Nolan complete's his trilogy with an excellent conclusion

Rating: 6/10 (5 December 2012)

Well, the big question was always if Nolan could pull this off. The answer is definitely a resounding "yes" for me. That being said, this movie was an imperfect but very satisfying conclusion to what can now safely be a candidate for the best Super Hero series. Nolan is a very smart writer, and a very intelligent director as well. I guess there isn't many other ways to put it. He manages to convey themes most directors aren't tackling by wisely returning to the true nature of why Batman was created. He is meant to represent the darker and more grounded version of what we see as a super hero. So, his decisions and struggles always seem more "real" with this approach. In this movie, that aspect is most fleshed out in its characters. Each character displays an arc or change of some kind. Even a single character displaying a satisfying emotional transition in a film is greatly appreciated by myself while watching a movie. Yet, almost every character in this film portrays a very logical progression that just works. Music, cinematography, acting, and the other major categories are all solid as usual. A major improvement on the previous films is the action sequences. Nolan has matured in that category and has pulled the camera back and smoothed out its movements. You can now tell what is actually happening even if a few warts are revealed such as a few awkward attacks from the masked juggernauts. To me this could very well be compared to a typical boxing movie but the stakes are a city being destroyed by a nuke if the good guy loses. An out of shape and past his prime champion thinks he come back to the game and light up the competition, but a stronger faster and more driven force has arrived to dethrone him and turn him into a thing of the past. Then the old boxer needs to dig deep and remember what got him to the championship seat in the first place. He needs the "eye of the tiger" or the "elixir" as the hero's journey might tell us. This is by far the most moving and powerful highlight of the film. Batman's story comes full circle. It gets back to the roots of what he is as a character. A character who uses fear to restore justice against those who would seek to use it for chaos and evil. But Batman has forgotten that you are not strong simply because you do NOT fear. You are strong BECAUSE you fear and still chose to act. I could hear Stallone in my ear "It ain't how hard you hit, it's how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." Hence the title, "rise". The moment this is revealed is both simple, potent, and ultimately a great achievement. Some problems exist. Don't they always? The turn of events is very convenient, the decisions of some characters raise questions or border on stupidity, the primary villain and driving force of the conflict is completely and very wrongly shafted, and the editing tends to leave the action at the worst possible moments. Still, this movie is loaded with excellent and highly entertaining stuff that the cliché of what Nolan has made himself - a truly incredible filmmaker - is certainly preserved. In fact, he somehow managed to trick everyone and their expectations in a very simple way in the end. Everyone feared the worst for Batman seeing the very somber trailers, but Nolan wisely did the one thing they'd never expect! He also managed to not try and one-up himself. Shyamalan or Lucas should take notes. As usual, I'll be looking forward to the next Nolan project. Superman? Count me in.
My subjective breakdown of the movie's major elements: Cinematography 10/10 Editing 8/10 Art Direction 10/10 Sound 10/10 Special Effects 7/10 (not a major focus but still relevant) Acting 9/10 Pacing 7/10 Characters 10/10 Theme 10/10 Music 9/10 Overall 8/10