A fulfilling end to Nolan's take on the Batman

Rating: 8/10 (26 July 2012)

In the long build-up to this film, I started to believe it would surpass The Dark Knight. But it did not. However, it was a fulfilling ending. The fact that Nolan's reboot of the Batman franchise had an official ending was fulfilling enough itself, simply because it gave the Batman a purpose.
Bale was once again a great Bruce Wayne/Batman. Sadly, Michael Caine as Alfred played a much smaller role than he has done in the last two films. However, we saw Alfred Pennyworth at his most profound in this film which was, despite being very emotional, a great feature.
Tom Hardy was the perfect actor for the role of Bane. And Bane was he perfect villain for the final instalment of Nolan's trilogy. We finally see someone who can match Batman both mentally and, more importantly, physically. A couple of lines of his were a bit muffled and hard to hear, but that has no effect on the film and its plot. The inclusion of Selina Kyle, or unofficially "Catwoman" was also great feature. While characters such as that do run the risk of bringing a more 'comic-book feel' to the film (something which the absence of has made Nolan's films much better), her character worked well with the story and Anne Hathaway was great in the role.
Now, onto the film itself. If you go into this film expecting it to blow the Dark Knight out of the water, you're going to be disappointed. TDK managed to feature so many great scenes and all with so much depth within the same time frame as TDKR. This film, however, seemed to be a bit rushed. Not in the sense that it lacks quality in aspects such as acting or directing, but mainly due to the film trying to cover too much time in too little film time. Emotional parts of the film are over too quickly. A few aspects are also left unanswered in the film, too.
On a more positive note, though, the film is packed with great action, special effects, twists, and emotion throughout, with bits of humour in between. Nolan does not disappoint. Nor do any of the actors in their roles.
All in all, TDKR was a fulfilling end to Nolan's Batman trilogy. However, a lot of the film seemed rushed and some, perhaps trivial, parts of the film are left to assumption. While the acting was by no means bad, it is unlikely that it will sweep any awards shows. The special effects, on the other hand, will be where the film competes with the other blockbusters this year in terms of awards.
Regardless of how this film compares to the previous two films in your opinion, The Dark Knight Rises is a film you will certainly be able to watch over and over again.