Highly Overrated Superhero Film

Rating: 6/10 (4 August 2012)

After being told by friends that this was even better than 'The Dark Knight' I had high expectations. Unfortunately these expectations were not met. Being one of the few people who actually thought 'The Dark Knight' was good rather than great, perhaps that is an indication that I would not enjoy this as much, because Heath Ledger's Joker was really what made the previous film such a good watch.
As far as superhero films go I found this pretty average, hence my score. I thought it was too long, and although it ticked all the boxes, providing action and good acting there was really nothing that grabbed my attention. In all honesty I was waiting for it to finish, which is not the sign of a great film in my opinion. Perhaps this film would have more appeal if I had read the Batman comics, though I enjoyed most other superhero films without having read the comics (V for Vendetta being the exception - I love the film and comic). I found Bane to be a stock superhero villain, powerful but quite generic really. I also didn't really engage with his motives - the Joker was much easier to understand, as he had no remorse or morals, and was basically doing things for enjoyment.
By all means go and watch it, as it seems that most people consider it a truly groundbreaking masterpiece, but in no way does it warrant one of the highest scores on this website. It is far inferior to numerous films rated below it on IMDb, and personally I would not bother buying the DVD or re-watching it.