator, the catalyst and the indirect protagonist.
iii) It was also the only time that made people root for the bad guy in a comic book film, a feeling I think which will ever be repeated.
iv) The Joker's inclusion in the series made Bane seem more insignificant in the grand scheme of things and would always make me wonder how long Bane would last in a world with the Joker; I don't expect very long, no one could, not even the Batman.
v) Alfred was always insightful and he probably had his greatest scene in the trilogy's conclusion but his performance in TDK was pivotal to the understanding of the characters to which he was a witness to and provide a commentary whose relevance was given credence to much later. It was this aspect of Alfred's role that made his character more fascinating than it ever was despite the great chemistry that always existed between Bale and Caine through the films.
vi) TDK not only had one villain who was superior in character depth than Bane, but two. The second was Harvey "Two-Face" Dent whose brilliance was amplified due to the understanding Eckhart brought to his character in such a short space of time and showed the demise from Hero to Villain with a sublime pace that could hardly be matched.
vii) The screenplay was better, the acting, the story-telling and even though the female characters in the conclusion were far more riveting than Rachel could ever be, that including a greater understanding into the Dark Knight were the only aspects that could be considered superior to the qualities of "The Dark Knight", but everything else mentioned made the previous a superior film.
Even though I have stated a lot of reasons, it does not change the fact that TDKR is not only a great conclusion to a great trilogy but a great film which could stand on it's own. It might have been no "The Dark Knight" but it's brilliance tapped into the most fundamental philosophy concerning any film based on heroes, an understanding of it's protagonist through a microscope and still making the audience root for him.
Even though it tapped into comic book fundamentals more than it's highly acclaimed predecessor, TDKR was an exceptional comic book film with another different insight. The difference is TDK is an exceptional film and will forever be remembered for not being not only one based on a comic book, but as a revolutionary piece of film-making that gave a genre a more in-depth look than could ever be expected before or even after it's time. Thanks if you have read my long two cents....