It's not a bad movie, not by any stretch of the imagination. It's certainly superior to Prometheus. However it lacks any impact. There are no memorable performances, ideas, moments, scenes or effects- good or bad. I didn't walk out angry but I was certainly disappointed.
Bane was horribly realized. I'm sure the mask was a severe burden on Hardy's acting but I never connected with Bane the same way I did with the Joker, or even Ras. And given that he is probably my favourite Batman villain, that was a severe disappointment too. The voice is also frankly atrocious. It sounds like a stereotypical old man but through a Darth Vader filter. Half of his lines were unintelligible and the rest had any menace robbed from them thanks to the ridiculous tambre. The more we learn about him, the less sense he can his motivations make. Apart from that, the rest of the movie was just... just there. Anne Hathway made a pretty decent Femme Fatale, but the role never really evolved beyond that. I think there were just too many characters and development was spread too thin. I never got emotionally invested in any of the characters, and consequently the action and drama just didn't carry much weight.
Speaking of spreading too thin, for a Batman film we see very little of Batman, and only marginally more of Bruce. He spends the entire first act hobbling around and then after two or so action scenes he spend most of the second act wallowing in a cell while what can only be described as 'Stuff' happens.
The take home message of the film is shocking. Apart from pissing all over the 'people are essentially good' message of the second film, it also seems to be giving a great big middle finger to the idea of socialism and the Occupy movement. There's also a big thumbs up for authoritarianism. Did Frank Miller write this? Not to mention another subtext which seems to infer you should be grateful if you grow up in poverty or hardship as it will give you strength.
All in all it's a deeply flawed film in its conception and execution. It's crime isn't so much that it does things badly (not to say that it doesn't do things badly), but that it doesn't really do anything well. It's the epitome of 'meh', neither good nor bad, but with some shoddy characterization and ideas. A plain cheese sandwich made with slightly stale bread.
I think Nolan was too focused on referencing and drawing from comic source material and desperately trying to create a historical parallel, and not paying enough intention to just making a good film off his own talents. All in all, it's a big step back from The Dark Knight, and an unworthy ending. It's worth a look simply for closure, but probably as a rental.… Expand

Ultimately the problem with the movie is the plot makes no sense at all. As I'm endeavoring to not give away anything, so I'm going to be intentionally vague. There is no logical explanation for the actions of the villains in this movie. Nothing to justify why they are doing what they are doing, and even if you work past that and accept that they just are, what they end up doing doesn't even make sense in the context of their stated goals. Unlike the insane, but methodical plans of the Joker in the second movie, the bad guys in this are just plain insane, and yet they play it far more straight-faced than the aforementioned previous antagonist did.
The next problem is the action. The whole "comic book movie" excuse that gets banded around so often can really only make up for so much. The core of the issue is that in Nolan's Batman universe, bullets seem to be more precious than diamonds. For some reason this did not feel quite as obvious in the previous two installments as it did in this one. Every action scene has mooks running up to Batman or other characters with guns in their hands to be easily disarmed. The frequency with which this happens in staggering. Barely anyone ever fires their guns throughout the movie and when they do, they make Stormtroopers look accurate. This culminates in a massive all out battle in which literally thousands of people suddenly forget the deadly projectile launching devices more or less all of them are holding and start laying into each other with whatever is available on hand. The sheer absurdity of the scene makes it impossible to ignore the issue even if you'd intentionally not payed attention everyone running up to martial arts specialists to be easily disarmed up to that point. All of this casts an absurd, practically silly light on the action that really detracts from the movies tone.
Next problem: Exposition, exposition, exposition, exposition, exposition...you can see where I'm going with this. A character enters a plot important room and they start spouting exposition about it to people who quite obviously and unmistakable already have this knowledge beforehand, and nobody questions why they are being told something they already know. The sheer volume of exposition in this movie pushes the already ridiculous runtime past the point of tolerance.
Honestly, I feel tired of this movie. I felt tired of it by the time it finally ended on it's awful cop-out ending, I felt tired thinking of all the things that really did not work in it, and I feel tired listing them here. I'm sorry, it just really isn't a good movie on almost any level, which is a crying shame seeing as it's predecessor is one of my personal favorites.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After watching The Dark Knight, I knew right away that Rises wasn't going to top it. That was the mentality that I had going into the theater, hoping to be pleasantly surprised, yet expecting, at the very least, a satisfying conclusion. I got neither. To put it simply, this was both underwhelming and dumb. The movie opens with an entirely too elaborate plane heist for what amounted to the abduction of some arbitrary nuclear physicist that doesn't become relevant again until halfway in, only to be killed off just as soon as his importance is explained. If you really think about it, he wasn't necessary. All it really amounts to is some pithy moment at the football stadium where Bane establishes that the physicist was the only person capable of decommissioning a bomb, then kills him immediately to shock everyone. That was **** stupid because he wasn't even in Gotham before he was abducted, but I know everyone else in the audience was mesmerized and got chills. Idiots. Speaking of which, Bane's voice was impossible to understand and surprisingly wimpy sounding behind that mask. Maybe it's just me, but I seriously had no clue what he was saying when he talked in the microphone, further distorting his already hard to comprehend voice. Honestly, the movie jumps from plot point to plot point so quickly that you barely get the gist of what is going on before the shot changes again. Something else that was noticeably absent was the grittiness of the first movies. The emotions felt more genuine in the first two movies, whereas the acting in Rises felt phoned in. No one character really gets a whole lot of screen time. You don't get a chance to give a damn about them before the scene ends. Lotta plot holes in this movie, too. First, the movie establishes that Bruce Wayne has no cartilage in his knees any longer for some reason, forcing him to walk around with a cane. That's remedied by a quick scene showing him using high tech joint support devices that solve this problem while also enhancing his strength to the point that he can break through stone without effort, but then as Batman, he gets the case of the stupids and gets his dumb bat ass kicked by Bane, captured and stripped of his Bat Suit as well as joint support gadgetry, and abandoned in some underground prison. Not only that, his back is broken. So, magically, he's cured of his joint problems with absolutely no explanation, and being hung by a rope fixes his broken back. Dumb. Catwoman barely has any screen time, and arbitrarily wears a fetish leather suit with goggles later in the movie. Also she is an implied lesbian/bisexual with the scant couple of scenes and dialogue with her blonde friend or perhaps roommate. It's not really explained or necessary, but does it really matter? You're not doing the math when all you can think about is sex, are you stupid? Robin is a cop who actually doesn't help the situation even one god damn time. Nothing he does actually affects anything, so I have no clue why he's in the movie other than for the one line where someone tells him he should use his full name, "Robin." Wow, was that supposed to shock me? You think I didn't know who he was supposed to be? Oh, and somehow Batman is able to fly a nuclear bomb out to sea with his Bat copter thing with only 40 seconds left on the timer, then escapes from a 6 mile blast radius, when just two scenes before we see him just barely outflying tank missiles inside the city. The movie even confirms he somehow did this by indicating that he flew his copter back to Luscious' weapons depot without being noticed. I found this movie very hard to watch because of how brain-dead it was. This movie obviously wasn't meant for me. It was meant for morons with 3 second attention spans. Frankly, I'm shocked more people aren't pissed.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While not the worst film ever made, The Dark Knight Rises is certainly a major letdown. The film is mired by numerous plot holes, logic errors, jarred storytelling, amateurish editing, bad pacing and transitions, and lack of explanation as to who the new comers are and why we should care. Not to mention the plot twist after plot twist that is thrown at the audience during the dull 2 1/2 hours you'll spend watching the movie. There are numerous things touched on in the beginning that are ultimately thrown to the wayside (see: Bruce's "brace") that distracts from the viewing experience and breaks the immersion of the film. There are also problems with the voice acting given during this movie; Bane is the primary culprit, but even Bruce, Alfred, and of all things Batman have issues with clarity and not sounding ridiculous. The logic of some of the characters in the movie is absolutely stupid as well (see: acting police chief when Bane makes his move). I just want to conclude by saying that "Auto-Pilot" doesn't mean "magical plot transporter". You'll see what I mean when you watch the film to it's non-nonsensical conclusion.… Expand

Unfortunately the benefit I thought I'd get by seeing the entire Trilogy tonight of Christopher Nolan's brilliant Batman world actually worked against me. Seeing Batman Begins, by far the best of the three, again had just as much of the magic as my first opening night screening. The Dark Knight, too, continued to set the GOLD standard for superhero filmmaking. That is why seeing those two masterpieces bumped up against this awful excuse for a Batman and an even worse excuse for a Christopher Nolan film, made the evening purely miserable. First, the opening scene introducing Bane and the ending wrapping up the Trilogy We're the best 20 total minutes of the movie. That, and a fantastic, yet not-used-as-much-as-she-should-have-been Catwoman portrayal by a very sexy Anne Hathaway, pretty much summed up what was worth seeing in this clumsy, poorly written, poorly acted travesty of a sequel. The vast majority of its 2:45 running time resembled not one ounce of a Christopher Nolan film, save for the above caveats. Christian Bale even appears to have forgotten how to play Batman and Bruce Wayne. The cast was almost unrecognizable, and for that I blame the script. Color me disappointed.… Expand

