I expected so much more

Rating: 6/10 (20 July 2012)

The biggest problem with The Dark Knight Rises is that its predecessor was The Dark Knight, potentially the greatest superhero film of all time as well as one of the best movies ever made. There was so much hype, so much anticipation for this one to be incredible, that for me it fell flat, and not just because it didn't match The Dark Knight but because it was in itself a mediocre film. Many people are saying that you can't always expect a sequel to be better than the movie before it, but the thing is you should. Why make a sequel if it isn't going to be better, if it isn't going to be more? While the Dark Knight had flow and mood, this was graceless. With The Dark Knight scenes built off of each other to form a feeling of absolute tension, making the film feel like one cohesive whole. This was full of different scenes that didn't form together gracefully or create a mood, and as a result the film didn't leave you with an overall impression, it didn't flow like it should've, and it felt much, much longer than it was. Nolan needed to challenge himself and dare to be better than the Dark Knight, but with this it seems he didn't. And also, was this Batman or 24? A nuclear bomb just doesn't fit. Along with this, Nolan missed a great opportunity to show Bane's back story in detail, maybe in flashbacks, and thereby enhance the movie. The fact that Batman was a pariah didn't really play a part with concern to Batman himself for more than 5 minutes, Batman making jokes and fighting in daylight was hard to watch, and his epic "return" was a bit too effortless for someone who's been out of it for 8 years. When all is said and done this film wasn't terrible, but considering what it followed and who made it it could've been so, so much more.