User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 2579 Ratings

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  1. Jul 22, 2012
    9
    The Dark Knight Rises is Dark Knight's equal. The production values are every bit as stellar, if not better for our time. The characters are very memorable and exciting. I was skeptical about the inclusion of Bane, but what a great and unique choice he ended up being. The soundtrack is the best in the series and the story might be too. I can't recommend this film enough and if you're remotely into movies you should see it. Expand
  2. Jul 20, 2012
    0
    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.
  3. Jul 29, 2012
    10
    This movie was awsome. i enjoyed every moment. its roller coster of excitement and the movie theater was full. I really hope to see more of the saga and i would be watching it.
  4. BKM
    Jul 21, 2012
    9
    Christopher Nolan's conclusion to his Dark Knight trilogy miraculously lives up to the hype that began following the phenomenal success of 2008's The Dark Knight. This time Batman squares off against Bane, a beefy tank of a villain intent on bringing Gotham to its knees. There's a lot going on in this movie; a plethora of characters to keep up with, eye popping visual effects, a myriad of themes and emotions. Yet Nolan manages to blend them all together for one heck of a ride. The Dark Knight Rises is a summer blockbuster with brains, heart and ambition. It is also one of the best films of the year. Expand
  5. Jul 28, 2012
    10
    Its hard to give a 10 because of its given representation of perfection, and The Dark Knight Rises is not perfect. Its starts slow and it may find itself a little tricky to understand at some points given its wide resemblance to the first movie, but the truth is that this movie when it ends leaves an impression. The impression of a work of class. Thats what ultimately enables such a score, because for me it is not about the perfection, but the experience, and the experience was awesome. The story concludes the trilogy in a very satisfactory and emotionally way, the characters and the actors portraying them are incredible, the music and special effects are spectacular. Nolan had already conceived an amazing villain with The Joker with the unforgettable performance of Heath Ledger, but Bane, Bane is the representation of evil and surely is the most brutal villain Batman has ever encountered. Overall, this movie is a work of mastery, one that would not be forget in years, pretty much like most of the director's work. Expand
  6. Oct 13, 2012
    9
    I know all \'Superhero\' movies are far-fetched, but come on, how could anyone believe the escaped convict from The Shawshank Redemption could become a high profile tech-wizard within just a few years.
    He couldn\'t even fix that little wooden boat in Mexico, what? Now he\'s building Bat Mobiles?
  7. Jul 30, 2012
    10
    Absolutely unbelievable as you will not be able to take your eyes off the screen especially whenever Bane appears. He is deliciously evil. This flick has a shot although a comic book action movie to be nominated for BEST PICTURE. Strong supporting cast that work very well together. Go see and enjoy.
  8. Yen
    Jul 20, 2012
    7
    Decent movie. But nothing compared to the Dark Knight and I even liked Batman Begins better. Bane was a great villain but I felt the theme and story were muddled and the pacing was a bit off. I never felt really drawn in.
  9. Nov 11, 2012
    9
    I found this a very enjoyable movie and fitting ending to the trilogy. Despite the slow start it soon starts picking up pace and keeps your attention til the very end.
  10. Dec 9, 2012
    3
    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
  11. Jul 25, 2012
    4
    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.
  12. Lyn
    Jan 6, 2013
    7
    Joseph Gordon-Leavitt really "rises" here : You wonder what the heck HE is doing in a Batman movie, but he wins you over. Overall, a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, with lots of dark-and-doomy action, though they could have cut 30 mins. from the rather blah backstories. Also would have liked more of the always solid Christian Bale, but Anne Hathaway lit up every scene she was in. Must say "Bane" was a dull villain ... but having raised two sons, I'm sure he and his weird mask will make for a swell 8" action figure. Expand
  13. Jul 22, 2012
    0
    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
  14. Jul 23, 2012
    10
    the best the best the best movie on 2012 bec Director:
    Christopher Nolan waoo is good Director ! and he is have some good thing ! The best thing that Batman back to the path of the right !
  15. Oct 17, 2012
    10
    Sorry Avengers. But you just didn't have 70 minutes of IMAX-filmed fight scenes or set pieces, or an extremely intense script and epic story that made The Dark Knight Rises the equal best movie of 2012 so far, as well as Looper.

    P.S. Bane is a badass bad guy.
  16. Jul 21, 2012
    6
    The Dark Knight Rises is unfortunately another not-so-strong end to a great series. It will hang among other threequels such as Back to the Future 3 and Spiderman 3 as disappointing, but not wholly bad. It is a bit unfair to compare to The Dark Knight, which is easily his best film to-date. For positives, the film has great performances from most of its cast like Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and (for the first act) Anne Hathaway. There are a couple great action set-pieces as well as some well-shot action sequences. However, I'm very disappointed with how the story and writing was handled. It feels like Nolan was rushed to get a script out to Warner Bros. without getting a chance to polish it. The story feels unfinished (or at the very least, muddled) and many of the new characters don't get fleshed out enough to develop a personality. Anne Hathaway really grabbed my attention for the first 40 minutes or so, but after that she just wasn't given anything important to do. I, personally, thought Bane's voice was silly-sounding. I can't help it, it sounds like a drive-thru speaker!

    I was really surprised to see that there was so much CG effects in this film. Nolan has been so dedicated to keeping it real, something which I loved in the last two movies, what with the miniatures, and the real explosions, and the flipping a truck and the like. This time around, a gigantic amount of computer effects have found their way onto the screen,which bugged me.

    There were several scenes that broke my suspension of disbelief (which would go into spoiler territory) and I felt the music was definitely the weakest in the trilogy.

    It's a good movie, if not a bit unmemorable, that I had a lot of problems with.
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  17. Aug 12, 2012
    7
    After many days of waiting I finally got to see The Dark Knight Rises and the one question a lot of people probably want to know is what did I think of the movie. Dark Knight rises is a good film and is much better than the other superhero movies of the summer. However, Dark Knight Rises is a good film and a fitting end to the series it is by no means a great film and I did not enjoy it as much as the other Batman films.