The Dark Knight was the best superhero film to date. However, TDKR was not. It wasnt even good. The entire movie was slow, boring, preachy, pandering, and had practically no action. If you know Batman lore, you know who Miranda Tate is, so the "surprise" at the end, wasnt a surprise. And even if you dont know the lore, it still wasnt all that much of a twist. It felt like an afterthought to throw into the movie. All the people who say TDKR was the best movie ever and gave it a 10, have not seen the movie yet, or are just insane fanboys that will love anything with a bat symbol on it.… Expand

The Dark Knight Rises had a lot of hype and high expectations to live up to after coming off of its acclaimed predecessor--The Dark Knight. Thus, inevitably, when going in to see the TDKR, TDK will be on the back of many peoples

I have no idea how so many people like this drag of a movie, there will little to none character development , there so much cliche stuff it was sadly predictable, the actions scenes were badly choreographed. there was NO chemistry between the actors. I love Nolan but this was just a waste, full of disjointed plot lines and lack of cohesion.

Nolan's movies show off the unattractive bighead he really is. While busy pretending to be intelligent and dark he forgets to put in realistic, "human" behavior. This results in very sober movies that are not attractive in any way. His movies f.e. are lacking humor of any kind...hardly ever a smile is shown and often the plot is just so artificial it can't seriously be what normal thinking people like to see. I much more prefer the human kind of behaviour from actors in movies...The dark knight once again fails the "reality"test...which makes it an annoying waste of time. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!… Expand

The Dark Knight Rises and there's a whole lot of talkin' goin' on. Admittedly, nothing could live up to the hype this things gotten so I tried - I really tried - to put all that aside. But the sad fact is this thing is a snooze.
There is back story after back story in this movie as you learn and re-learn the histories of each character. And, while I promise you no spoilers, what really gets me is , if any of the so-called twists in the plot come as a surprise to you this must be the first movie you've ever seen. I'm not a fan boy and I don't demand fealty to the Holy Writ of the comic book origins, so I'll say making Bane wear that stupid mask was, well, stupid. This is a movie, he's an actor, you need to see his face!
Anne Hathaway and Marion Cotilard are classic beauties and just watching them on screen is a pleasure just not worth all this hyperbole. The rest of the cast are very talented actors as well.
So why a low rating? Well, I can't really tell you without giving spoilers and I promise not to do that. So let me just say if you must see this movie, wait a week or two for the lines to die down and go in promising yourself you ask no logical questions at all. None. Zip. Zilch.
Just sit, eat your popcorn, slurp your cola and let the illogical, predictable plot flow over you.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! I finally saw The Dark Knight Rises last night. Wow, what a disappointment. Chris Nolan needs to come up with a better plot. He used the same one for all three movies. Build up the character, knock him down, build him back up. After this movie, they can never make another Batman without starting all over again. Do you REALLY want to see Batman's origin again? Also, why is it that so many people figured out who Batman was so easily? They could have have had the same movie without that. Also, Bane. First his voice was poorly dubbed. No matter where he was what kind of room he was in his voice sounded the same. It sounded like it was pasted in. Why is it that Bane could break granite with his fists, but not cave in Batman's face? On Batman himself: why is it he could break rock with his FOOT just because he was wearing a automated knee brace? On SPOILER: Robin. I figured out who the young cop was right away. Again, even he figured out who Batman was, who didn't know? Not only was the whole nuclear bomb plot cut and paste, but poor. He takes the bomb over the ocean, and he's a hero? So much for radiation poisoning in the ENTIRE OCEAN! As soon as Alfred told Bruce the story about finding him Italy living his life you KNEW right then how the movie was going to end. When I heard that Anne Hathaway was playing Catwoman, I was like: "she weights 110 lbs and looks like she couldn't hurt a fly." But she pulled it off. She was the best part of the movie. Bruce being crippled was again, giving an early end to the character. He's supposed to be better than a normal person. Also, him "breaking" his back and FIXING it in prison was the laziest/crappiest part of the whole movie. Batman has an incredible line of characters (heroes, villains, and regular people in all of comicdom not sure why that just had to pin the entire series on Ra's Al Ghul.''

This movie felt unnecessarily big, over produced and rushed. It felt like an afterthought and a contract obligation by Nolan. I wanted to love this movie, but I can just says it's okay. I mean stop pandering to the lowest common denominator and write a smart movie. 2 out of 5 stars.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This was not a good Batman movie, especially trying to stand next to Begins or Dark Knight. There's a lot for me to dislike, but I'll try to hit the key points only. The pacing is rotten; actors speak without pausing between lines like they're reading from a script as quickly as possible, and plot points whiz by faster than you can appreciate most of the time as more and more is crammed into the already beefy two and a half hours. If things are slowed down to the point of understanding, you realize that the plot makes no sense. Bane (though not really Bane as it turns out) wants to blow up the city because...well, you find out eventually its because Ra's Al Ghul wanted to, but Bane himself (or his benefactor) really has no motivation aside from being a bad guy. Worse still, Bane and company seem to be suicide agents for some reason, planning on going up in smoke along with the rest of the city when the bomb goes off. The entire plot seems to be dedicated to showing Bane rip the city apart and having character shout Occupy Wall Street lines, all the while showing us how bad Socialism actually is. "Now its everyone's house!" Anyway, I think most of the problems stem from those key points: bad pacing, bad plot, confused social message. The actors are great (if rushed), and the segments with Anne Hathaway felt like an entirely different (better) movie. She plays a great Catwoman, and I wish I could have seen her doing so in a better Batman movie. The Batman vs Bane sewer fight is also excellent, and could be transplanted entirely to a better movie as well (the epilogue isn't too bad either, so you can leave on a comparatively high note). Everything else though, from silly plane kidnapping intro to nuclear race against time climax, is rushed and gaudy. One last funny thing I noticed: The Joker is never mentioned, even in passing or in regards to Dent. Dent is talked about; Scarecrow is cameoed; Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Shadows come up; never the Joker though, and he's technically alive in the Nolan-verse. Why? Personally, because I think Nolan and company recognized they weren't living up to the Dark Knight's quality, and they were trying to desperately avoid reminding the audience of that better movie. Don't say his name, and maybe everyone will forget. I'm not really sure, but if it was their way of dodging the challenge of living up to that movie, they failed miserably.… Expand

Honestly, I;m soooo disappointed. Such a let down after the awesome first two from director Nolan. The film took far too long to warm up. Much too much story line, too much happening and you are left not really connecting with any of it. If youre looking for a dull, senseless action movie this will be youre cup of tea. If youre expecting a great epic story, great acting and the great Nolan touch you'll be, like me bitterly disappointed.… Expand

What "The Dark Knight Rises" is missing is efficiency and clarity. "The Dark Knight" was a nearly perfect film marked by astounding character development and perfect pop utility - not a moment wasted. "The Dark Knight Rises" is a muddled mess, albeit a dazzling one. The visuals are stunning; but all of the rabbits in Nolan's hat cannot obscure the fact that the screenplay is simply not up to snuff.… Expand

I don't know what is wrong with Christopher Nolan, he makes these great movies with awesome special effects, beautiful cinematography, and poignant dramatic moments and **** them up with convoluted plot twists, multiple story lines, and retiredly complicated scenarios. This movie could have been great, but it ended up being just ok. It was too long and too many things going on reminded me too much of inception. The ending was money, but it didn't make up for the rest of the movie being too long and boring, next time don't try to make 6 movies into one and it will be good.… Expand

The Dark Knight is Risible.
Almost every scene was either utter nonsense or so boring that it felt like my entire day was being swallowed up in this mire.
A massive problem for me is Bane, not just that he's nothing like the comic-book character but his voice is even more comical than Batman's - he sounds exactly like the Narrator from Diablo!
Bane's fights with Batman are terrible because Nolan still cannot direct brawling scenes. He barely even tries this time and seems to have gone back to his original tactic of cutting away or just plain hiding the action behind intervening characters.
I can think of 2-3 decent moments but for the vasty majority of the film I was just hoping it would improve or just end. Nolan was obviously sick-to-death of the characters and seemed to want the audience to go out feeling the same way.… Expand

