Near perfection that you have to see more than once to fully appreciate

Rating: 9/10 (14 August 2012)

I do not know how to begin this review. This usually isn't a problem for me, but today it is. Where to begin? The sheer magnitude of the storytelling? The almost infinite layers of plot? The superb casting/acting? Or just those little details that everyone enjoys seeing? So let me begin with a narrative tale to tickle you interests.
I came into this movie with high expectation. Very high to be precise – The Dark Knight was an amazing movie in it's own right and I was looking forward to see if Nolan can give it justice with this finale. And justice he gave, scads of it. The story you can essentially get from the preview but for the one who lives under a rock I'll summarize it. Batman goes into hiding after the events of the second movie and has no reason to come out of "retirement" (if you can call it that) until a new enemy, Bane, begins to take over the criminal underworld.
The reason you have to watch this movie twice, or three times, is because of the way Nolan tells the story. There is so much to take in, so much to discuss and ponder that you need a second go through. The plot has an immense amount of layers that are all stacked on top of each other perfectly, like a Jenga tower wholly stacked at it's prime stage. As you delve deeper into the story, revelations leak out and you begin to truly appreciate the gravity of the plot. Everything is so whole, so complete that nothing needs to be deleted or replaced. A movie like this comes out once or twice every two to three years, and you just have to stand back and marvel at the acerbity of it. Through the entire 2 hours and some-odd minutes, the waterfall effect of the storyline, the seemingly endless trickle of characters, plot points and perfectly inserted flashbacks, gets stronger and stronger until the movie finally concludes in an excellent fashion.
Everyone that played a part in this movie was superb. End of story. Christian Bale is Christian Bale: born to play this part the minute the writers saw his acting in American Psycho. Anne Hathaway makes a great Catwoman while Tom Hardy as Bane provides a menacing appeal to the film while balancing out the equation. Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and the multitude of other actors cast for new or repeat roles dazzle in their respective guises and make the film even more tight-nit.
Nolan seems to appreciate making his audience happy and his audience sure appreciates him for doing so. The movie is filled with small things that you look at, or even double take, and go "Wow, I would have never thought of that. That's pretty cool". I'm not going to give anything away, so you'll just have to see it for yourself. They happen throughout the movie and add even more wow factor to what already is a colossal epic.
If there is one thing I have to criticize about this movie it's this: the ending leaves me with questions. Now that's not good nor bad, but the 3rd movie in an obvious trilogy that is supposed to "end all the Batman movies" should not leave me with questions. Rather, it should tie itself up adeptly and conclude on a final note. That may be too much to ask of most films these days, but The Dark Knight Rises had the potential and more to do it. Having said that, this movie was loosely based on the comic of the same name and therefore is a "remake" of sorts which in turn leads to an "already done before" stamp. Although this stamp is light, it is still there and needs to be acknowledged.
What more can I say? This movie is almost perfect, save for the ending and the fact that it's essentially taken from a comic book. Aside from those facts, one has to see this movie for themselves and delve deep into the different layers of symbolism and quality. This movie will have your brain working and mind turning the whole 2 hours. This movie is the best movie of the summer, and of 2012, by far. This movie is outstanding. I had to pay more money to see it a second time, but you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.
+5 for the story and magnitude of plot
+3 for casting & acting
+1 for attention to detail