    Dark Knight Rises takes place 8 or 11 years after the events of Dark Knight (2008). Bruce Wayne has given up being Batman and gone into retirement. Now anew threat known as Bane has shown up and is causing trouble in Gothan. Also there
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  18. Jul 20, 2012
    10
    The Dark Knight Rises was gloriously the best moment of my life in a movie theatre. It stands alone, peerless in the pantheon of superhero movies. There will be no spoilers here and if the impulse to spoil yourself before watching the film is too excruciating to bear, remember this, it'll be the equivalent of Selina Kyle robbing you blind. When Batman Begins came out, I was very sceptical about watching another one of those Batman flicks, such is the enduring traumatic impression Joel Schumacher's films left me. Thank goodness I did and from that point on there's no turning back. Christopher Nolan's finale made all the recently released superhero movies look like child's play to be honest, it is the appetizer to the main course that is the final chapter of The Dark Knight trilogy. The typical critique of Chris Nolan's movies is that it might be too cerebral for the casual moviegoer, no it's not. His films are universal, it's so well-layered, directed towards everyone. If you're more of the "intellectual genre" you'll notice the political undertones and social commentaries and what have you, but even if it goes over your head, it doesn't detract your experience from the film. Fanatic fans of the Batman comics will love all the little nods and references, even the major ones from the comic books thoughtfully implemented throughout the film.
    Christian Bale is just magnificent, as he puts it he plays three characters, the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, the true persona of Bruce Wayne still grieving the lost of his parents and the Batman. He's the defining actor of The Dark Knight, his portrayal of all these characters are just perfect and even though he's a man dressing up at night as a bat beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands, we empathise with him. Returning inhabitants of Gotham and Bruce's fundamental foundation of his lifestyle is Gary Oldman's aged and weary morally-strayed Commissioner Jim Gordon, the Q to Batman's James Bond, Lucius Fox and possibly a Best Supporting Actor nominee perhaps, the closest thing to a father figure Bruce can get, his moral compass, oozing with words of wisdom, Michael Caine's Alfred Pennyworth. Scenes between the trio are so poignant, beautifully crafted and presented, it's so hard to watch without getting a lump in your throat, to describe it as tear-jerking ia an understatement. One of the newcomers is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's solid portrayal of beat cop John Blake and Marion Cotillard's enviromentalist Miranda Tate. The chief antagonist is Tom Hardy's full time terrorist Bane, He's frightening to watch, Tom embodies and embraces the sheer brutality and monstrosity of "the mercenary" flawlessly with half his face covered up, the way he conveys his emotions with only his eyes is amazing. Anne Hathaway's morally ambiguous Selina Kyle is a wild card, it's really fun to watch the development and chemistry between Bruce/Selina and Batman/the cat burglar. The 2 hours and 44 minutes running time didn't feel long at all, the story flows seamlessly as it comes full circle with flashbacks from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, it's all beautifully balanced between the intimate moments of character development that's unusual in a summer blockbuster film and the really elaborate and simply put awesome all-out war action sequences and the choreography of the brawls between Batman and Bane is much improved than the previous films. The most important element of The Dark Knight Rises however and what makes it a gem is that it manages to amp up the suspense and anxiety to incredible heights knowing that every single character is dispensable including the Batman. When was the last time you watched a superhero film and feel a genuine concern that our hero is not going to come out alive? Exactly.
    Thank you Christopher Nolan for not giving in to the public and I'm assuming studio demands to continue this magnificent 7-year journey we have all been through together, to truly end this great vision of the legend with integrity, to give this great story a great and true conclusion to let the Batman ride off into the sunset if you will. It was the ending this iconic character deserved. And to anyone who thinks the Rises in The Dark Knight Rises is just a convenient way to name the film, it makes complete sense, it
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  19. Aug 11, 2012
    7
    Seen it before. The Dark Knight series are by far the best of the genre but are getting tired. The plot felt contrived and even the shocking twists weren't much of a surprise. That said even though no one was surprised by the ending it left me looking forward to the next installment.
    The Occupy Wall Street themes are present but only the political witch hunters will cheer them. It won't c
    hange the minds of the disgruntled hippie types. Expand
  20. Jul 20, 2012
    4
    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
  21. Apr 28, 2013
    5
    I seem to have trouble placing this flick into a proper genre. Surely, it can't be called a superhero movie since (costumed) Batman appears for only 20 or so minutes of the total 165 of running time (I'm afraid that more adequate title would be 'Bruce Wayne Rises'). That's just one of the many flaws of this pompous project, but let's start from the beginning...
    First and most important: t
    he film is BORING! Yes, that's right. It's not about how long it is, but about the dull plot infested with holes and unconvincing performances... which brings us to second...
    The entire cast is ill chosen! Tom Hardy as Bane?! Bane is supposed to be a massive powerhouse, not a bloated dwarf! Although Hardy is a great actor, this role does not suit him. Even with all cinematic tricks used to make him look bigger it's painfully obvious that he's average size at best. Furthermore, in order to make Bane look more intimidating, Bale was forced to lose a significant weight thus making Batman appear as if he would have a hard time taking out a strung-out junkie. In fact, with Gordon insufficiently developed (which was the case in all the previous installments as well) and Alfred reduced to a mere crybaby, most memorable performances are those of Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
    Three: Fights are very, VERY poorly choreographed! Each punch that Batman throws is telegraphed and looks like it's thrown by a person who never hit anything in his life. Bale could have really taken some fighting lessons prior to the filming, because this is so unconvincing that I can't even begin to describe it.
    Four: Plot itself makes little to no sense. Subplots are actually far more intriguing (if anything about this film can be called intriguing, that is). Ending is both disappointing and ridiculous making you wonder why you wasted almost three hours of your life on this apparently rushed out and clunky flick.
    Oh yeah... I still can't get over Batman's idiotic throat talk. The one who came up with that idea should be killed on spot!
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  22. Aug 18, 2012
    3
    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
  23. Jul 21, 2012
    10
    Amazing! Fantastic! A movie you gotta see in the theatures, (preferably in IMAX!!!!) I saw it yesterday afternoon and I still can't get over how good of a film it is! Easily the best film of year. Don't listen to that crack pot, (Roger Ebert.) To give this movie a 75 in his review and to give Prometheus a 100, tells me has lost his way and has become old and lost his ability to be a movie critic in this genration of films! Expand
  24. man
    Jul 20, 2012
    10
    I have waited for this movie for over 4 years ever since I first walked out of my favorite film of all time, "The Dark Knight" in 2008. I read all the updates, watched all of the trailers, and booked my tickets in advance. Did it meet my expectations, if not excell them? Heck yes!!! Was it better than "The Avengers"? Without a doubt! Was it better than "The Dark Knight"? Not quite. I have a feeling it would have been slightly better if Heath Ledger were still alive to reprise his role as The Joker. However, Tom Hardy's solid and menacing performance as Bane really made up for that. Some of the most solid acting I've seen from a movie in quite a while. Christian Bale was better than ever! Anne Hathaway was excellent as Catwoman. Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman also did great in reprising their roles. Another more - than - great performance from Joseph Gordon - Levitt was also a really big highlight in the acting department of this film. The only minor letdown for me was Marion Cotillard who seemed to hold herself back a bit from her usual great performances in other films, such as Inception. The story picks up eight years after the events of "The Dark Knight" and creates an intriguing new story and script that really makes this film amazing and fun to watch. And as for the effects: Breathtaking in every sense of the word. The action along with the great special effects add to the solid entertainment this film delivers. And the ending is just perfect! All I can say after seeing this is that this is quite possibly, if not the greatest film trilogy ever created since "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. An epic, unforgettable trio of exciting and memorable action along with solid, incredible performances from all three of these amazing films will never be forgotten. Cheers Mr. Nolan for all that you've done to make these films amazing for all of us! You have become a legendary icon for moviegoers everywhere. Thanks for redefining Batman in a whole new way for all of us! Expand
  25. Jul 20, 2012
    3
    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
  26. Aug 7, 2012
    10