I felt compelled to write this review because of the overall positive score this piece of cr.. received. I had some issues with the two previous Batman movies, like the absence of the gothic ambiance - you can pound us endlessly with the claim that the scene is Gotham, but I can still tell it is New York, or poor action scene and the fact that in combat Batman looks like an ordinary bar fighter - hey this is a marshal arts master pushing the human limits of speed, quickness, strength, and agility, and in these movies he looks kind of slow. In this latest movie, for moments I though I was watching Rocky 6 or something. They were exchanging concrete shattering blows endlessly. is that supposed to be an action scene in a modern time action movie. But those are just lighthearted objections. Here comes the heavy stuff. This movies is soooo stupid, it may well have the dumbest and most inconsistent plot I have ever seen. From the little details to the overall plot line it reeks mind boggling thickness. And.... and it is 164 minutes long. Those were the most painful 164 minutes of my movie watching life. I see some people here are careful not to give out any spoilers. Here's a spoiler for you, give this movie the widest possible berth you can imagine, and spread the word before it's too late, and too many people are violated by this weapon of mass brain cell destruction.… Expand

Okay, I get what they were aiming for...they just missed. Rather than tell a Batman story, the producers and writers told an elaborate and convoluted Death Wish story. The plot was overblown where it didn't need to be. Bane is goofy and inconsistent as a villain and there is no idealogical center to this picture. Considering the end of the film some of the histrionics that take place (Alfred, I'm talking about you) don't really make any sense. I feel like we've run around in endless circles in this movie just to go a very short distance. The movie just doesn't really get it right. It is still entertaining, it just isn't Batman. Even standing alone, not comparing otto Dark Knight is just isn't that good. Sorry.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Things I didn't like about this movie: ------------------------------------------------------- - The plot never seems to get traction. When you expect something smart, figurative, and metaphorical (like the brilliant Batman Begins) in the end its just a plain old "there's a bomb!" plot with nameless thugs running around. - Bane's character is not developed at all. Nor does his ramblings have an intellectual basis to make him interesting. The dubbed voice over for him was so much louder than the normal track it sounded fake. The overacted scottish accent was horrible. This is kind of sad because Batman comics are praised for the complex villians. Bane had no personality at all and you had no appreciation for his mission or thought process. - Batman is cool because he has gadgets, does awesome detective work in the batcave, invents things, outwits enemies, drives the batmobile, connects the dots where others cannot etc. and wins hand to hand fights. Sadly, none of those traits are portrayed in this movie. The seminal point in the movie where batman actually returns on the scene is a confusing sequence where it seems that he chases the badguys off and they get away. He's then sort of scolded for scaring them off by the police. Huh? Wtf? That's not the Batman we want to see.... - Fox's character is largely ignored in this movie. A shame. They could have done something interesting with him. - Catwoman had great potential to be interesting but they only scratched the surface with her and she had no integral purpose. - Much of the plot mirrors events in Batman Begins (the best of the 3). Batman is hurt, he is thrown in prison. League of Shadows is behind the turmoil and Wayne enterprises has another bad ceo. Batman overcomes his imprisonment, trains to magically heal his serious injuries, etc. - The dialogue between characters is mostly related to "this and that" such as "we have to stop him", "I'm on it!" etc. and nothing deep, revealing or interesting to hear. Sounds bad, and sadly it is. - There is a pointless "police march" that goes no where because the script meanders off elsewhere. - For some reason, people "just know" Bruce Wayne is Batman. Unfortunately, this revelation is just crammed into the script because the script needs it, not because events actually lead to it. - The "Inception" like ending is good cause for debate but also copied from Inception. - The fight scenes were a joke. Batman and Bane just whiffing at one another. Batman is a martial arts expert who can defeat many enemies at once. He also has cool gadgets to evade and surprise bad guys. None of that appears here. Let me be clear. Batman is a SUPERHERO. Not some average joe in a unitard. - Like Prometheus, the music was too loud, everpresent and contextually unrelated. - It was too long. Mostly for the above reasons. - Too much everyone else. Not enough BATMAN!! I mean c'mon!!! We hardly got to see batman at all....seriously. - Why is this movie called Dark Knight Rises? Ok, he quit and came back, then quit or died again. The title seems misplaced or redundant to the other movies. "Batman Begins", "Dark Knight Rises", sorta means the same thing with different words. Things I liked about this movie: ------------------------------------------------------ - Bat plane - Catwoman, although they didn't show her true abilities (9 lives, etc.)… Expand

I had a much longer review, but metacritic wouldn't let me post it so I'll sum it up.

It has its moments, and the first half is better than the second half, but it is a mess and may very well be the weakest of the Trilogy.

This should be added to the list of over hyped movies that sucked. It was not about batman, the movie was about cat woman and robin and a whole lot of useless characters. What a waste of time. Batman had 2 fist fights in the movie, that's all the action you get. He either runs away scared or gets his ass kicked. Watched batman begins and TDK and was really excited to watch this movie. But the movie just sucked..on par with Prometheus! I did not pay money to watch a sissy batman movie with no action. Period.… Expand

Awful movie, with a horrible political message. Nolan is shouting "get down the revolutiond and support the actual system". Tom Hardy is genious, and his character is a real hero, but Nolan paints him like a villain.

Unaccomplished, badly fragmented, often ridiculous, blatantly fascist. At least, Bane is cool. For the rest, Nolan shows himself, in my humble opinion, as one of the most overrated director-writers of these times. The overall story, if managed better - both in terms of screenplay and direction - had the basis to deliver a powerful movie. But Nolan fails on almost every aspect. He clearly knows the importance of drama, but lacks the ability to convey it, and every dramatic scene turns out to be either ridiculous or bland, a thing which gives the final blow to a lazy plot with more holes and failed pretentiousness than a badly designed mini-golf course. Batman himself, especially in the fighting scenes, is a clown that moves with the speed of a snail, and talks with a totally laughable old-style horror-tunnel voice.
At least, as I mentioned, Tom Hardy is a very expressive and impressive Bane, while Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anne Hathaway deliver a good performance. The rest, acting included, is pure boredom.… Expand

This movie is very average. The plot doesn't make logical sense, the movie lacks appearances from its star cast, and fight scenes are nothing more than 2 brutes swinging as hard as they can. The movie is rather a test to see how much fans love Christopher Nolan. It seems in their eyes he can do no wrong. He is the real world white knight and we will adore and overrate this film just because he made it no matter how many plot holes and liberties he took with this film.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Warning contains spoilers! Questionable choices made by the director in this plot the feel of the movie was very much like the others which is good but 'Bane' as the main badie always left a question mark over my head when I saw the trailers when there are much more complex characters in the batman saga. I did enjoy how bane was acted his voice was strange but very much what has been heard of before in cartoons and games. However none of his back story was explained why did he get hooked up to a blood transfusion in the underground base he had why did he have the mask that made him sound so strange? Bane in the comics is supposed to be smart, intelligent and the Venom he uses makes him super strong not enough back story for this prominent leading character. Also where was Batman "the world greatest detective" that we had seen in the previous films, using expensive innovative detective methods was exchanged for big explosions and the bat plane. Ra's al ghul plot of bane completing his work because he his his supposed son only for everyone to find out its actually Talia was predictable to anyone who know the comics, has played any of the games and can spot bad acting!, Right from when she first gets introduced she, its easily to tell shes not who she says she is. This film is entertaining but frustrating if you are a fan… Expand

I can't remember the last time I was this disappointed with such an anticipated film. As a fan of the "comic book" genre and believing that the first two films in this series were nothing short of perfection, this movie fell way short on nearly every level. The dull, lifeless performances were equally matched by an unimaginative and lengthy script. This movie could have easily been scripted to have a fourth, or even fifth, instalment. At least then we could have been saved the horrible editing and cinematography that forced it into a single film, thus making it feel like nothing more than a two and a half hour trailer (the background music also NEVER stopped). And once again we see a great comic book villain who's story and purpose isn't truly told on the big screen, and Bane's is deep, he almost deserves his own movie. So much like Spider-Man 3, they tried to do too much with too little and it really shows. With the exception of it's actors, this final chapter appears to share absolutely none of what made the other two great.… Collapse

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A bitter disappointment and awful ending to a brilliant trilogy, the movie was so boring and lengthy that I considered to leave the cinema. The script was predictable at some points and the acting was so poor amongst some of the actors. Anne Hathaway was horrible, she was not convincing at all and her outfit looked like a cheap halloween costume. Bane, the main villain of this movie was killed in a split second and everything was forgotten about him, that's it. It's like the script writers wanted this movie to end quickly as possible at this point of the movie. The actress playing Miranda who appears to be Ra's Al Ghul's daughter Talia should get the award for worst death presentation, it was some of the worst acting I have ever seen, you can tell that she is acting. It's like she is taking a nap for crying out loud. Blake who appears to be Robin gets access to the Batman cave and all the high tech stuff that is in there, but he didn't recieve any training at all so he wouldn't know how to use it. Robin is just an ordinary cop in this movie with no combat skills, yet Bruce Wayne gives away the cave to him and settles down with the supposed Catwoman.… Expand

Wow, I really wasn't expecting this. After all the hype, after knowing it was going to be the last batman movie made by Nolan, the movie just couldnt deliver, at all. And srsly I wanted to like it, I really tried, but after some horrible scenes and dialogues I couldn't lie to myself anymore.

