Not really deserving of the accolades

Rating: 7/10 (18 August 2012)

My review comes pretty late, but it is partly prompted by the negative comments being unfairly directed at The Bourne Legacy, and I want to state that I enjoyed Legacy more than The Dark Knight Rises, despite what most people have been saying.
I'm a huge fan of Christopher Nolan's work, all the way back to Memento. Aside from that dazzling masterpiece, Inception and The Dark Knight are his other 2 crowning achievements, and I have no doubt there will be more to come.
However, TDKR was disappointing. Some argue no sequel can possibly surpass the genius of TDK, but I think otherwise, especially considering the list of big names attached to the movie.
Granted, the performances are terrific, especially Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard, whom I greatly admire. Tom Hardy - or more accurately, Bane - is a letdown. The trailers built him up as a villain of truly terrifying proportions, but aside from a scene in which he pulverizes Batman, he isn't that scary at all IMHO.
The middle section sags badly, then things suddenly pick up in the last 30 minutes. The finale is excellent, but also feels rushed and disrupts the overall tempo. It would've been much better to maintain a constant level of tension throughout, instead of letting the pace fluctuate so severely.
I'm being generous with the 7/10 rating. The Bourne Legacy, on the other hand, gets a 9/10.
Oh, and the guy sitting next to me snored through 80% of TDKR. I rest my case.