    The Dark Knight Rises is one of the few movies that actually exceeded my expectations and is a fantastic conclusion to what is undoubtedly the best comic book movie series and possibly one of the best movie trilogys to ever hit the screen. The movie runs at a breakneck pace even though it is almost 3 hours long. My only complaint is that the pace often forgets to give the viewer a break to let new information sink in, but that's really just me nitpicking. I'm not going to go over the plot because honestly we all know what the plot is at this point.The charcters have never been better and Tom Hardy is phenomenal as Bane. Bane is the most intimidating character in the series by far and Hardy coveys with a spectacular performance driven by body language and a little too much going on behind the eyes. This movie cements the trilogy as more of a character study than anything else with Bruce Wayne/ Batman at the center. The only thing you should know is that The Dark Knight Rises is well worth your time and money, is an absolute triumph, and is the best movie of 2012 so far. This is best farewell cinema has ever seen and needs to be recognized as such. Expand
  27. Jul 23, 2012
    10
    TDKR begins with a bang and continues throughout as a cinematic masterpiece and one of the most powerful conclusions to any story told on film. While it may not be a perfect film, The Dark Knight Rises is likely the closest thing we will get to that until Christopher Nolan
  28. Jul 23, 2012
    6
    This was the least enjoyable of the trilogy. It all starts with Baine. He is a villian that need to be in a slasher film not a comic book film. He is too grim with no personality that you desire to have much film time. The Joker was a villian where you desired a lot of film time. One of my criticisms of the last film was that the lack of one on one time with Batman and the Joker. Too much of the action takes place in daylight or in grim settings. What happened to the extravagence of the world of Bruce Wayne? That is replaced by the sewer? One was always looking forward to the next scene in the other two movies but not here. One was also disappointed by the lack of freshness. The batmobile and the batcopter seemed worn out. The series seemed worn out. Nolan gets great credit for the trilogy but he runs out of gas here. This was a blue collar Batman. Expand
  29. Jul 30, 2012
    5
    The final film featuring the latest Batman incarnation (Christian Bale) picks up a few years after the second one. Bruce Wayne, who took the blame to protect his beloved Gotham, is living a secluded life. It takes a new villain to stir his Batspiration. Unfortunately, too many divergent plots keep him at bay and he spends too little time in his cape. There's way too much talk, much of it pretentious and philosophical. Some of the set pieces are big-budget impressive, but much of the action is mundane. Even though he looked ferocious (and over-pumped), Tom Hardy's Bane is hard to understand literally and figuratively. The only performances of any note: Anne Hathaway's sexy Catwoman and Michael Caine's teary emotional appeals. At 2:45, this film is simply too long and too chatty. Expand
  30. Jul 22, 2012
    10
    TDKR was worth the wait and it met my ridiculously high standards. For starters, The Dark Knight is my favorite movie and what I consider to be an instant classic just four years after it's release. Also, Chris Nolan is my favorite director and he never disappoints me. That said, this delivers. The acting, action, cinematography, set designs, costumes, and music are all top notch, and will lead to at least 8 academy nominations come february. There are about 4 or 5 set pieces that are jaw-dropping. Bale and Caine give their best performances of the series and are the heart of the movie. New additions Hardy, Levitt, Hathaway, and Cortillard are all spectacular as you would expect. The main complaint this film has and will continue to receive is that it is "long" and "bloated". However, the long length and large number of characters gives it an epic and book-like feel. The film really takes its time in telling it's story, whereas some long movies start to rush to the end around the 2 hour mark. While there are a lot of things going on, the story is relatively simple and all of the characters have a good story arc that concludes in a great way. Ending a series is so hard because of the expectations fans build up, whether it is film, television, or books. But this film really does have an ending that should satisfy the majority of fans. This successfully earns the title of best trilogy of all time in my opinion with LOTR close behind. It is that good from beginning to end. Most of all, Nolan decided to take chances with this film when he could have played it too safe. Job well done by Nolan and company. Best Picture and Best Director nomination please. Expand
  31. Jul 22, 2012
    9
    Nolan wraps up his trilogy in a satisfying way, despite some glaring thematic issues. The film's production values were predictably outstanding and especially stunning in (real) IMAX. But I thought most of the anti-government/wall street/1% percent rhetoric fell flat. It just seemed clumsy and not fully realized. That being said, the film is wildly entertaining and a mostly worthy conclusion to the trilogy. Expand
  32. Jul 25, 2012
    9
    An epic film that, for me, did not feel overly long dispute the sizeable 165 minute running time. Performances were string by everybody and I would like to single out Anne Hathaway for being utterly convincing and charming throughout. I have given the film 9 because I never hand out 10's. The problems with this film a purely superficial and if you get annoyed by them then you really shouldn't be watching a film like this anyway. Expand
  33. Dec 26, 2012
    9
    How could people compare this to the Avengers? The Avengers was a kids movie with horribly bad writing, uninspired acting, and extremely convoluted action scenes. The Dark Knight Rises on the other hand did have inspired acting, a script that was above average for any action film, and was built around action that made sense, and was creative. The Dark Knight Rises was a perfect 10 out of 10 when compared to other films in the big, epic, action adventure genre. Add to this a story that ended the series perfectly, and I have to say that I was 100% satisfied by this film. The only reason that I am giving it a 9 instead of a 10 is because the script, as in all epic, action, adventure films, could have been better. Expand
  34. Jul 25, 2012
    9
    A great end to a great trilogy. Tom Hardy is fantastic as Bane, and Christian Bale gives his best performance yet, as does Michael Caine as Alfred. Though it takes a while to get off and running, and comes close (at times) to getting weighed down by the numerous new characters, the final 45 minutes of the movie are phenomenal; the highest point in the trilogy.
  35. Aug 26, 2012
    3
    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
  36. Aug 21, 2012
    10
    Never wanted to cry more at the end of a movie. Amazing. Words cannot describe this movie. This movie gives reason to believe there is still hope for America.
  37. Jul 29, 2012
    6
    This was a great movie in its own right, Christopher Nolan did a splendid work, a satisfying conclussion to already amazing trilogy, with a clossure, heart warming and exciting epilogue. This film trilogy can proudly stand beside trilogical film masterpieces, such as the original "Star Wars".
    Even though the TDKR isn't as deep or engaging as the The Dark Knight, it doesn't have to. Bane w
    as a great antagonist in this film, a close portray of the comics, with his own unique twists. He looks threatining, but his voice and ofcourse actions shows a distinct intelligence, which makes him so much more dangerous. I highly recommend you to watch both Batman Begins and TDK before going into the theater, because the story in the third movie is closely tied with the events of previous films. Anyway, Bane's Gotham reckoning is here, get ready yourselves for a wild ride. Best movie of this summer, and of the best this year. 9/10 Expand
  38. Dec 9, 2012
    7
    Very dark as always, with a foreboding, apocalyptic feel about it. These Nolan films are intense. Good amounts of character development as always but at the expense of more action. For me Batman Begins was the only Nolan film that struck the right balance, especially with that truly epic ending on the train. This film just didn't climax for me. And Bale's Batman voice still bothers me. Give me Batman Returns any day. There I said it. Expand
  39. Jul 23, 2012
    3
    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 beca
    use 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.
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  40. Jul 21, 2012
    9
    '' The Dark Knight Rises '' is a satisfying end to this amazing trilogy. There are so many good things about this movie, that it's almost flawless. It had good acting, great story, character development, everything. In my opinion, I think that '' The Dark Knight '' was a little bit better, maybe because of the Joker, but whatever. Anyway, it's so rare to see a trilogy so great, without one bad movie. Thank you Christopher Nolan for remaking and saving the Batman movies (we all remember the terrible '' Batman and Robin '' (1997)). People shouldn't really compare it with '' The Avengers '', because there are both great superhero movies. '' The Avengers '' had better action, '' The Dark Knight Rises '' had a more interesting story, that's all I'm saying . The only bad aspect I can think of this movie is that some moments were long and a little bit boring, but otherwise it's enjoyable. It definitely lives up to the hype. When the film finished, the audience applauded. Expand
  41. Jul 20, 2012
    9
    I do NOT like the 100% or out of ten scores... but I need to anyways. I give this a 9 because it was a terrific film just like the prev two but with some flaws. It was rushed in the first hour, probs cus the original cut is too long for a theatrical release. I'm now excited to get the blu ray version...