I can't understand how this movie is getting such high reviews and by so many people... It makes no sense. The movie was a plotless mess with too much wasted budget. They didn't know what to do with so much money and decided to make up a load of random crap to fill in.

From beginning to end, there was nothing to like. The annoying conversations with Alfred, the horrible plot twists, the useless police march at the end (why not just drop a bomb in the middle of it?), the everlasting Morgan Freeman (always the same role and acting), Anne Hathaway (horrible choice for catwoman), the lame speech at the stadium, the over the top loud music, but above everything, the was no plot or story.

It worries me that so many people are loving it. This proves that anyone can produce a successful movie as long as there is huge hype, budget and fanboyism around it. People are going to love it either way.

Im not at all a hater, in fact I loved the second movie and TDKR was not even remotely close to it. I dont want to insult the people who liked this movie, but this was a very dumb movie, with too many plot holes ( e.g. Bruce leg problem magically healed in jail?) to mention all of them.

The good parts? I guess the explosion of the football stadium was cool. I walked out pissed and confused about why so few people disliked it.… Expand

Slow to start and muddied with too many mediocre subplots this is the weakest of the trilogy. The last 45 minutes were fun. Bane was dull. I went to see Batman and He didn't show up until the end. Sure there were reasons, but it was just not fun. The comics are good fun, this, meh. It would be fine to see this on video. There were two major, whose stupid idea was that moments. If you are a fan, I suspect they will disappoint you.… Expand

The film was an absolute disappointment for me. The action was taking place in a very narrow space. The editing was really awful. There were countless meaningless happenings. Like taking blood from the man in the plane. Then the blood wasn't even used. Casting was not good. The city fight scene was meaningless. Why didn't they use the guns but tried to ram instead?
No adrenalin. Not enough action. Lots of unanaswered questions. Why was the truck in the move? No logical answer. Lots of questions like this one.
Generally talking the worst of the trilogy.… Expand

The Dark knight Rises is too long for no reason (almost 3 hours long) There are some scenes where you feel the movie dragging on. It looks like the entire Gotham City was shot in the same 2 blocks of New York City... if it was shot in NYC at all. Plus Batman has become too soft. Wait for the DVD version... you won't be missing anything.

I am probably one of the biggest Batman fans there is and going in I knew this was going to be garbage. For anyone who knows the Batman stories or reads the comics this movie will be like a slap in the face. People will like this movie because they feel they should but it falls flat in so many ways. It will do well but in my opinion the DC cartoons will always be better than the films and the Marvel films will keep trumping the crap DC keeps doing live action… Expand

A Fanboy

A really poor scenario and even Michael Caine mess up his character. A least the movie is long so it is better value for money than another movie. If you compare movies where people are locked up and try to escape, Midnight Express would problably score 3 times more than this one. So the score can't be greater than 3.

The dark night rises can be summed up in one word. dissapointing. I am a big fan of the series prior to this but the bad combination of shaky characters, a copied plot line, and logic flaws made this movie two and a half hours of dissapointment. the movies new characters have barely any explanation to them at all and the new thing about batman torn about weather he should retire or not goes against the fact that it is a batman movie (not to mention its very poorly scripted). the dark night does redeem itself alittle with anne hathaway playing a sexy well developed catwoman. when the movie first started and the very first action scene was done with i was excited and hopefull about this movie... but eventually it drug out drama with bruce wayne in a very dull segment of the movie and when the plot line actually starts to unfold i figured out that they had simply done the same basic thing in the first movie. the plit twists were not built up well and made the movie even worse... on top of all theses flaws pure logic flaws stop me from being emmersed into the dramatic critical point in the story like hundreds of people running at tanks and machine guns. ten men with assault rifles and cover could hold down the entire group of police officers. not to mention one of them could just toss a grenade at batman or bane and end the whole thing. cat woman seemed to be immune to bullet fire and the auto pilot was a poor excuse for the ending twist. and banes mask was explained horribly and an army of underground contractors with machine guns was never seen by anyone? all in all the movie does look epic and when it actually gets to a fight scene with bane and batman (theres only two and theyre not long) it does look awesome. although i love batman and i try to like this movie it has way to many shortcomings and outright stupidity for me to like it. stay safe and dont go to this movie… Expand

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises is a movie that will blow you away> This is a satisfying end to arguable the best superhero movie franchise in history. This movie is grander in scope than the last two, has a sense of what it is, and has superb acting. Tom Hardy as Bane is no Joker, but is a talented actor that is a good choice for Bane. Anne Hathaway surprised me with her great acting as Catwoman, Marion Cotillard was the memorable Miranda Tate, and Michael Caine and definitely Christian Bale have never been better in the franchise. The best new character for me was Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, who gave a great performance. The story excelled at showing that Batman is human like us, not some Superman or Green Lantern, but a guy just like us, even if he has a bit more money. This is a great end to a great trilogy, and I think it outdoes Spider-Man and the Avengers for best superhero movie of the year.… Expand

I genuinely don't know where to start in describing how much of a let down this film was for me and my partner. The film was badly written, poorly delivered, bizarrely directed and disjointedly edited. The whole feel of the film is of a three part-er hacked down into a muddled trailer because of intellectually property issues or breached artiste/acting contracts. The film draws upon the phenomenally successful "Knight Fall" comic trilogy but then dumps all of its good points in favor of a PC "let's make sure we've covered all of the minority groups in the casting even if we need to jettison the key points"

Bane sounds like an infant shouting through a kazoo, Hathaway manages to make wearing a cat suit look awkward to the point of puritanical, Gary Oldman looks like he's auditioning to replace David Jason as Frost, and Batman does nothing but whine.

Michael Caine struggles with difficult dialogue but nevertheless has us rummaging through girlfriends handbags for tissues as Batman declines into obscurity and Gordon-Levitt has us screaming at the screen to ditch the whine-y old fart and (as Michael Caine in his Harry Palmer days might have said) "get in the bladdy suit!"

This is a film aching to be remade and remade better, which is a shame because everything was already available to Nolan to get it right the first time.… Expand

Most film trilogies have the same problem: the last film puts too much focus on concluding the series, and as a result, they are often inferrior to their predecessors. The Dark Knight Rises has absolutely none of the elements that make Batman films so much fun to watch. There are not enough action scenes to keep you interested, and the characters have some of the most awkward voices ever. Batman sounds like he has throat cancer, Bane sounds like an old man and Bruce Wayne sounds like a redneck. Catwoman is the only character I enjoyed watching.

The story is very bland, even by Batman standards. It's your typical "villian puts town in danger and the hero must stop him" story, but with a rather odd twist that just drags things on even more. The rarity of action scenes, "dramatic" moments that lack any real drama, and painfully slow pacing make this the worst Batman film since Batman & Robin.… Expand

I read the critique that it was overly bleak, but seemed about the same level of darkness as the 2nd movie. The only difference was this one was at least 45 minutes too long. I thought it was very mediocre, a bit tedious and certainly too long. The hand-to-hand combat was very poor and telegraphed. Not much new to see and a bit boring.

