So close to a masterpiece.

Rating: 9/10 (20 July 2012)

The Dark Knight Rises has was a well made, high budget action movie, and for about half the film that's all it feels like: a lot of action and plot, a little of Batman. Though usually that would be a bit of a let down, it was both well done and necessary. The movie was an incredible feast for the eyes, but along with the action and suspense came something rare in films these days, plot and character development. It tied up all the loose ends very well, and continued to show the psychological issues set forth in the first two films. This long awaited film was well worth the wait. It comes as no surprise that the usual actors did a great job in their usual place, however the real surprise is the extraordinary break-out performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I use break out a bit loosely. He of course in no new kid in Hollywood, he starred on Third Rock From The Sun as a kid, and recently has gained popularity after starring alongside Seth Rogen in 50/50, however for the first time Levitt portrays a character who is very complex, and contains many emotions. So, I must give kudos to Levitt for break his usual comedic, 1 dimensional streak and becoming a very complex character seemly over night. Anne Hathaway shockingly delivered a stunning performance as Catwomen, and Tom Hardy, though his character was very 1 dimensional, delivered a great performance. The ending was very predictable but the achievement of a near masterpiece trilogy and third film makes up for it. So in short: it's no Dark Knight, but it's very close.