    I say check this movie out because it's a great movie on its own. The narrative is t
    he best one in the series since BB. All the actors were great in it (especially Hathaway, Bale, and Caine), the filmmaking was fantastic (glorious in IMAX. Cinematography is easily the best in years. Nolan's vision and scope is well put on screen. Very epic) and the script was well written (although it has some plot holes)

    I do not understand the 70 ish score from the critics. I love Ebert and I was put down by his score, it did not match with his review at all. What the critics and Nolan haters are doing is nit picking, extreme nit picking at that. Nolan concludes this trilogy in honorable fashion and I loved it. My favorite Batman movie, although TDK is a better film. The trilogy is just an engrossing epic itself... I love how the three films are all completely different in tone and style.

    BUT the movie can make the audience feel uncomfortable, it's almost 3 hours long and it's very much like a war drama and epic. I do not think people like disturbing and unfamiliar epics so that's probably a big factor to why so many critics did not like it. Bane is also a different villain, he is the embodiment of terrorism and revolutionaries. He's very menacing with his eyes and body movement but many ppl will probably dislike him because he isn't as memorable as Ledger's and Nolan's Joker.

    This movie is VERY unique guys, and I really mean unique. It's not even a popcorn flick anymore, it srsly is a war epic with very unfamiliar and confusing style. I love these kind of films but most people do not. PS there isn't a lot of Batman in this movie, which I think is a positive, then again ppl want more Batman...



    So to conclude this messy review (lol) I admire Nolan for really making an unique film and truly making a TRUE TO THE CORE Batman movie. It felt like Returns, Knightfall, and Dark Victory. I truly love Nolan for making it so different and unexpected, that even critics had a hard time watching this! I truly admire Nolan. He is a genius of a kind. He will be remembered for this trilogy and TDK trilogy has the biggest impact on me as trilogies and series go.

    So don't go in expecting Avengers. This is a true and real movie, in time people will see this as a classic


    PPS (jesus, I need to organise my writing!) Now I can't see Mr Ebert the same way as before... he gave Spidey 3.5/4, Avengers 3/4 and TDKR 3/4.... how is TDKR in the same league as the first two :( I liked them all but c'mmon man... I am a huge fan of Ebert but he just ruined it now. His review... and that score.. They both don't match! Now, as I said I hate the 10/10 or 100% type of scoring so I'll give a more accurate score: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

    (btw that's ★★★★1/2 couldn't find any half stars so that's its
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  42. Jul 20, 2012
    5
    This movie reminded me of a combination of Weekend at Bernies (especially part II) and the video game Burgertime. This becomes especially apparent toward the middle of the film. Toward the end, the film picks up speed and Hans Blix's score really helps keep you awake. I also suspect that that movie theater I was in was pumping in something more than oxygen to keep the audience beyond awake as I went to the 3 am viewing and by 3:30 am, people were clapping at scenes that did not seem to deserve clapping and at several points during the film the guy next to me stood up and yelled: "Go Batman, Go!" As to the end of the film, what can I say but that it is truly amazing. The closest movie ending I can think that compares is the end to Cannonball Run when Captain America/Captain Chaos rescues a woman's dog and he and Burt Reynolds lose the race, but win the moral victory. The parallels are indeed almost frightening and I wouldn't be surprised if Christopher Nolan eventually reveals that Cannonball Run (and its precursor, Smokey and the Bandit) was his template for this movie. A solid film that stands alone as a pretty decent film, but is lacking in that Burt Reynoldsesque/Don Knotts levity that a dark movie like this sorely needs. Expand
  43. Jul 20, 2012
    8
    First, for the full review, including *hidden spoilers* go to this website- http://www.ign.com/blogs/bulltoad/?p=1454

    THIS REVIEW IS FREE OF SPOILERS, BUT DOES REFERENCE THE LATTER PART OF THE BLOG IN WHICH PLOT IS DISCUSSED.