The whole film was a letdown not only as a batman trio. but also as a nolan's film. No hard work was done in every department except the sound. The dialogues were so dumb unlike inception, memento, tdk. Twists in the film were forcefully injected into it & it all felt hopeless. One scene when the bane's past is revealed was a twist & really was the dumbest twist of all times. It was a main but cheap twist & made bane look like a weak character & completely made the movie to downfall. Before this scene the movie was better than tdk, only one scene changed the fate of this movie. The film looked like even, nolan didn't also wanna make it. He should do what he wants & not not the money thirsty producers (WB)… Expand

Self-indulgent. Don't get me wrong, there was many solid ideas and well filmed sequences just about as badly executed as a student film with a giant budget. The middle 90 minutes is basicly... the bad guy is bad, he is really bad, he is really, really bad... and so it goes for 90 minutes. I saw people sleeping in the theater. Rent it, see the first 30 minutes and the last 2 minutes. Everything else is the director's ego on the screen and his inability to edit. Can you say Matrix 3?… Expand

I have a ambivalence to the Nolan batman films and that is a story with such rich texture it becomes a shame that they add Deus ex machina "A deus ex machina ( /ˈdeɪ.əs ɛks ˈmɑːkiːnə/ or /ˈdiːəs ɛks ˈmækɨnə/ day-əs eks mah-kee-nə;[1] Latin: "god from the machine"; plural: dei ex machina) is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object." Hollywood moments to solve its problems. Here The dark knight rises does the same. if you've seen the movies chances are you know what im talking about. They all start the same, Dark, and a feeling that what your seeing is if Batman existed in the real world, he fights things with what he has.. Then when the moments are at their toughest for him they just give him the I win button. It happened in Dark knight rises and cheapens a truly great movie. For me I just wish they gave batman more Wits. I wanted him to have a intelectual discussion with the Joker and debate him on chaos not just sit by in awe and listen to the Jokers sermens. And finaly in with the Dark Knight rises the same happends again. I must say though this is Bales/Nolans wisest batman yet, but still doesnt say much about the Bruce Wayne in Nolans universe who still is a baby through out the series who has learned nothing about the philosphys that drive his villians to deveolpe a personal anti thesis that would increase not only his mental prowless but his gab to debate them when they speak of their version of how life ought to be. To that it seems the smartest men in gotham remain Alfred, Lusious fox, and Joker who for whatever reason never shows up in the movie. I understand they love ledger, But Joker loved CHAOS not Nuclear destruction. To me a loving hand from joker to batman would have been a understandable moment even if he is not physicaly there. Yes the joker is loose, Yes he got off the island but not before giving Batman some piece of information that will save the city so once again he might come again and bring it to the world he wants to live in. I long for a day when this kind of batman will rise again, but, a batman written by someone who could have a batman that not only fights a villian with his strength, gadgets, and fear but also with a wit that can counter the thoughts of these criminals and deflate their rhetoric destroying not only their plans but also their beliefs… Expand

Great movie it is a long movie but it's because they wanted to build the story up the right way and with about 20min left I felt as if I was batman. Go see it. Totally worth the $7

How The Dark Knight Rises got away with such generous reviews is a bit of a mystery to me. Well not really, I suppose when fans put so much pressure on critics as to send them death threats it kinda has an influence on them. Not to mention the giant hype behind the movie, yes I guess everything adds up. Everything except for a small detail: the movie is just garbage. Yes the movie does look great in IMAX, but again so did Transformers 3, that doesn't make a movie good by itself, you need more than that. Where's the interesting plot? Bad guys come make Gotham explode, THAT's the best they could come up with? Hmm ok, well at least the pacing must be good right? Nope, the thing lasts for 2 hours and 40 mins, with lots of time wasted on pointless exposition and not enough well, actually getting the movie going. OK ok, yes this is not so great but the characters have to be really good I'm sure. Yeah well guess what since almost every character from the previous films ended up dead, we have to start all over with new ones, which means we don't get to know them, and we waste precious time introducing them, and even then they're that great to begin with. Bane is incredibly bland and is basically just a glorified body guard, Selina Kyle is a lot of fun but totally unnecessary (you could easily write her out of the film with almost no change), and Miranda Tate just comes way too late into the trilogy to have any chance of being memorable. The only new character that was well developed is Blake, but then again so much time is dedicated to him instead of, well friggin Batman... you know the thing you actually go see a Batman movie for. And to add insult to injury, Nolan takes his audience for absolute idiots, with a script that is filled with inconsistencies and contradictions; scenes would start in daylight and then it's night 2 seconds later, characters would get mortally wounded only to be fine few minutes later magically (for a trilogy that prides itself in blending realism with comic books that's just inexcusable), and so on and so forth for the entire movie. This movie is a let down plain and simple, I knew it could never be as great as The Dark Knight, but I sure wasn't prepare for it to be this awful.… Expand

Completely empty and meaningless. If you are a sheep, go to this movie. Otherwise, almost any movie in any theatre will be better than this one. Awful.

Absolutely hated it. I know the batfans are going to disagree and click no on my review. But it's my opinion and i didn't like it. Which is weird because i loved the dark knight

"The Dark Knight Rises" is another proff, that Nolan brothers are untalented, like Christian Bale as Batman. Horrible idea making Bane main genius enemy. So boring and so awful action. So stupidly written plot. This thing need to be at the deep of rating, but stupid fans forced this film.

It isn't very often that a film takes to the time to develop characters, their motivation, and the setting for the viewer to understand the who, what, and why. When a film does this, it needs to be complimented and acknowledged for doing so. This is one of those films. I felt personally connected to all of the characters, did not see the ending coming, and was fully engrossed throughout the 2-1/2 hours. Awesome conclusion to an unforgettable story.… Expand

I tried really hard to enjoy this movie but it just made no sense to me. Even though it was almost three hours long, I found that each scene was so gawdy and finely cut together that I could barely follow what was going on. Instead of meaningful dialogue it seemed to be one overconfident cliche after another. I can't really say I'm a huge fan of superhero or comic book stories but I do enjoy well written science fiction. Sadly, this is not. The writers should have taken a little more time to make sure and not offend intelligent viewers with such ridiculous moments as "oh my vertebrae is sticking out of my back, can you kick it back in for me?" - let's get real. If you want us to have sympathy and genuine concern for the heroes, they have to first be human.… Expand

Nolan ties it all together. This movie does not stand alone, it requires the other two. He makes great use of the Batman universe and takes the legend down roads both expected and unexpected. There were moments were I couldn't pick up what Bane or Batman were saying, but these weren't as bad as the critics harped on. Catwoman (never uses that name) was actually essential and not just a distraction. They obviously tried to tie together all the various incarnations of Selina Kyle and boil it down to one bad mama. Loved the ending. The only thing missing was some sort of dedication to the late, great Heath Ledger.… Expand

Every scene in this movie looks and feels awkward.The characters are lifeless, bloodless - and what exactly is the plot ? There is not an ounce of humor in the entire movie. The villain and his ridiculous mask, Christian Bale again as a complete miscast, Anne Hathaway's awful acting, Michael Caine's annoying accent, all that makes for an experience you want to forget about.

I've spent years waiting for the third film in the Dark Knight trilogy to open, and then spent 2 and a half hours waiting for it to end. Sluggish, laborious and predictable, Nolan's third Batman film is a decent film but an extreme disservice to the stellar franchise he started.

Finally got round to watching this. I originally decided against watching it in respect to those folks who tragically passed away in Colorado. Upon viewing it finally out of sheer curiosity it confirmed my fears that its just another over the top mindless violent picture with stale acting and outrageous cuts and shots that it was difficult to keep track of what was going on. I can't stand this high speed quick cuts style. The only part of the film worthy was Tom Hardy. I've liked the guy since Star Trek Nemesis and the great Bronson so Tom as Bane was perfect. The voice could have been done much better and more natural but otherwise that gripe its worth a one time viewing just for Hardy. Other then that nod the rest of the film is a complete waste of time. Even Anne Hathaway fails to give us a new Cat Woman. Nothing tops MIchelle Pfeiffer. Heck Liam Neesom (he gets a nod) even makes an appearance, finally putting me on the edge of my seat and as that scene ends he just vanishes? Terrible screenplay. Never did think too highly of the first but the second was good. Worth a one time rental if your that curious or want to catch Hardy, Neeson, and some of Bale. Nolan in my opinion hasn't made a good film since Insomnia.… Expand

This movie was a pretty big disappointment, especially for those hoping that a sequel to The Dark Knight would be just as good as that movie was. Most of the acting & story was extremely predictable & unexciting, most of the movie was just extremely bland which caused me to walk out about two and a half hours in to the movie the first time & the second time when I sat through the whole thing it wasn't any better, not even the ending. Honestly, the Mtn Dew flavor for this movie was 50 times better than the movie itself.… Expand

Same old same old. Could have been a 90 minute movie. Wouldn't matter anyway, If you are looking for any surprises, you wont find them here. Big disappointment. Glad this Trilogy is over for good.

Where is Robin when you need him? Or for that matter Spiderman? Wait! Where is Batman?? In this 2 hour and 25 minute movie we see way too much of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) not to forget Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) and Bane, the villain (Tom Hardy), and a young policeman (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) plus the Commissioner (Gary Oldman), Batman/Bruce Wayne's inventor Lucius (Morgan Freeman), a possible love interest in Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) and various other characters but I thought this was suppose to be a film about Batman, isn't it?

"The Dark Knight Rises" is on its way to breaking records (if the shooting today in Colorado doesn't keep people away from movie theatres) but it is not half as interesting as Spiderman was, has a long, confusing plot that goes in all directions and a not very interesting villain. Without giving away any plot points two of them border on the ridiculous.

Michael Caine, playing Wayne's butler/valet, disappears after being prominent at the beginning with his hovering/worrying about Bruce being taken over by Morgan Freeman with the latter not really offering anything different in the part.

