Did I watch the same film?

Rating: 5/10 (26 July 2012)

As a long-time Batfan, and having thoroughly enjoyed the other two parts of the trilogy, I was willing to meet this more than 90% of the way. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it at the time, but seriously, there are so many holes in the plot it's almost insulting. Bruce Wayne fine without leg brace; no consequences to his knife wound; Bane's cronies witnessing their first fight knowing also that Bruce Wayne is Batman (to reveal at any later point); Batman encouraging Gordon to light a flare on the dangerously thin ice upon which they stand; the child at the orphanage fondly drawing a bat sign at a point when Batman is still considered to be a homicidal maniac... the list goes on.
Plenty of scenes also come across as half-baked. Batman taking a few moments to ambiguously explain his identity to Gordon while the clock ticks on a nuclear device; Liam Neeson embarrassingly thrown in; the TV in the prison designed to torment Bruce Wayne easily broken by a lobbed projectile. And then there's Bane abruptly getting shot by 'Catwoman' on the bike; even the cast looked a bit taken aback after that. As soon as Bane ceased to be the baddie, the film had to deliver something exceptional to conclude, and it simply didn't.
Then there's John Blake's deduction that Bruce Wayne is Batman due to the look in his eyes?! I'd simply assumed that I'd heard this wrong in the cinema until discussing with someone else. It's difficult to understand how this dreadful and bone-idle explanation could have found its way into the film. Undermining the story's credibility so carelessly earns another star lost from my rating.
This is in my opinion a bit of a selfish film on the part of the director. The conclusion is the beginning; all Nolan wanted to do was to pack the punch of the 'death' of Bruce Wayne. Which I'm up for. Just do it in a more coherent and competent fashion.