    Let
  44. Aug 22, 2012
    10
    Probably the best Batman ever! I love Batman so that is saying something. Bane is one of the best villains ever too. Seen it three times, getting ready for a fourth. So sick!!!
  45. Aug 1, 2012
    8
    Visually stunning, tremendous soundtrack, acceptable performances that caught my attention most was Anne Hathaway, which is strong for the awards this year. that was what it seemed I was: Beine tremendous villain until the end when the bad boom is over and where it was Beine? only as a mere pawn, gruesome end. and wait! Batman died? wtf! but regardless of these details the movie was very good but never as The Dark Knight. Heath Ledger's Joker will go down in history. Expand
  46. Jul 20, 2012
    10
    THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. HANDS DOWN. THE BEST MOVIE EVER! Incredibly brilliant end to the batman series. Stunning on Epic Proportions. That's Batman for you! Mind-blowing. Thank you Christopher Nolan and Batman. Truly Inspiring.
  47. Jul 20, 2012
    8
    It's a decent movie, but The Dark Knight surpasses it in every single way. It's arguable that Batman Begins is better also. A good end to the Nolan series, but not it's most glorious moment.
  48. Dec 6, 2012
    0
    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.
  49. Jul 20, 2012
    10
    Okay, Marvel fanboy here, and I'm saying that the Avengers was just surpassed here. Let's be real, The Avengers was a cheesy explosion of special effects. A very good one, but it doesn't match the gripping emotions, the stellar acting, and grand directing of this film. The Avengers is great pop culture entertainment, Rises is simply great CINEMA.
  50. Jul 24, 2012
    7
    TDKR is not as great as some people think it is. Nontheless it wasnt bad, but still not great .. or epic for that matter. We get a whole lot of Bruce Wayne, but not much of actual Batman. Also I wasnt very impressed about the fight scenes where Batman takes on the main villian. It just felt like a "bar brawl". Plot was very predictable, with plot holes and occasionally unconvincing acting.
  51. Jul 22, 2012
    1
    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
  52. Jul 22, 2012
    9
    It's not the masterpiece its predecessor was, but TDKR succeeds in bringing Nolan's Bat trilogy to a satisfying close. When all three films are viewed in their entirety, it's hard to argue with it being one of the best cinematic trilogies in recent history. It's right up there with The Lord of the Rings and Toy Story. Consistently excellent... it's well acted and engaging from start to finish. Onwards to Man of Steel! Expand
  53. cfh
    Oct 16, 2012
    9
    I think it was a superb movie. I was at the edge of my seat while watching it. So much action. It was a little slow at the beginning but at the end it was excellant. I would deffinately buy this movie.
  54. Jul 21, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nothing less than a great film. The Dark Knight Rises, in my humble opinion, is the best of the three when it comes to sound and visuals. The first scene was so intense, it had everyone in the theatre I was in silent. Just to point out, when people of all ages, gender, and conflicting social groups get together and stay silent out of sheer mesmerization and awestruck, you should get the hint that movie truly reached its most potent form of entertainment. Now, as many people have written, the Dark Knight Rises falls a little short from its predecessor and it's not because of the villian because Tom Hardy's Bane was actually a character I feared more than Heath Leder's Joker. With all due respect, I found the villain in this movie much more intimidating and just overall better. The thing is, one can't compare apples to oranges and I'm sure Heath Ledger's Joker was supposed to represent something else. But when it comes to villians, I find the ones that are dead serious, and intimidating to be ones that spark the most enjoyment and that's why I easily thought this movie was much better. The reason I rated this a nine was because it stole a lot of the Dark Knight's script. When Bane was interrogated by Batman, it just didn't feel as awesome as the Dark Knight's interrogation scene with the Joker. Christian Bale, I guess, wasn't as efficient as he was in the previous movie. Nolan, however, did a fine job with directing the film and really showing his audience, despite having tons of pressure by Batman fanatics, that he can finish with a bang. And that's exactly what this film accomplishes, a bang. Some of the characters were akward at first and as the film carries on you instantly fall in love with the risks Nolan took. I believe most of the story telling was actually very good as it had many comic book references. Although some parts might disappoint the hardcore Batman fans such as Alfred's wimpy character role in TDKR, and Robin's inception, but for those who wouldn't mind those outtakes the film is really the best that can be done. Anway, kudos to the creators of this masterpiece and it has easily won my vote of the best movie so far this year. Expand
  55. Nov 17, 2012
    4
    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.
  56. Jul 23, 2012
    10
    Its these kinds of movies that make me happy for forcing my friends to spend 20$+ to come to watch a movie. I literally almost cried at how great some of the scenes were you can call me a fan boy but can you really blame me. I mean sure the citizens of Gotham rising so readily to bane and fighting for him, and Bane isnt really as good a villian as the joker but the full scale attack on gotham is really an awe to see. Not quite as good as the the dark knight but it makes a good case. Expand
  57. Jan 11, 2013
    9
    I'm a huge Batman fan, I've watched every movie so far and I have to admit this is not only one of the best Batman movies (I say one of the best because Batman Forever is my favorite, agree or disagree I don't care it's my favorite) but it's also one of the best superhero movies of all time. It's action packed, has a great story, outstanding acting, and some awesome comic tie-ins. An outstanding movie that I highly recommend watching. Expand
  58. Aug 9, 2012
    10
    Although it seems tantamount to treason to do so, I'll go out on a limb and say that The Dark Knight Rises is the best bat-flick yet. Begins and Knight were fine movies but both lacked a truly killer action sequence. Rises fixes that problem and has a whole slew of amazing action scenes, both vehicular and hand-to-hand. The story, whilst not as clever as Knight's, still packs the usual Nolan punch and the emotions run higher than ever as the movie unfolds. Ultimately, The Dark Knight Rises ends Nolan's Batman trilogy on a high note and secures his franchise a spot in the archives of the all time greats. Expand
  59. Aug 1, 2012
    10
    Stvarno spektakularan film. Ovo je ultimativni batman film i najbolji superherojski film svih vremena. Akcija, dijalozi, likovi(pogotovu Batman, Bane i Catwoman) su fantasticno prikazani. Film traje 2 i po sata i niujednom trenutku nije bilo dosadnih elemenata, prica je tako dobra da te drzi prikovanim za ekranom od prve do zadnje sekunde. Christopher Nolan je odradio sjajan posao ovim zadnjim dijelom odnosno citavom trilogijom.
    P.S. Preporuka je prije ovog filma odgledati Batman Begins, posto je puno elemenata iz tog filma i u ovom.
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  60. Jul 21, 2012
    3
    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.
  61. Jul 22, 2012
    10
    Seen The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR) and I'll just come out with it.... Didn't think it was as good as The Dark Knight (TDK). It has built on TDK but the level of jump from 1 to 2 just couldn't be matched in the jump from 2 to 3. You can't improve perfection is all I'm saying. Also Heath Ledgers Joker was so good that no actor could come close to stealing the entire movie in TDKR. However its still brilliant, its just that TDK was brilliantly brilliant! Bane is just not The Joker. However in the Batman V Bane fights he is better as you actually fear for the caped crusader. Catwoman is a great new character. The scope of TDKR is also bigger with elements of faith, idealism, social revolution. Were TDKR actually beats TDK is emotion, the Bruce Wayne and Alfred scenes are great and if the ending doesn't give you goosebumps you don't deserve to be alive! Expand
  62. Feb 28, 2013
    3
    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.
  63. Sep 17, 2012
    9
    Just to answer the glaring question, no, it doesn't measure up to the intelligence of "The Dark Knight". However, it comes close with pure cinematic spectacle and visual style. A near perfect summation to a brilliant trilogy.
  64. Jul 30, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the smartest Directors of our generation is about to conclude his famous saga. Oh yes, you should anticipate what is he going to do next. Christopher Nolan has built a superb franchise through two successful prequels BATMAN BEGINS (2005) and THE DARK KNIGHT (2008). No wonder everyone is hyped about it and the excitement is rising high. The Batman character has changed a lot over the years. The two most important influences are Frank Miller graphic novel BATMAN: YEAR ONE (1987) and Tim Burton movie BATMAN (1989), not just changing the image entirely but also affecting today superhero movies. What I am trying to say is you will soon witness a historic event as well. We are going to see the next phase of Batman transition. In thiz grand finale to an epic trilogy, Christopher Nolan definitely takes Batman to the whole new level. Christian Bale also deserves a credit for making Bruce Wayne character even more dynamic and attractive. Bale is certainly not just an ordinary Actor, he can play any character he wants, not just good, but great. I do not know why Nolan takes so many risks by changing the winning formula. Spoiler Alert! There are more day scenes than night scenes, Bruce Wayne becomes poor, firing Alfred and other radical changes. As a matter of fact, it was not Bat at all! I do not feel like I have been watching Batman movie, it was more like a typical Nolan movie that happens to be Batman in it. There is no doubt that the Joker was potrayed amazingly by the late Heath Ledger in THE DARK KNIGHT (2008). Christopher Nolan himself knows very well that he should find something new, something phenomenal enough to replace it. Well, at least he has done half of his homework. Although the merciless masked villain Bane (Tom Hardy) is very terrifying, especially through his monstrous voice and intimidating appearance, but it is lack of character. Catwoman does not leave any impression. Yes, she is still sexy but only physically. I can hardly remember anything besides Catwoman becomes Anne Hathaway, instead of the other way around. Better performances come from two Cast members of INCEPTION (2010), Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It makes five of them, the others are Tom Hardy, Michael Caine and Cillian Murphy. The other regular Cast members are Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon and Morgan Freeman as Lucious Fox. In fact, in the middle of the story, the movie loses its track, too many unnecessary scenes, sometimes too wordy and almost flat out boring. Even worse, it is compounded by one-dimensional fight choreography. Everytime Batman and Bane fight, it looks like B-Class movie. But I still think The Bike Chase Scene is spectacular. In the end, hey it is Christopher Nolan! Of course, he saves something for the ending. Finally, I can say the epic concludes with a very classy way, typical Nolan twists and turns. It is another ambiguous ending from him. Dont you ever discuss it or you will find yourself in the middle of never-ending debate about what really happened at the end of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. No more spoilers, find your own hints. Have a nice Bat!