The screenplay by Christopher Nolan, who also directed, and Jonathan Nolan, goes into many and confusing directions. It can also bring up other layers if you want to look at it politically with Bane (Bain?), the 1%, the Occupy Wall street group and the destruction of Gotham city, which certainly is New York here, bringing up scenes of 9/11, but don't waste your time on those angles because your mind will be all over the place until Batman, special effects, stopping the world coming to an end comes into play and off we go into comic book hero action.

Having seen "The Amazing Spiderman" last week and "The Dark Knight Rises" today I would recommend the former a lot more than the latter as it has the better story, is shorter and though it also has an uninteresting villain at least you can understand what he is saying.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie is about 50 minutes too long. My mind drifted during the long, cliche exposition. But the real fatal flaw is that Nolan takes all the magic out of Batman. Gone is the atmospheric Gotham, replaced by a shiny, normal, everyday modern city. Did you like the Bane story from the comics? It doesn't exist. Bane is a average terrorist. Gone is the Venom (NO VENOM?!?). The break out of all of Batman's former nemesis from Arkham Asylum doesn't happen. He just releases some regular prison inmates. The Bane story is one of my favorite stories in the Batman universe. I was totally disappointed with this film after imagining how cool it would be when Arkham fell and Bane pumped up with venom. Nolan shouldn't use the Batman name if he is going to ignore what Batman is all about.
If you compare this film to the Avengers, a great superhero movie from this summer, that stayed true to the comics and had great dialog and special effects, you can imagine how cool Batman could have been, and just how far Nolan took Batman down.
I just pray he doesn't destroy all the fun and "hero" aspect of Superman, but I am very worried.… Expand

Wannabe, wanna be, therefore it is. Let's face it: Dark Knight was good, a very good film, but frankly it was almost exclusively that good, because it was a sort of adaptation of Alan Moore's "Killing Joke" and because, despite the hysteria of Heath Ledger's dramatic and unfortunate death, The Joker was a great one, a master villain. I will not compare it with Jack Nicholson's because that one was exceptional. Ledger's was very good, almost excellent. The residual memory emerges from this point; people want "The Dark Knight Rises" to be a sequel of that excellency, as I did, as Nolan forced us to believe so... as some kind of religious belief keeping us blindly seeing the way it was supposed to be, but it wasn't. It wasn't indeed, as the first of Nolan's trilogy it was a disbelief and a mime of the second. Without a matured anti-hero, this Batman collapses.

Somewhere somehow if not already at the plane, I started to feel I was being fooled by the Hollywood machine, again and again; my "want it to be as so" was there no more, vanishing, while I gradually started to notice the annoying, repeating and exaggerated soundtrack pushing me for a critical pause. Hans Zimmer made me seriously question about everything in this movie, existentially, if indeed I was facing the terrifying possibility of seeing another 2 hours of hollowed clichés noised by a syrupy music... another disappointment to add. You name it, Star Wars, Prometheus, Conan... I tried, I really did, I even said to myself to take it easy at my criticism and expectation, but there was no emotion to attach with, instead the music was continuously persisting in forcing the spectator to delude himself that indeed there was, like a crazy frantic miraged dance going to nowhere subliming the emptiness.

Simply put, the narrative didn't allow me to empathize with the characters, all of it was forced like an hyperactive quest to push the audience for an illusion of a final master piece, an idea that would be preferable not to be discarded, like a comfortable thought as nice as a wall separating the movie from the spectator. We were comfortably eating popcorns nicely throwing the bags to the floor.

I didn't like Bate's Bat forced voice, I don't like his costume, I haven't felt jubilated when he arose from the ashes, I kept wondering about Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns": what a pale reflex this film was revealing itself, bad omen I was getting bored, I wondered about the time of the intermezzo that would never come. I felt myself observing a hysterical sequence of forced dramatic situations, not realism, not Bat's Gothic existentialism. There was no voyeurism, there was no personal attachment, there was no time to feel emotionally connected... there was right in front of your nose... another banal Hollywood film using a Batman's stamp, a "Bruce Wayne's" costume fairy tail.

You have to be given compassed storyline hidden behind a door's hole, like preparing for the battle tasting a good cup of old wine expecting the confronting dilemma of mirroring yourself, like Alan Moore's and Frank Miller's Batman art of questioning... not this artificial and plastic speaking dolls acting for a spoiled audience, for statistics and budget and major gross openings! Michael Caine, I would punch your nose, how could you let this happen?

Everyone speaks about Bale's voice... heck with it! But of course it's strange, but of course, you just have to wonder you are a human being deprived from your childhood, although a noble guardian of a child's innocence... his own lost one... no? Great potential, great inner thought, great professional and passionate commitment and study, Tom Hardy's personification... but not properly explored by his director. You weren't given time or you weren't properly presented to his drama simply put. It was illustrated as just another sketched brute villain, with an Ah...! here he is, surpassed by the next one, Ah... here he is no more... and after a Oh...! a magical ethereal Batman is again, with his darn forced bad ass voice, right from the canonic pit of the survivors to smack the forces of evil.

I won't spoil the storytelling although I was spoiled by this film's lack of depth rich of busted expectations. Like every popcorn movie, this one innovates itself... it's Gothic an it has wings; obviously satisfies one's expectation behaving as just as commonly as a epidermic chain of pretentious tragic sensations, clichés, totally predicted and totally comfortable. And don't tell me this is just a comic movie, don't be so intellectual you say... Oh yes? Don't throw me that load of crap, because Nolan wanted this trilogy to surpass the previous ones using as trump two of the most darker comic book authors: Alan Moore and Frank Miller. If anything was to be expected, it was fulfilling expectations!… Expand

I miss the old Joel Schumacher films... at least the plot made sense and the villains had any real motivation. The only thing that was half good on this was Anne Hathaway.

This was an excellent and fitting conclusion to the Batman Trilogy. First off, the acting/cast was brilliant; who could expect less with so many big-name actors/actresses, and with Alfred as the emotional anchor of the movie. The development of Bane as a villain was perfection from beginning to end - his depth rivals that of the Joker from The Dark Knight. The negative reviews mostly lament over the drawn-out length of the movie, but I thought the pacing was great and there was always something to capture your attention, with the ending being the best of all . This is a superhero definitely worthy of a Best Picture Nomination (The Dark Knight was as well, but was snubbed).… Expand

The final installment in Christopher Nolan's trilogy of Batman movies has a lot of things going for it. The usage of practical effects, the entertaining performances from Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy, and the sometimes brilliant action sequences (particularly in the film's opening) can be exhilarating. However, the whole affair feels like a cobbled together mess with a script that never feels like it progressed beyond its first initial rough draft. The sound mixing is extremely wonky, the pacing is all over the place, and the story has way too many plot holes for the supposedly "realistic" world that Nolan is presenting. That's not to say the other films didn't, but the previous installments weren't heavily burdened with the hammy dialogue, inconsistent characters, and the hokey undeserved ending this movie had. Ultimately, this opinion is in the minority and people really seem to like this movie. That's great for them. But it in the opinion of this reviewer that the franchise deserved and needed a far better conclusion than this highly disappointing third act to an otherwise great series of movies.… Expand

It's not only the sequel we need, it's the sequel we deserve!

I came out of the cinema having been taken on an emotional rollercoaster. No one can follow that, no reboot can touch Nolans trilogy.

I did not think it possible that I would enjoy a movie more than Avengers this year, I was wrong.

Loved this movie... If you are a fan of going to the cinema... Then go NOW. This movie encompasses every reason we love movies. The acting was phenomenal and the film had so many original ideas in its story. I'm seeing it again in IMAX tonight an I have a feeling this is one that will get better with multiple viewings.

Tom hardy isn't Heath Ledger, but he isn't trying to be. Take TDKR for what it his, the final testament and epic conclusion of Bruce Wayne and Batman. Nolan borrows a fistful of techniques he picked up from his own movie, Inception, and gives the third batman a style and feel of it's very own, and with a more than satisfying ending it wraps everything up yet leaves room for pondering and rewatching. Nolan at his finest.… Expand

One word: boring. From the numerous plot holes and head-scratchers to Catwoman's tedious and bland acting to the predictable and samey dialog; This is a pathetic ending to the Batman trilogy. I did walk out on this movie, about 3/4's of the way through. Was falling asleep in my seat. My largest gripe is the bad writing. Things happen by accident. One of the characters HAPPENS to stumble on the operations of the biggest bad in Gotham being kept secret for months / years. The Big Bad HAPPENS to know where the treasure vault is, when ostensibly no one know where it is, etc, etc. Relying on coincidence, always the hallmark of bad writing.

