The Dark Knight Has Risen

Rating: 8/10 (22 July 2012)

Overall, I loved this movie. The elements that made this movie great are the elements that made the previous Batman movies great: The intensity, the brilliant acting, Batman's cool gadgets and using them to kick ass, you name it. This is definitely a brilliant ending to one of the most powerful trilogies in the history of cinema. Though, there were a few things I wasn't too thrilled about.
For example, I know a lot of people are expecting the movie to be as intense and fantastic as its predecessor, The Dark Knight, which is why I believe some critics were disappointed with this movie. And I would have to agree with the fact that it was not as near as picking- you-up-and-grabbing-you-by-the-collar-super-awesome-in-your-face intense as its predecessor. Some parts of the plot were a bit confusing (the multiple scenes of the giant manhole prison Bruce Wayne was trapped in, was I the only one wondering, "Where the hell is he? Morocco? Iraq? Buttpoopistan?") and some of the dialogue was juuuust a bit cheesy. And as for the main villain, Bane, if you're going in expecting another Heath Ledger-like performance, you're not going to get it. Don't get me wrong, Tom Hardy's performance was fantastic (He had sort of a Sean Connery-esque accent with somewhat of an Alexander DeLarge sort of personality, which I enjoyed), but it just wasn't on the same sort of caliber as Heath Ledger's Joker.
As for the other actors, each character shined and were all significant in terms of being involved with the plot of the movie. I mean, you have a powerhouse of actors here (Michael Caine, Christian Bale, JGL, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, and MORGAN FREAKING FREEMAN) all doing absolutely phenomenal in each of their roles. Good acting, good action, and a great story all lead to this being not only a damn good Batman movie, but a damn good movie in general.