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  65. Jul 22, 2012
    8
    The Dark Knight Rises is a satisfying conclusion in Nolan's trilogy, but individually falls short of meeting the lofty expectations set by 2008's The Dark Knight. The musical score, acting (particularly by Bale, Hathaway, and Caine) and set design are top-notch. Bane is a terrifying villain of physical proportions, which really helps carry the pain theme of this third and final act. There are many individual scenes, particularly the opening airplane heist, that is breathtaking. There are many references to the first film, Batman Begins, that helps give closure to key characters - it is helpful to re-watch this first film prior to watching DKR.

    This film, TDKR, is not without flaws. There is an unsatisfying, anti-climactic conclusion to a major character. The second half of this film, particularly the final 45 minutes, that feels rushed from an execution standpoint. There are various side characters and extras where you can't help wonder if the film would have been sharper and not sacrificed on plot development had they just cut out these scenes entirely.

    Is this film worth the price of admission? Absolutely. Yet when the credits rolled, I couldn't help but feel that this film didn't give me that overwhelming awe that I felt from its predecessor.
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  66. Jul 31, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Even though I like this movie, I don't think it was as good as the first Batman in this particular trilogy. For one thing he kept getting his ass whooped. I mean for Pete's sake He's a superhero. I kept saying as much as was going on that this is a job for Superman! The music was waaay too loud and sometimes it was hard to hear what they were saying. You could tell that Tom Hardy's was dubbed and was louder than everyone else. I like the Avengers better. Sometimes I think that people just jump on a bandwagon and just go along with the critics. Catwoman is a blonde with green eyes and looks nothing like Anne Hathaway, although she looked really hot and sexy. Talia has sandy blonde hair and in this movie she was a brunette and not as hot as the comic book Talia. What was up with the ending? Is it setting up for a Robin sequel? Expand
  67. Jul 30, 2012
    4
    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.
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  68. Sep 22, 2012
    10
    Thanks to powerful performances, exciting action, and a thrilling script with one of the best endings every in a movie series, The Dark Knight Rises effectively and epically ends Christopher Nolan's masterful Dark Knight trilogy.
  69. Jul 24, 2012
    3
    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
  70. Jul 21, 2012
    10
    The Dark Knight Rises is a near-perfect masterpiece, my favorite film of the year so far, one of the best superhero films ever made, and one of the most fitting conclusions to a film series ever. The cast is at its best here and the story will keep you on the edge of your seat when the amazing action scenes take place. The climax is one of the most breathtaking I've ever seen and the conclusion make the last couple of minutes of the film so satisfying and wrap the trilogy up nicely. Definitely go see it and keep the victims o the horrific Colorado shooting in hearts as well. Expand
  71. Jul 20, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have no doubt that The Dark Knight rises was the most exhilarating cinematic experience of my life. The suspense was so effectively crafted that after selected scenes, I was shaking. The acting across the board was excellent, particularly Bale, Gordon-Levitt and Hathaway (in my opinion, her sexy, sassy performance was the stand-out). The supporting cast was wonderful as usual, with Caine harnessing some very powerful emotion. Hardy as Bane was very menacing and inspired, but perhaps not quite on par with Ledger's Joker. Also, Bane's voice wasn't perfect and the result of the effect was that it sounded like it was coming from... everywhere, and not his mouth. I thought Cotillard was a tad bland but her role was definitely interesting. The only other criticism I have is that it started a bit slow, and the plot in the beginning was a bit murky but once it took off, it skyrocketed - Bane and Batman's first encounter was electrifying and one of the scenes that left me shaking. Of the script, the dialogue was very good, and Bane's origins were a high point for me. I can't quite decide if it's better than The Dark Knight. I'm tempted to say not (nothing will top The Joker) but as an instalment of the series, it was immensely satisfying and the most enjoyable. I was incredibly pleased with the ending, as I think many fans will be. It ends with the faintest chance of a spin-off, but as it wouldn't be directed by Nolan, I don't think I want to see it happen. In conclusion, it lived up to the hype and even if it does fall slightly short of The Dark Knight, I don't think anyone minds and it was definitely a wonderful film and an excellent conclusion. Expand
  72. Jul 26, 2012
    10
    The Dark Knight Rises even with its flaws, it's the most charming on franchise. Nolan concludes The Dark Knight legend in spectacular fashion with ambitious direction, thoughtful and top-notch performance.
  73. Jul 31, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Admittedly this film had a lot to live up to, given the phenomenon that was The Dark Knight, as well as what Nolan achieved with Inception and what Joss Whedon was able to bring to The Avengers a few months earlier. But what surprised me was that apart from that, The Dark Knight Rises is simply not a very good film. It shocked me, how pedestrian it ends up being. The performances are excellent, Anne Hathaway rivals Michelle Pfieffer's Catwoman; livening things up whenever she's onscreen. And there's it was nice to see the excellent Ben Mendelsohn and Juno Temple pop up in colourful supporting roles, plus reappearances of Nestor Carbonell and Cillian Murphy (whose presence is welcome but never logically explained). Tom Hardy's Bane in the end pales in comparison to Heath Ledger's Joker, not his fault really, Ledger was a hard act to follow. The biggest problem is the script. While there is a nice through-line with elements of the previous films, some story decisions left me scratching my head. A neutron time-bomb? Really Nolan, that's the best you could come up with? Catwoman's storyline initially plays but ends up dissolving into nothing. The sub-plot with Joseph Gordon Levitt and the boy's home, while quite affecting, didn't really fit in comfortably (and the reveal as 'Robin' at the end of the film brought a wave of snickers and groans in the cinema) The 11th hour villain twist feels cheap; I was wondering why Cotillard had been so under-utilised for most of the film, but she deserved more than to become a B-movie-baddie. And given Nolan's opportunity to close out the trilogy, the film wimps out on a truly moving conclusion. However there are some story elements that do work: the plot twists quite effectively in places, the chemistry is there between Bale and Hathaway and Bruce and Alfred share some poignant moments. I desperately wanted to like this film but, in the end, found it very hard to Expand
  74. Jul 21, 2012
    9
    Easily the most epic and awe-inspiring of the trilogy, although it does not quite reach the tormented depth of its predecessor. It is one of the most fulfilling ending to a saga that I have ever seen, and as a whole the trilogy will likely go down in history as the greatest comic book interpretation of all time.
  75. Jul 29, 2012
    1
    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
  76. Jul 20, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nolan was able to bring his Dark knight trilogy full circle with the dark night raises. You can not compare it to either of the other two films. Unlike the Joker from the dark knight.. Who was more crazy and just rolled with the punches. Bane is pure evil wanting to destroy everything or everyone in his path and he has a plan! Tom Hardy does a great job playing the villain with just his eyes and body language over all! Bale filled out the role of batman perfectly again. The effects were the best out of the 3 films. Just when you think, How can Nolan make this bigger or better. He does, dont doubt the man he is a genius at movie magic . He stays with his own story, yet still sticks well to batman lore. With sprinklings of a little modern day troubles within our own world. The one that was the best and only thing I will give you from the movie is Bane and his men Go into the Gotham stock exchange. One guy says "what do you think your going to steal this is the stock echange there is no Money here?!" Bane replies "If there is no money here then what are you doing here!" With Nolans Batman Trilogy to a satisfying close. The next person that tries to revive the batman series. I wish them the best of luck they will need it. Nolan has placed a big foot print in that department that I dont believe anyone can fill! Expand
  77. Aug 8, 2012
    9
    Not as good as the first batman, much less the second Batman it is a testament to Nolan that this film is so highly criticized but would be still the best Batman film in existence if the other two didn't exist (and yes, I've seen almost every Batman film in existence, including animated ones). A great satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy and a fitting sendoff.
  78. Jul 28, 2012
    7
    Superheroes are usually infallible, except for whatever their one weakness is. What I mean is that after a knock down, drag-out end of the world fight, they are able to get up, wipe the dirt off their shoulder, and walk away without any visible scars. Batman is not superhuman though, he relies on technology and a therapist's dream amount of anger. It has been eight years since the events of The Dark Knight and no Gothamite has seen even a glimpse of Batman (Christian Bale). Coincidentally, nobody has seen reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne either.

