A great finish to a great series.

Rating: 9/10 (20 July 2012)

The epic conclusion to Nolan's Batman saga was heavy and nimble at the same time. With a runtime of 164 minutes, when the end credits roll, all you're left with is wonder. Is it as good as 'The Dark Knight'? Perhaps not, in terms of performance and wit. But yes, in terms of scale, impact and depth.
'The Dark Knight' was more focused on external entities that challenge Batman. But 'The Dark Knight Rises' is all about Batman himself. The story, as we all know, is about a masked villain (Bane) who threatens to annihilate Gotham with a timed nuclear device. Batman, who was nursing his emotional and physical wounds in quite seclusion following the demise of Rachel Dawes, is forced out of his hiding to tackle Bane. Selina Kyle, who is occasionally mentioned as 'Cat Burglar' (and not Cat Woman), comes to his aide, although in the very end. So does Commissioner Gordon, John Blake (the new guy, a clean and honest cop played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Lucius Fox. Suffice to say, the outline of the story itself is filled with numerous twists and surprises... so much so that it is almost impossible to provide a plot summary without dishing out life threatening spoilers. But... it was a hell of a ride!
I must say that on a few occasion, the character of Selina Kyle serves as a pleasant reminder of our favorite villain-in-a-makeup from TDK. Anne Hathaway, take a bow. However, her character develops very differently towards the end. Nolan hits it out of the stands with the surprise twist he pulls on Marion Cotillard's character. Tom Hardy has a very difficult job portraying a villain from within that mask. I understand it is very difficult to emote/act with just your eyes and forehead exposed, but he manages fine. As some critics had pointed out, Bane did seem a little one dimensional. But we feel that because we take 'Joker' as the precedence... a very unfair comparison! Michael Caine, as Alfred, gets to bring his histrionics out of the bag in this movie. I doubt if the drama was really that necessary! Gary Oldman has some pretty intense moments in this movie. I was rather worried that his acting skills were quite underutilized in the previous Batman movies. But TDKR gets him to perform like the fine actor he is. Joseph Gordon- Levitt and Morgan Freeman are very appropriate with their acting. Marion Cotillard fails to leave a lasting impact in the final few minutes where she could have really made a difference! But I guess that's because Nolan didn't want her to. It has always been his style to downplay the obvious.
The action sequences were good. But when was a Nolan movie all about explosions and martial arts? The real show stopper has always been the screenplay, weaved together by crisp editing and the very involving music of Hans Zimmer. The prevailing metaphor of economic crisis is occasionally stark, particularly so when Oldman delivers the 'help- coming-from-inside-Gotham' speech to Matthew Modine. As expected from Nolan, the story works on different levels to create a host of captivating impressions on the viewers mind.
On a different note, Bruce Wayne's efforts to escape from the prison could have been made a little shorter. That episode seemed to drag a little longer than required (just a personal opinion). But Christian Bale's depiction of Bruce Wayne is the strongest in TDKR. His chemistry with Cotillard was quite fascinating, but that again is subject to the plot twist I will not disclose here. Performance wise, my personal favorite from the entire movie is Anne Hathaway hands down. Unlike 'Inception', Nolan does not end this movie with a question mark. He removes all doubts with the final scene, as if to declare his exeunt from the Batman arena. All said and done, the trilogy does leave scope for extension but I don't think Nolan will be interested.
Now that the series comes to an end, we are left to wonder at the scale of this trilogy. A comic hero movie that gets as acclaimed as 'Godfather', 'Shawshank Redemption' or 'Schindler's List', an action movie series that has moved both critics and younger viewers alike... what a terrific achievement for a director and a screenplay writer! This should win some Oscars, but if it doesn't, no one cares. The Dark Knight did rise in this movie, perhaps above and beyond the altitude of all other super heroes in the history of Hollywood.
(P.S - Unless you talk about the nagging void left by one particular character in the series... miss you Mr. Ledger!)