Mixed Feelings at most

Rating: 7/10 (20 July 2012)

First off I'd like to say that the casting for this movie was fantastic. Everyone fit their roles perfectly, and no one felt out of place. Bane was probably the most vicious, intelligent villain to hit any superhero movie. His decisions were tactical, he did not treat anyone differently, and he was vicious, violent, and malevolent as all hell. He was literally Gotham's Reckoning. Fantastic job done by Tom Hardy. Batman/Christian Bale was great as well. He made the audience really feel for him as a human being rather than as a superhero. Anne Hathaway's Catwoman was very sexy, and simple, but that did not take away from her role. She was easily the best Catwoman to date. Gordon- Levitt as John Blake was a great addition as well. Now here comes the bad news...
My issue with movie was with the plot. While the movie was overall fantastic, it shouldn't be considered as an epic ending to the Batman franchise, because it left more questions than anything. There's many parts in the film where you feel bad for Bruce Wayne, and frightened for the fate of Gotham, and terrified of how malevolent Bane was and what his next move would do to the lives of the citizens. But for a movie that's almost 3 hours long, there were too many portions of the film which felt rushed, others unnecessarily drawn out, and some which just left you scratching your head.
Overall, as a movie, The Dark Knight Rises is a must-see, but do not expect to be amazed, or surprised with the action you see, and expect some questions to arise. I was personally more confused, and angry with the ending, rather than satisfied. Great movie, sub-par superhero film. Sorry Nolan, but this is your best Bruce Wayne movie, and second best Batman movie. Sad to say, Avengers was a better superhero movie overall.