    Bruce limps now; he shuffles around with a cane, stoops his shoulders, and has no cartilage in his knees. During a fundraiser, he is actually at a disadvantage and lets a cat burglar, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), sneak into his rooms and steal his dead mother's pearls right in front of him. Yep, Bruce Wayne is depressed. Business isn't doing too well either. Along with Lucious Fox (Morgan Freeman) who runs the day-to-day of Wayne Enterprises, Bruce sunk half his money into nuclear fusion research trying to develop clean energy for Gotham City. That avenue does not appear to be taking off any time soon. Alas, if it was just his money, Bruce probably would not be so down in the dumps, but he also took the money of philanthropist and do-gooder Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard). Bruce really does not like to lose a good looking lady's money. The Dark Knight Rises would be an altogether odd Batman film if the main villains were depression and the recession. No worries, the bad guy this time literally emerges from a dark hole in the ground, wears a grotesque mask on his head, and sounds like a hard to understand Darth Vader. Bane (Tom Hardy) is a big guy. One could say he grew up in a rough neighborhood and has been socialized to become the world's, and naturally Gotham's, leading terrorist. He nonchalantly takes over and disintegrates a CIA aircraft, takes the entire New York Stock Exchange hostage, and oh yeah, gets his hand on a neutron bomb which he hangs over the heads of the woefully unlucky Gotham citizens. Please Batman, come back to us; but there is no Batman to be found. Gotham City blames the Batman for Harvey Dent's death and despite the best efforts of Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) to temper their anger, nobody likes Batman too much.

    That is just fine with Alfred (Michael Caine). He is more than happy to see Batman hang up his repelling hooks and leather body suit. Besides, he thinks Bruce Wayne can do the world more good than Batman can; especially an older and weathered Batman. But if it wasn't for those gosh darn meddling kids, Batman probably would have stayed out of this whole mess. Rookie police officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) knows the truth about Bruce Wayne. How? Well, you will have to watch the film for that; needless to say, I thought it was quite the stretch how he figures it out. Blake works for this film's resident jackass, Foley (Matthew Modine), who is angling to take over for an even more weathered Commissioner Gordon.

