A near perfect movie and an excellent ending to Nolan's epic saga

Rating: 9/10 (24 July 2012)

Before I saw this movie I was nervous that it would disappoint me, it didn't. Nolan was able to outdo himself once again creating a masterpiece worthy of admiration. The strongest point of the movie were not the action sequences or the special effects, but the incredible performances by all the cast. Unlike the previous installment of the trilogy in which Heath Ledger's Joker literally stole the movie, this time the performances and the characters development is evened out.
Tom Hardy as Bane gave an extraordinary performance that rooted the character to reality. Brutal and ferocious throughout most of the movie, I think Bane's best moment and one of my favorite scenes in the movie is when he is at his most vulnerable state. Some people argue that Bane lacked character development, but what Hardy transmits with only his eyes near the end of the movie tells the audience everything they need to know about the character and his motivations. We also get to see the vulnerable side of Bruce Wayne portrayed again by Christian Bale. This time Bale nailed the character perfectly and gave his best performance as Batman to date.
Marion Cotillard was stunning as always and converted what could have been a very plain and dull role into something incredible. Anne Hathaway was a perfect cast for Catwoman and stole the show in most of the scenes she appeared in. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was also a great addition to the usual cast and he proved yet again that he has great talent. Finally I would like to talk about Michael Caine's performance as Alfred. Breathtaking and heartbreaking at the same time. Alfred was the heart of this movie even if he had little screen time. Every one of his scenes was incredibly emotional and they brought me near to tears several times.
Needless to say the production and visual effects of the film were outstanding. The cinematography was beautiful yet dramatic. The editing was almost flawless and helped convey the brutality of the action sequences without having to force the violence. Technically speaking this movie is almost perfect with a few exceptions such as the stadium sequence in which there are a few continuity errors with the crowd and the cgi of the stadium could have been more believable.
Even tough I loved this movie and give it a 10 out of 10 there are certain aspects that could have been better. First of all it should have been much more longer. Even tough it is almost three hours long the film felt to fast for me. I know is probably the studio's fault and not Nolan's, but I would really like to watch an extended edition. Also, a little more development on Bane would have been great.
I would recommend this movie for everyone no matter your tastes. This movie combines the best out of every genre and its a true masterpiece. As one aspiring Filmmaker I really admire Christopher Nolan for pulling this off and for constantly outdoing himself. This was a true masterpiece. Thanks to the whole TDKR cast and crew for giving us this amazing movie.