First impressions good

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2012)

I would give this 8.5/10. It's very, very good.
First and foremost this movie is more about Bruce Wayne than Batman. It's about Bruce learning to live in a world where he feels he has nothing to live for. It's about the demons of the past coming forward to haunt and exact vengeance for those wrongs, and how Bruce must learn to overcome them, and finally learn to live in the present and not the past.
Michael Cain gives an outstanding performance - heartbreaking, even. He has cared for Bruce since the day he was born, and he's seen the pain and suffering he has endured. It's clear Alfred cannot take much more of Bruce living in misery, and the tension between them is palpable.
When Bane arrives and they do their research to find out more about him, Alfred genuinely becomes concerned that Bruce is about to set out on a suicide mission. Worse still, Alfred believes Bruce wants to die in this way.
The rest of the movie is what you'd expect - lots of amazing action, typical, subtle Nolan humor is written throughout. Anne Hathaway provides some much needed distraction and is good eye candy. She also represents the counterpart Bruce needs to move on with his life, or end it.
Bane is an intense and charismatic villain. I hate to say it, but it will take reading the script or watching it a dozen times to understand everything he said. And for anyone that didn't think Tom Hardy was big enough? Well, there's certainly a shot early on that shows his impressive physicality. He's much bulkier and more ripped than Bruce ever was.
The fights between Batman/Bane are what most hardcore fans are looking forward to and they were done well. I won't spoil things too much, but I think they did a good job of showing that Batman is not the fighter he once used to be - age and injury have slowed him down a bit. He really is in a fight for his life when he encounters Bane.
The last 1/2 hour of this movie is brilliant, stunning, and has more twists and emotional resonance than most will have anticipated. It's gripping, heart wrenching, and bittersweet - all at the same time. A stirring conclusion.