Will probably disappoint on first view

Rating: 7/10 (7 May 2013)

I was actually very irritated the first time I watched this movie. I knew going in that there was no way they were going to top the previous movie and I was correct. However, after giving it a couple re-viewings, I've come to like it a little bit. It's certainly not as good as either of it's predecessors, but it's got it's moments.
Despite it being a little cliché at this point to bring it up, the voice of the character Bane is quite a large pill to swallow while watching this movie. Not only is his voice very distinguishable and interestingly interpreted by Tom Hardy, but it's also amplified in a way that makes it sound completely unnatural. This may or may not be a serious problem for some people. It was mentioned in test screenings that Bane's voice was difficult to understand. I haven't seen the footage myself, but it seems like the complaint led them to take all of Tom Hardy's on set voice work, and replaced it with an amplified ADR job. It feels like it's coming from the screen, and not the scene.
The movie is not really all that memorable as far as big moments. There's no Scarecrow appearing on his horse, or Joker almost dancing as he walks out of an exploding hospital. The scenes they tried to elevate into the memorable scenes just came off as silly.
In reality the movie is just an ensemble movie about Gotham City. It's not so much a Batman movie. Certain characters work, certain characters don't. Anne Hathaway wasn't really needed (or even welcome) in this movie.
One of the most entertaining things you'll see in this involves the death of a character. I won't say who, but it has to be the worst on screen death ever filmed. Apparently you just conk out when you die.
Good movie but wasn't a fitting conclusion to what could have been an amazing trilogy.