Jaw-dropping. Best of the 3.

Rating: 10/10 (24 December 2012)

Yes, I know The Dark Knight Rises gets a lot of crap for it's "flaws" and "plot holes" But, what I did notice was that each time I re-watched this incredible movie was that most of those questions I had about the movie were actually answered.
Christopher Nolan is an absolutely incredible director. He's the kind of filmmaker that makes films that you have to re watch time and time again. He proved this especially with Memento, The Dark Knight, and Inception. But especially with The Dark Knight Rises. You learn something new every time you watch them..
Sure, it's long. But what did you expect? It's the final movie of a beloved trilogy. Did you expect it to be shorter? I loved how personal this story was. While I absolutely loved The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger as The Joker, I felt like they didn't focus on Bruce Wayne and instead focused a little too much on The Joker. Which is fine because it worked out for the movie.
But with this movie, Bruce Wayne IS the focus just as much as Batman. It does such a fantastic job in tying everything in, especially with Batman Begins. Bruce's transformation from beginning to end is incredible.. I won't spoil anything, but what I will say is Alfred's scenes are tear-jerking. Each conversation they have is so personal. Alfred is us in this story, telling Bruce Wayne what he tells him.
Being a filmmaker myself, I saw this in all forms. Visually, it's a grand achievement, making it a huge flagship title that reflects IMAX needs to be implemented more. Audio is great too. Only quibble I had is the very beginning with Bane. I felt like his voice felt a little too high pitched because in the later part of the movie it's very deep and menacing. But this is a minor quibble that didn't take any experience away.
Anne Hathaway STEALS the show as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. She adds such a grace and sexiness to the character that stands out in a unique way. You can tell how dedicated of an actress she is from her performance.
All the performances in this movie were top notch. The minor roles, not so much, but to be honest, the people you don't like, well, you'll see lol So that complaint is kind of irrelevant. Tom Hardy was amazing as Bane. Yeah, he may have a "Sean Connery" voice, but I never really cared. He was menacing, scary. When Batman and Bane fight, you really don't know who's going to come out of it. It's intense, which is exactly what I felt the last 2 films were lagging with was the intensity and physicality behind the fight scenes.
I'm writing my own superhero trilogy. I just published the 2nd book, and I would KILL to have Christopher Nolan direct the feature film script I developed for the 1st one. He's a dedicated and outstanding director, so I definitely say give this film a chance. Don't listen to critics or anyone else for that matter. Watch this movie 3 times at least. See it in all forms and then you be the final judge.
10/10