Everything Comes Together.

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2016)

I could maybe write a whole novel expressing my admiration for The Dark Knight Trilogy, and what it means to me as a lover of movies. That culminates with The Dark Knight Rises, and I'll explain why.
Christopher Nolan and company are at the top of their game. The plot is engaging and intricately detailed. Another superhero third installment, Spider-Man 3, didn't work is because it's plot was scattershot and didn't juggle it's dozen story lines with any good payoff. The Dark Knight Rises is the opposite of that.
All of the story arcs and characters are tied together neatly: The Dent Act that lead to the incarceration of the mob after the fallout of The Dark Knight. After the Dent Act makes Batman unnecessary; Bruce Wayne attempts to move on by starting the Fusion Reactor project, then shuts it down which creates financial burdens on Gotham City, which ties in with the lower class siding with Bane and rising up against the rich. Bane crashes the plane in the opening in order to capture nuclear physicist Dr.Pavel and use him in his plan to destroy Gotham City. John Blake finds a dead child from the Orphanage that he attended when he was younger, which leads to the discovery of Bane's Underground Army. The meaning of Batman as an icon of hope which is visually represented by the Chalk symbol drawn by an Orphan in the beginning of the film, and John Blake during the insurrection in Gotham City; and the fire that Batman lights up in his return, which inspires the Police force to fight Bane, including Peter Foley-the Police Commissioner who turns from being stubborn and ego-driven to dying honorably on the battlefield in the climax. Selina Kyle steals Bruce Wayne's fingerprints to be used for the Stock Exchange robbery that bankrupts Bruce Wayne; which triggers Batman's return in an awesome chase scene between him, Bane's men, and the GCPD. Selina Kyle steals the Pearls that belonged to Bruce Wayne's Mother, and wears them at the end when she resides in Florence with Bruce Wayne. Batman learns that vigilantism is still necessary even when the GCPD had conquered organized crime, which is why he gives the USB drive from the Stock Exchange Robbery to Lucius Fox instead of the Police (he didn't trust them out of fear of Bane's infiltration). So there must always be a Batman to fight threats more than the police can handle. This ties in with him choosing John Blake to be his successor at the end (Source-IMDB FAQ).
When Bane breaks Batman's back, it's not just fan-service; it's meant to bring Batman down to ground zero and emphasize on how broken he is physically. This is why we cheer for Bruce Wayne when he escapes the Pit, because this is a film that's not just about heroes in cheesy costumes punching out bad guys. The genre thrills and the themes all coincide together. All of the cast is sensational including Christian Bale in his best performance as Batman. The film is visually supreme, tightly paced, well edited, and Hans Zimmer's incredible and magnetic soundtrack is the best of the Trilogy.
The Dark Knight Rises was named one of the best films of 2012 by the American Film Institute. It's considered by many to be one of the best superhero films of all time. In today's Hollywood where endless sequels, reboots, and derivative cash-grabs are being churned out; Christopher Nolan makes films that bring in the old and new. His unique vision has appealed to over hundreds of film lovers. This film to me is The Godfather Part 2 of the series. Even if it's not as famous as it's predecessor; it's bigger and broader in the vein of a Historical Epic, and makes the story all the more complete. It's the best conclusion to a Film Trilogy I've ever seen.
Grade-A+