Secondly the plot and motivations for things done in the movie are largely incoherent. Why does Batman (of the movie), care one whit for this two dimensional cut out of Catwoman and go out of his way to save her? Why is it understood that she is any use when it comes to finding the Big Bad at all, when she appears to be a low level pawn? Why is that stupid stunt done with the airplane (see your trailer) when it's not even clear the "snatch and grab" that takes place is even needed? All in all, the movie play's more like a bad video game tie in than anything: All the set pieces (i.e. fight scenes or big stupid explosions) are planned out in advance and the plot is stitched together to "make it work".

There were some pretty clumsy and stupid jabs at "the rich" in the movie, which was just distracting and tedious. Yes guys, we get it: it's popular to bag on the rich. But if you're going to do it, at least do it competently. Batman, and to a lesser extent the city of Gotham itself, has been about this very subject. So I'm not sure why the "writer's" of this "fine film" would go out of their way to clumsily add non-canon whining and bad dialog, when you already have canon content that does the job quite well.

Weirdly I liked the side-characters more than what the writer's had the main character's doing all movie. The one cop who's in the batman fan club from word "Go" (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) that they spend an inordinate amount of time characterizing does a VERY good job and is more likeable than Bale as Batman. I *assume* they kill him off at some point to get a stupid tug at the heart strings. But I was expecting him to be the new Robin there for a bit.

There was good acting to be sure, just not Cat Woman. There is TONS of source material for each of the characters in the Batman universe, including Cat Woman. Cat Woman is normally portrayed (in the comics), as a more complex character than that "thing" that we had the misfortune of seeing Ms. Hathaway clumsily paw her way through.

I did like the music, if overdone at times ("Yes, we get it guys, beating drums make things more exciting").

One thing I thought was ironic as a good many of the character's in the film do or say things that indicate their strong belief that the concept of Batman itself is tired, outdated and unnecessary. A weird message for the movie ABOUT the Batman to have. And they actually bring up some cogent points! Unfortunately the bad writing they give Bale gives no indication of maturation, a good reason for him being the Batman or even an indication that he's thrill seeking or attempting to recapture lost glories. Which they out and out accuse him of at multiple points within the movie itself!

If you're going to beat the audience over the head with a "motivation" of the main character, at least have the main character himself attempt to express that motivation!… Expand

As someone who adores Batman Begins and The Dark Knight I had high hopes for The Dark Knight Rises. Unfortunately, I found it very disappointing for several reasons. For one, Tom Hardy's Bane is largely inaudible throughout. Also, if I'm being honest, I think his voice sounds a bit camp at times too. He's a great actor and capable of playing brooding, menacing characters well (see Bronson if you don't believe me!), which makes his performance in TDKR all the more disappointing and frustrating in equal measure.
Secondly, this film is loaded with plot holes. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight have a fair few, but nowhere near as many as this one does. Furthermore, Hans Zimmer's score is incredibly irritating - it seems to be playing in the background of almost every scene and is increasingly distracting. Bane and Batman's one-on-one fights look, and feel, as if they have been choreographed by wrestlers from WWE. They lack any intensity or suspense. TDKR moves at such an unforgiving pace that it's hard to absorb everything that happens. Ultimately, as a result of this, the film lacks any emotional depth. We don't feel for Bruce Wayne here in the same way we do for him in BB or TDK.
Fortunately though, it isn't all bad. Anne Hathaway plays the role of Selina Kyle well enough, conveying a sense of playful mischief, and Michael Caine is excellent as Alfred.
But, I had been waiting years for this film and had been expecting an entertaining and enthralling conclusion to Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy, but left the movie theatre feeling exhausted and dejected by its failings.… Expand

The dark Night rises was not worth the watch the lighting of my wallet was considerably noticeable after this film. Bruce Wayne does not lose cartilage, he doesn't allow a maid to rob him blind unnoticed and he certainly doesn't get thrown in a hole. Poor movie expected more the fact that there was only one point in the movie that actually caught me off guard means the dark night rises should have stayed in bed. Expected more.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Too long, too boring, too stupid, too predictable. When you watch first scene in airplane you think nice directing and action but the story behind it and Bane's plan was so stupid that it was too funny to watch. A plot where some body builder with mask lock all of city policeman's (smart guys!) in a subway under city and than announce it on some football game followed with unnecessary violence (trough all the scenes with Bane) to make some stupid point is rubbish. Complete and utter rubbish. Bane breaks Batman's back and he get miraculously cured hanging from a rope in a cave! He liberates all policemen ant they attack Bane's people in that legendary scene where 10 000 people is shooting on each other in 20m distance and 2 guys die! Than they drop their weapons and start to hit each other. If this were a comedy it would be much better. Who wrote that plot. Can they put at least some suspension or unpredictability in movie? I mean who didn't know Robin will be that policeman? I don't know what is worse in this move. Acting, dialog's or story.
Other reviewers say it's deep movie? On what drug are they on? They show cat women's character as good like this: She is walking down the street. Some guys are molesting a kid without any reason. She helps the kid, beating the guys. Omg how anyone come to idea to put that scene in move. And scenes like that just pops out everywhere. Batman is fighting on one part of town and in next scene he comes and helps cat women. I thought who cut the part between? What about that scene on wall street? Where those guys who act like janitors hide their motorcycles? Why did police made ramps for them to jump over the blockade? Why did they even attack wall street on that stupid way? It was so funny to see something that unrealistic and stupid in a movie. It's deep politically and social? Yes, if you are retard. It,s so superficial that you have to laugh. Avoid if you don't won to throw 3 hours of your life.
Only way to enjoy in this movie is to accept it's very expansively produced, good directed brainless action which will unintentionally make you laugh so many times...… Expand

Shockingly inept storytelling, especially given how solid the first two Nolan Batman films were. The cinematography and direction are as gorgeous as they were in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but the story is a complete wreck. A bit of creative license is needed for even the grittiest superhero film, but TDKR treats viewers like their IQs top out at 68. Nothing makes a whit of sense, the pacing is terrible, and the movie wastes Tom Hardy behind and mask and a ridiculous voice. A few energetic action sequences and Anne Hathaway's fun performance (and amazing figure in that suit) keep it from being a complete failure, but it's terribly close. Even Alfred's speeches are tiresome in this one. I just watched it for a second time, and it somehow makes even less sense than the first time around. Nolan tried to dress up an incredibly weak screenplay with lots of bells and whistles, but it's all empty noise.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Everything felt rushed, miscued & unexplained in the last 90 minutes. The last 30 minutes made generally no sense. After Batman 2 which was brilliant, this movie had me consistently asking why were most of the characters so idiotic in their thinking. A few bad actors in place as well; and the ending? Really? How could Batman survive that? Maybe if his batwing morphed int an amphibious craft. Just a LOT of unexplained holes that had you asking, how'd he get there?, why don't they just...? I really hate it when movie that supposed to be great, leaves you analyzing the direction job. The voice of Bane to me just didn't fit either, it sounded like a 70 year old college professor.… Expand

First and foremost, the sound quality in this film is one of the worse I have heard for a major motion picture, and I saw it in IMAX which has the best sound available. Overall, I would say I understood about 2/3 of the dialogue, and only about 1/3 of Bane's dialogue. Bane wears a mask and when he speaks, for no apparent reason, there is an amplified distorted voice. On top of that he has an accent making it even worse. When he spoke into a microphone on the football field you may as well forget trying to understand him. The rest of the movie had a VERY annoying loud cello playing in the background when people were speaking. There were no silent spots that I remember. There was even dialogue being spoken during the action scenes. My friend and I were constantly leaning over and saying "what did he say?". There is also absolutely NO humor in this film whatsoever, and in fact every person on the screen had the same angry, angst, cynical personality. As always, the special effects were superb which I would expect for a budget the size they had. There are numerous plot holes and ludicrous moments throughout. Michael Caine weeps in almost every scene. I'm a big fan of Anne Hathaway but she is a waste here. She is yet another angry kick-ass person on screen, when they could have used her for some MUCH needed humor in the film. Lastly, the movie was WAY too long. I was so relieved when it finally ended after the cacophony of noise I had to endure for 2 hours and 40 minutes.… Expand

batman is awful b/c he is predictably moral and thus just another boring super doofus of a hero. grow some balls marvel and show something dark and real.

A bloated, contrived and self-indulgent barrage of flat dialogue, juvenile characterisation and cliché action sequences. Nolan's post-modernist take on Batman is little more than a static metaphor that takes itself far too seriously and is totally devoid of levity and brevity.

Doesn't come close to the previous Batman. In fact its not a Batman period. They throw in the music of the first batman and some nice directing but that not a movie. If you want to enjoy this 'movie' go buy the soundtrack its about all there is to enjoy in it. The acting is good but because all the characters are recycled and pointless compared to the previous you can't say there is any real reason to wasting a persons time nor money on seeing the pile of **** endo! They didn't like my ip address because i gave it a rating of zero.… Expand

There is nothing wrong with liking or loving a movie. And this does not change if that movie is critically amazing or horrible.

