The knight is darkest before the dawn, but I promise you the dawn is coming!

Rating: 9/10 (2 August 2013)

Christopher Nolan is the man who not only saved Batman from the dung heap of the Joel Schumacher days, but also elevated him to a new level such that The Dark Knight was able to overthrow The Godfather on IMDb's top 250, if only temporarily! And with The Dark Knight Rises, he delivers on his promise to give a fitting and emotionally satisfying conclusion to the story of Bruce Wayne that began with 2005's Batman Begins.
After 2008's The Dark Knight raised the bar for Hollywood blockbusters, one must wonder how TDKR could ever hope to outdo TDK. It doesn't, but don't let that convince you that this isn't still a good movie - it's just that TDK is near impossible to top, thanks to the superb performances delivered by Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart. But TDKR does indeed try, and in place of the Joker and Two-Face, brings us Bane and Catwoman.
Bane in particular had last appeared in 1997's epic failure known as Batman & Robin, where he was reduced to nothing more than a mindless but brutish henchman to the main villains. Here, he is returned to his comic book roots: a towering hulk of muscle and brute strength enhanced by his cunning and personal charisma, all played to a tee by Tom Hardy. Catwoman too receives a top notch performance as a femme fatale by Anne Hathaway, an actress as talented as she is gorgeous. And of course, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine return as well - I really can't say anything because the three of them are guaranteed to excel in just about any role you could throw at them.
Two more classic Batman characters appear unexpectedly, but I will refrain from naming them for want of avoiding spoilers. However, viewers will be pleasantly surprised by how well Nolan has been able to save one of them from the scrapheap of Batman mythology. I will conclude this review with a solid recommendation, but be warned! TDKR is best enjoyed only at the end of a session of having first seen Batman Begins and TDK - in that way, the viewer can truly better enjoy the conclusion that TDKR delivers, and how well it ties into those other two.