Indeed a epic conclusion to a superhero legend

Rating: 9/10 (20 July 2012)

Welcome to Gotham City, the most corrupt city on earth...And yet some still have hope for it. After the very successful "The Dark Knight" movie just about everyone was highly anticipating a sequel. Wasn't sure the next movie would be the final conclusion but this is the end for Christopher Nolan's version of Batman. And what a epic movie this is, and it has some twist you probably won't see coming even if your a Batman fan. And the twists in this movie is actually cool and interesting. While "The Dark Knight" is about Batman fighting crime at his peak this is about him being at his weakest and climbing back up. I also mentioned how Commissioner Gordon should work with Batman on cases more and in this they really work together. In fact Batman is going to need all the help he can get for this task. Now in my opinion I think Joker was a better villain but that isn't to say Bane didn't stand out. Cause he really did in this movie thanks to Tom Hardy's amazing acting chops. If you think Tom Hardy is intimidating and crazy in "Bronson" this takes it to another level. Now Tom Hardy isn't a very big guy compared to actors like Vin Diesel or The Rock and other big tall and buff actors but he backs it up with acting chops. Which really overshadows his stature in this movie. He really does come off intimidating and menacing. The Joker and Bane have different style of doing things and when it comes down to the demeanor they are really different in that area as well. While the Joker tried to destroy people psychologically and spiritually, Bane tries to destroy people physically and emotionally. And Bane isn't a dumb brute in this but intelligent and plans ahead very well. Which makes him a very difficult opponent for Batman because he has brains and brawn. The Joker loves explosion he is going to love the Bane cause he blows up everything. The guy really wants to destroy Gotham and starts doing what he does best by intimidation and force. Bane's origin might not be exact as the comic books but it's well crafted into Nolan's version of the story. And doesn't seem to go way too far off. This is Christian Bale's final role as Batman before he hangs up the suit and he did a good final job as well. Lastly I will mention Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, I thought he was going to be just a small side character but plays a prominent role in this movie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt just keep getting better and better with his roles and he was believable and likable as John Blake. This movie is over 2 hours and 30 minutes long but every minute of this movie is important for the story to be completed in a coherent manner for the most part. The tension and thrill really does build bit by bit, it might start out slightly slow but "the storm is coming". I couldn't help myself but be more immersed in the movie as it progressed, especially near the end. Sure there might be slight plot holes but for a movie that is on a large scale as this, it's passable. This movie is epic as a superhero movie can get. This movie isn't just well worth seeing, it's worth seeing at IMAX. The cinematography is top notch in this movie but it's better on the IMAX screen and it makes you feel like your actually part of the movie and will get the audiences immersed into this epic movie even more with the visuals. I seen this movie in regular theater as well and I can assure anyone that the IMAX is well worth the extra bucks and will leave more of an impact. This movie was simply made for IMAX. I give this movie a 9.3/10, like "The Dark Knight" a bit more. One of the reason is because this movie revolves a lot more on Bruce Wayne than Batman which is alright but there doesn't seem to have as much Batman as the previous 2 movies. Also it seemed Nolan tried to do too much and compacted way too much into a movie that is just over 2 hours and 30 min. Yeah that is a long running time but it still felt it compacted too much although it has a lot of good and powerful scenes. But when it comes down to it this one comes in second in the trilogy for me.
9.3/10