Not the greatest, but still worth it.

Rating: 8/10 (21 July 2012)

Quick Review – 8/10
The Dark Knight Rises is not The Dark Knight 2, its much closer to Batman Begins 2. While all the actors are just as solid as they've ever been, the series newcomer Anne Hathaway steals the show as the strongest actor featured the longest. What things I can take away from the film (pacing, character strength) are balanced by the things I can give the film (quality and quantity of content, actor strength). As such, this movie is more or less perfectly balanced, far more akin to the recent Avengers film than the Dark Knight.
It isn't one of the greatest, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth seeing.
Full Review – 8/10
The Dark Knight Rises is the last chapter in Christopher Nolan's now legendary Batman reboot, a Batman series to define Batman series, which has always been a case for Batman. Nolan has taken the series in a dark, real direction, that has never sacrificed intellectual story line development for the sake of a metaphor. It's Gotham has served better as a Proxy Real World than any other fictional setting in history. It has dealt more closely with politics and people than perhaps even a strictly political movie like The Ides of March.
That's no different in this movie. Bruce Wayne has been retired for eight years whenever a professional thief (Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle) steals his mother's precious pearls. In chasing after Selina, Bruce finds himself discovering a plan that is going to call Gotham down to its base level, a full scale revolution that is designated to be for the people and by the people (doesn't sound like any 99 percenters at all) to shake Gotham's privileged class down to their true nature.
The movie shows Bruce's journey all the way down and all the way back up, from his very lowest point to his very highest.
And yet despite a strong plot that carries things forward it sure does trip itself up a few times. The series is well known for an almost overwhelming amount of star power. Michael Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Mr. Fox, and Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon have carried the series with the power of their acting, but this movie really negates them in favor of its new characters, Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as the never-called-as-much Cat Woman, and also Joseph-Gordon Levitt's young police officer Blake. All these actors are strong, Anne Hathaway may have the best role in this movie, and she has considerable acting talents.
However, all of this underscores the fact that series doesn't seem like it knows what it wants for its other characters. The focus on Batman has proved as memorable as always which is to say it isn't. There are many points in this movie where it references the other Batman focused movie, Batman Begins, and despite seeing it twice (and paying attention twice) I cannot honestly say that I recall any of the information it wants me to remember. Batman just isn't a strong character, no matter how much the series is trying to force him to be. Dark Knight was good because it had a crazy strong antagonist in the Joker. There was also Harvey Dent who was a strong character. There was always Rachael as well who was able to balance Batman's sad face act no matter which actress was playing her.
In the first movie Alfred, Mr. Fox, and Commissioner Gordon filled in the gaps. But with the exception of Gordon, the others are all snubbed for the new characters or for Batman himself, and Gordon spends most of his time in a hospital bed and getting mostly fan-service moments which don't speak for a whole lot of writer effort to give him something to do. Alfred has a moment and then disappears from the movie almost completely. Mr. Fox is there, but also doesn't get to do anything. These previously strong and welcome characters have devolved to things that are taken for granted, and their noticeable absence hurts the movie.
But that being said, this series is about Batman, and comparisons to the Dark Knight cannot be considered in true critical evaluation of a film. A film exists separate from its series, and Dark Knight proves that by itself.
Another issue in this movie is its pacing, however, I must say that this is far less noticeable. It occurs in moments where the intense issues are avoided, transitional scenes, or scenes that establish real character purposes seem to be missing or fall out of line, which I'll admit takes an eye or a wandering mind for that sort of thing. It feels like if the movie had focused a little less on establishing certain aspects, it could improve character quality without sacrificing any plot detail.
It feels like the film makers we're working in constraint of an ending. Its obvious that this wasn't the planned ending for the series, but its surprising that this is how things should end. They have plenty of fan service moments at the end, and at least one surprise twist within the plot network (although if you are observant you'll sense it coming).
Overall, I did enjoy the movie. I want to remind people that its a well deserved 8. I have complaints, but this movie did still manage to squeeze a ton of content into a two hour and forty-five minute running time. Its by no means an empty movie, you are never given much time to think about what's going to happen next, which works for the movie and against it as well. But in this case, Nolan is a competent film maker and he's made just that, a competent movie. It's good enough to get the B, but it isn't really striving for an A either.