So love TDKR, but any critical and intelligence observation of TDKR will turn up that it fails on almost every level at be coherent, believable, and just all-round good. It has far to many faults for me to even start to outline them here, and others have already done this far better that I ever could. So all I will say is that it is an absolutely horrible film that manages to ruin everything that it had going for itself. What makes this so unbelievable and unforgivable is that the previous titles in the series were instant classics, and some of the best films of the last ten years.

Any review of this film over a 50% is undoubtedly either paid for (or other wise biased against the critics judgement) . Or was not actually written by a film critic, but simply a writer (paid or otherwise) to write a review (without any skill at actually critiquing a film).… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Here there be SPOILERS.
Dark Knight Rises: too vehicletastic. He drives a batcycle, he flies a batcopter -- the real Batman is just a man, a man with hermetic assassin training and a utility belt, but a man. When Batman has to use his batcopter to haul a neutron bomb out "over the bay" away from the city I feel like I'm watching a James Bond movie, not Batman.

Batman is a detective. He uses his wits to catch these guys, not his expensive toys. This Batman farmed all his detecting out to Alfred. This Batman couldn't even figure out that Miranda Tate was not all she seemed! Never trust a French chanteuse. Who haunted the dreams of that boiled owl in Inception.

I'll meet halfway on suspension of disbelief. That's why I'm in the theatre. But the halfway part . . . If you don't show up at the meeting place, and I have to go across town and over to your house, and you don't answer the door, and I let myself in and there's some Hans Zimmer on the stereo and the bathroom window's open and you've written in steam on the mirror SCREW YOU . . . I don't know. Okay, so Bane broke Batman's back and had him shipped out to the Moorish prison hole of his past. But when a helpful fellow prisoner explains "You won't be able to move until I fix your back . . . Your vertebra is sticking out . . ." and punches it back into place . . . leading to a complete recovery . . . again, I don't know.

Nolan seems to have trouble structuring his stories. Toward the end of a long film is not where one wants a protagonist defeat-imprisonment-recovery-escape sequence. If you've gotta have that, it could come at the end of act one. Or, heaven forbid, defeat-imprisonment at the end of the film, and recovery-escape at the top of Dark Knight Rises: The Final Chapter. (Inception, too, seemed to stumble about like a drunk in the video store.)

Don't like Anne Hathaway and don't like Catwoman's mood-killing postmodern quips. Get Eartha Kitt to do it digitally like Brando in Superman Returns. In three of these Nolan Batmans there's never been a decent female character for Batman to play off of. The vanishing Katie Holmes, the game Maggie Gyllenhaal -- he just didn't write anything for em to do.

I must not have been completely under the spell of the film, because when the batcopter, on its way out to the bay, hoists that bomb over a school bus full of orphans (and the bland Joseph Gordon-Levitt) I was thinking "How great would it be if that bomb slammed into that bus like a wrecking ball?" Sadly, it was not to be.

The movie lurched up to the brink of an interesting idea -- what if Batman lost all his money -- and then wobbled away in some other narrative precession. Rather than showing us Batman surviving on his own, defeating Bane without his pricey hardware -- the real Batman -- Nolan hurriedly got him back into the copter. I would have liked to have seen that other movie, with broke street Batman.

I guess since losing his parents Bruce Wayne has used his money to insulate himself, with the suit, the copter -- but that would be a theme for a movie with something on its mind. Dark Knight Rises feints toward political content, but merely uses the motif of class uprising as another exotic/gritty backdrop in a bloated action movie. The film is uninterested in exploring any of the questions it raises. Hell, it's uninterested in raising any questions.

Of course this is the director who made a 148 minute film about dreams without a single memorable image or surreal moment. (It only felt like 192 minutes). In fact in Nolan's career I can remember exactly one image: Carrie Ann Moss' look of absolute evil, sitting in the car toward the end of Memento.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My god this movie was the worst i have seen in years,the first part was genius...but this,Bain...that voice really!!!! sooo annoying after 40 min i shut it off.....d^_^b it's the best you can do.... trust me and this movie was even movie of the year above Django HAHAHAHAHA not a good move Metacritic!!!… Expand

PPL gut shotted at movei theter so givng it on1 out ov 10 cus it sht nevr saw it cuz don wan 2 get shotted and get dedded so i giv it on1 cuz bad. cuz haz 2 be al lest 15ifty carakterz long i kep tiping k now im don pece out bishez

The expectations were overwhelmingly high by any standard and the expectations seemed very unrealistic and unfair. At least that's what I thought weeks before I saw it early in August. Back then, i actually felt sorry for Nolan and the huge amount of responsibility he has imposed on him self by making The Dark Knight. But saying that TDKR simply does not deliver is a lie and i've never been so disappointed in my life. What this film delivers is almost 3 hours long tedious and messy melodrama, full of standard cliches, traditional sentiment and clumsy characters.… Expand

it looks nice and has some good parts but i spent at least over hour and thirty minutes of this 2 hour 45 minute movie completely bored and it doesn't help that bane sounds like sean connery

Firstly, this movie is not as good as the last one. Fair enough. But it is also less inline with the Batman univerce. Bane is nerfed, Talia is weird, catwoman is.. to say the least.. less atractive than she should be. (What happened to flirting on rooftops and such? Now she's just some cat burglerer with lame lines?!) In my oppinion, this movie tried to hard to be a reimagining of 'The Dark Knight Returns' (Comic) mashed with the beginings of Batman Beyond, instead of completing Nolans trilogy. As a movie, it was ok, as a Batman movie, it steps too far out of the Batman univerce for me, a bat fan, to enjoy and accept. Like I said, it is a good movie, and has a lot to offer, I am just dissapointed that Nolan deviated so far from Batmans actual time line etc. Also, I felt that bane was a poor choice of villan for Nolan, because he is not meant to be 'realistic'. Nolan likes to pick and choose what can and cant be realistic. Batman can have a hovercraft, but bane cant have Venom?! He should have picked the Riddler, or maybe Mad Hatter or FireFly instead. Watch the movie, if you started liking Batman after Batman Begins, you will probably like it. But if you are an old fan, you might just be let down.… Expand

The third film in the new trilogy of modern Batman loses mainly in verisimilitude in scenes that take clear sense of lack of creativity. Factor last quoted it is clear that the new design of Catwoman, as well as meeting all the villains alive the previous two chapters. Despite being cited as the last film of the hero, it is certain that closed the meeting Bale / Nolan, but opens the door for new directors and writers to create new angles of this fabulous saga.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It is very hard not to like this film in some small way from one of the greatest cast of actors on display. However this film was no Batman at all, the comic 's have been re-written into yet another terrorism movie. This is not Batman or Gotham. The film dragged on and on, giving much more time to dialogue which can be appreciated from the greatness of its actors. Though as previous this wasn't entirely Batman. Bane was missing the most important part of his character the venom, Batman defeats him in also every exchange from that weakness within the comic 's. The film had you believe Bane was in the league of shadows for its most part. While in truth he is a henchman for hire, but this films interpretation was altogether very wrong and misleadingly misguided. Catwoman dating Batman was so absurd it makes me angry. What little appeal she had is soon forgotten while her character is missing it's kink her whip, her sexiness is altogether lost when she then sells out to Batman. Bruce Wayne almost going broke and losing billions when he is a trillionare. Leaving some inheritance to Alfred and donating his heritage Wayne manor to orphans. This has left one of the worst tastes in my mouth out of any film of this calibre. The film was utterly disappointing a ploy to engage that fear of terrorism in the world today. While rewriting most of the comic book Batman and Gotham. I cannot imagine anyone sitting in the cinema for this film.....… Expand

The dark night rises is the worst movie it is so random that lady is bad and bane talks funny avengers is way better and the this Batman was a mistake shame Christopher Nolan.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Dark Knight Rises fails to deliver in every respect of the trilogy. My only praise goes towards the action sequences and the ending of the film. Otherwise, this is a pointless film with several large plot holes. As the last film of a trilogy, the role of this film is to wrap up the entire trilogy. The entire second film could have been taken out and the third film would not have been changed. Harvey Dent and Rachel's deaths, which should have been felt throughout the film, hardly contributed to the plot, even after Bane reveals Dent's true actions.… Expand

Boy, was I disappointed when I saw this film for the first time. I went with my brothers and girlfriend and there was an overwhelming sense of, nothingness. The opening scene was pretty rad, but after that the film just kind of flops. A ridiculous amount of filler, nonsensical story line twists, awful editing and audio. Even worse was the ending, without any spoilers all I'm saying is... Don't get your hopes up. Probably the worst ending to a film I've seen in a long time. Bane was okay, but there are hundreds of better batman villains. Overall, a pretty awful film.… Expand