A satisfying conclusion to a fantastic trilogy... so that's what that feels like

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2012)

It's been eight years since the events of the immediate predecessor to this(a film that this matches in most ways, tops in several, and the only thing it lacks that that has, is Heath Ledger's Joker, and, well, that's part force majeure), and we see the outcome of that. Legislation has made organized crime a thing of the past in the city, and with no need for the caped crusader, Bruce(once again impeccably acted by Bale... and yes, the voice has thankfully been toned down) has a gap in his life that he doesn't know how to fill(straining the relationship between him and Alfred, played by the usually charming and compelling Caine). When a mysterious masked man, known as Bane, a dominating physical presence with a brain(played largely by Hardy's eyes and brows... taking a ton of his tools as an actor away, and still he does incredible), with unclear motives makes his presence known, he realizes he will have to become Batman again. But is he enough to take out this new threat? This finishes the series, providing closure to the characters and story. Catwoman is done right here, and just about perfect. She's finally a femme fatale... hot and manipulative. They do with her what we hoped they'd do with Black Widow. And this does justice to the relationship between her and Wayne. The performances are great all around. Most return from the other two(and Freeman gets a lot more to do), with a few new faces, such as Gordon-Levitt as idealistic cop John. This does a lot to surprise us, and like TDk, it does it right, with hardly any of them being unnecessary, and none of them insulting. The bleakness is back and amplified - this puts its titular hero and its audience through a serious amount of pain and conflict, with a genuine feeling that it might not work out. And as a result of this, and other brave decisions made(you can barely believe these are mainstream movies!), it becomes really powerful, really draws us in. The action is the biggest and best of these(the jet he uses is awesome! And the Pod gets some more really cool use, in the edge-of-your-seat chases, and we get fast martial arts(and covered well!), and the stakes and tension are the highest(and frankly, if they were raised any higher, it would be excessive... this is already as draining as the last one). There is a lot of disturbing content, some violence and a little moderate to strong language in this. I recommend this to anyone interested in these(and make sure you've watched the other two first, this really adds to them). 10/10