Good film with something off

Rating: 7/10 (20 July 2012)

The Dark Knight Rises is a good movie. Christopher Nolan has supplied the audience with a third helping of gritty, hyper-realistic superhero violence, this time with a twist brought to you by Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. Despite the wonderful, Oscar winning cast, the pounding score from Hans Zimmer, the beautiful cinematography of Wally Pfister, and the direction of the proclaimed savior of the blockbuster, Christopher Nolan, something is missing.
I know that people probably won't like this review. Those people may be the same people threatening critics who posted bad reviews for the film in the days leading up to its release. Still... Look. I've given it an 8/10. It's not better than The Dark Knight and probably not Batman Begins either, but it's still decent. Even though it was almost 3 hours long, a lot of the characters seemed underdeveloped, so there wasn't that much of an emotional connection except for through the terror from the plot. I wanted to know what Bane's motives were and what truly drove another character that is to remain unnamed for this review.
Also, as a side note, it seemed like Nolan submitted to the studio a little bit at the end. I think it needs a director's cut, but I don't think Nolan has ever done that.
I saw it in an IMAX theater with a good seat. The sound was great, but Bane's voice seemed very loud. I don't know if it was purposeful, but I think it made him sound more menacing, personally.
Edit:I'm off to see it again tonight, I may make edits depending on my second reaction.
Edit: On my second viewing, some things did get cleared up in my head that confused me a little and I tolerated the ending more. I still believe that the last scene featuring Christian Bale should have been removed, and they should've gone with a Gordon, Blake, Fox, or Alfred philosophical voice-over... Just my opinion... 8/10 stands.