Just when I thought Christopher Nolan couldn't get any better, The Dark Knight Rises surpasses its predecessor in every way!

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2012)

The Dark Knight Rises continues with the adventures of Batman & is the third & last movie in Christopher Nolan's Batman movies after Batman Begins(2005) & The Dark Knight(2008). After Bruce Wayne/Batman(Christian Bale) takes the blame for Harvey Dent's crimes he goes into hiding. Bruce Wayne decides to hang up his cape & cowl since the police are hot on his trail & Gotham City is experiencing peace time. Enter Bane(Tom Hardy), a terrorist & former member of The League Of Shadows(the place where Bruce Wayne received training to have a strong body & soul) before he was ex-communicated by Ra's Al Ghul(Liam Neeson). Bane is pure evil & has a mastermind plan to destroy Gotham using a nuclear bomb. Bruce Wayne decides it is time for Batman to return after Commissioner Gordon(Gary Oldman) begs him to come back. However, this time he has Selina Kyle/Catwoman(Anne Hathaway), a thief who is also good at fighting, to help him take on Bane & his mercenaries. Wayne goes to Lucius Fox(Morgan Freeman) to get some new gadgets & this time Batman rides the Bat, a flying vehicle that moves like its namesake. The Bat has a much more advanced weapon arsenal. Bruce Wayne falls in love with Miranda Tate(Marion Cotillard) & makes her CEO of Wayne Industries after he is sacked from the post because of the company's huge losses in the years he went into hiding. When Bane initiates a devastating attack on Gotham, Gordon seeks the additional help of John Blake(Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Now, its Batman's job to save Gotham from Bane's clutches & the bomb.
This is the best movie of 2012 hands down! I doubt that any movie which is releasing in the second half of 2012 will beat this legendary epic of a film. Obviously, I went to watch this movie with sky high expectations. I was not at all disappointed! The movie surpassed my expectations & justified the enormous hype surrounding it. Christopher Nolan has done an outstanding job once again! He gives his Batman trilogy a perfect conclusion. The ending of the movie is mind blowing! A note on the performances. Christian Bale has done an outstanding job as Bruce Wayne/Batman. This is his best performance throughout the duration of his career. Michael Caine is brilliant as usual as Bruce's trusted butler & friend, Alfred. Gary Oldman is spectacular as Commissioner Gordon. Anne Hathaway is superb as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. Tom Hardy is mind blowing as Bane. He's the best villain among all three Batman movies(yes, he's better than Heath Ledger's Joker). Marion Cotillard is impressive as Miranda Tate. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is wonderful as John Blake. Last but not the least, Morgan Freeman is awesome as usual as Lucius Fox. The background score by Hans Zimmer is engrossing & magical like it should be. The Dark Knight Rises is better than The Dark Knight in every way. This conclusion to Nolan's epic Batman trilogy is a must watch. Watch 2 hours 45 minutes of a legendary epic that is this film.