    The Dark Knight Rises is a big film. I do not necessarily mean that in terms of its budget, its expected box office take, or the IMAX screen I saw it on. Just like The Dark Knight, its underlying philosophy is big. The script dives deeper than the ordinary first layer of is he a superhero or a vigilante? Perhaps Alfred is on to something that what the world needs is another philanthropic billionaire and not a guy hopping around town on his latest crazy gadget. The gadget this time is a kind of batwing, but is just odd looking and clunky. Bane also has his own philosophy, but it is more "We are the 99%" taken to the nth degree combined with a dash of mayhem and some spicy nuclear armageddon. I only understood about 80% of Bane's dialogue. There are times when he is truly hard to understand. He voice is amplified by a microphone and I think there is an Irish accent in there. This film is a fine capstone to Director Christopher Nolan's trilogy. It stays away from the campy, make fun of itself side ala Batman Forever and continues the effective choice from the previous film of an incredibly formidable enemy. Just like Heath Ledger's version of the Joker, Bane is not someone you take lightly. Batman can mess around with the Riddler and Mr. Freeze, but Bane would eat those two for breakfast.
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  79. Jul 20, 2012
    10
    Incredible and satisfying end to the Dark Knight trilogy. This is as good or better than the previous movie, and it is probably the best way they could have ended the series. The acting is great, the action scenes are amazing, the music is epic, and the story is very well executed. Highly recommended. The best superhero movie since the Dark Knight, and perhaps the best of all time.
  80. Sep 7, 2012
    8
    Better than The Beginning, much worse than The Dark Knight. First off, the story is too complicated and the final twist is out of place. At few times it seems forced into the movie. There was too much of the story and not enough action. I thought it was too ambitious. The build up is too long compared to the dissolution. Acting is the best parto of this movie and because of it alone I give 8 instead of 7. Besides Anne Hathaway who is believable and very sexy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Cain who are exceptionally good .Action scenes are in my opinion much worse than in earlier parts. They still did not manage to construct good hand to hand fights, often it is very hard to say what is going on. The new toy - The Bat - did not show anything special besides flying. It is too long by at least 15minutes. I must say I liked the ending very much. Overall average with few above average features. Expand
  81. Jul 23, 2012
    9
    Nolan ends his Batman trilogy in spectacular. TDKR is on a much grander scale than before with much higher stakes. So it makes sense that this is the most action-heavy of the three. Above all else the movie is a definite crowd pleaser. It succeeds at being a blockbuster with a relentless pace and fantastic set pieces while also giving us characters with real depth and an engaging story. It may not match the bar set by The Dark Knight but it remains a more than fitting conclusion to the saga. Expand
  82. Jul 25, 2012
    9
    Such a grandiose movie! It ends perfectly this trilogy.The plot is very strong. Christian Bale performance is WAAAY better than the previous two movies. Even though the theme has a lesser signification than in the Dark Knight, it is more greatly present in the movie. There are only two problems in the Dark Knight Rises:

    1) This is not a 2h40 minutes movie! They could easily add an hour
    and make it way better. This movie is too big and has too much content for its length. So I hope Christopher Nolan will release a director's cut or an extended edition with what they had to remove for the theaters.

    2)Bane's voice! If they don't (easily) dub it for the DVD, I'm gonna have to put on the subtitles to understand completely. But anyway, those two problems can be very easily solved!

    I loved this movie so much, it brings a whole new dimension to the rest of the trilogy, so thumbs up to Nolan, again!
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  83. Jul 29, 2012
    10
    As one of the most eagerly anticipated movies of all time, The Dark Knight Rises certainly had a lot of expectation and hype to live up to. Following on from the pinnacle of superhero films, The Dark Knight, was always going to be a tall order. It wasn
  84. Jul 20, 2012
    10
    A true cinematic masterpiece. It was no where near perfect, but it did so many things right it is hard not to give it a perfect 10. The highlights were Anne Hathaway as catwoman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
  85. Jul 31, 2012
    9
    Although it's not on the same level as The Dark Knight, the Dark Knight Rises is still a fantastic film. All of the performances are fantastic as usual, and Gordon-Levitt and Hathaway are superb additions. As well, Hathaway's role is a rare strong female lead, as in the tradition of Ripley from Alien, and she kills it in her role (in a positive sense). It's also more brooding and methodical in comparison to the Dark Knight, and it's a treat to have a film set up a story the way this one does. Tom Hardy deserves an Oscar. Overall, it's to the Dark Knight was Godfather II was to the Godfather. Expand
  86. Jul 24, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I went into The Dark Knight Rises expecting that it would not be able to rival The Dark Knight, but hoping to be pleasantly surprised. And right off the bat (sorry for the pun) you get thrown into the movie full speed with Bane in an amazing "heist scene" that legitimately exceeds our introduction to Joker in Dark Knight. So far so good. As the story develops, certain things are thrown out of left field and never really get explained. Such as the knee brace that just magically appears out of nowhere. Some scenes that should have been given more time to develop weren't, but overall it didn't detract much from the movie in my opinion. As the story unfolds during the first hour, the character development of Bane was a fantastic build-up as he continued to draw me in as I yearned to find out who he was and what his motives were, and of course there was great anticipation of an epic final showdown between Batman and Bane. The writing in regards to Bane during the first hour of the film was brilliant. I couldn't have imagined that halfway through the film, I would honestly find myself thinking that Bane's character development not only was at least as good as Joker's, but possibly even better. I was absolutely hooked. After the epic build-up of the first half of the movie, I anticipated the second half of the film to wow me with what was building up to be possibly one of the most epic showdowns in recent memory. Then the first letdown, the "Flintstone's Prison" scenes were not only convoluted, but seemed like they were there for no reason other than to stretch out the running time. While I experienced a letdown during that point in the film, my excitement for what was sure to be a monumental ending overruled my increasing disappointment and at one point I found myself leaning in towards the IMAX screen as though if I actually sat on the edge of my seat that it would somehow get the movie back on track. I was wrong. Enter the cop versus mob showdown and probably the most anti-climactic scenes I can recall in a movie that had been building so feverishly toward what was set up to be a truly epic climax, but instead we get a plot twist with an assumingly innocent woman revealing herself to be the true mastermind behind a deviant plan to bring the people of Gotham to its-blah blah blah. This twist has been done before. It was called "The World Is Not Enough" and I remember it as being a very poorly constructed Bond movie with a very lame plot twist. Ok so Miranda is the bad guy and if you're a true comic buff, you already knew she was. That doesn't bother me. What does bother me is that Nolan decided to use the nearly identical plot twist structure from a Bond movie that was very much less than memorable as the vessel to reveal Miranda to the audience. Nearly unforgiveable, however nothing in this movie could be more unforgiveable than watching Selina ride in through the door on the bat bike and press a button, ending Bane's reign as one of the most memorable villains in movie history. A girl on a bike pressed a button and did what the Dark Knight couldn't do through an already two hour movie. She saved Gotham from the villainy of Bane. Unbelievable. No epic final showdown with Bane. No chance of Batman breaking his golden rule in order to beat the name of the trigger man out of Bane's dying mouth/mask. No chance of Batman being saved by Robin, excuse me Blake, at the last second. No final reveal of the inner workings of Bane's mask/prop by ripping it off of Bane's face to show the audience the true origin of Bane's pain and suffering and possibly his motives for turning Gotham into an occupied prison. No climax at all, just a used up plot twist and a girl on a bike pushing one little button. That was all it took to bring down one of the most ultimate bad guys of cinema, one press of a button. What a waste. What a waste of the entire first half of the movie building up the depth and character portrayal of Bane. What a waste of my anticipation for a truly climactic scene. What a waste of my time... After that I was so frustrated with the movie, that I had been ready to give a perfect 10 to no less, that for an instant I pondered actually getting up and walking out of the theater. I didn't, of course, but only because I had already sat through over two hours of the movie. Might as well see how it ended, which was very close to being brilliant... but that is honestly a whole different complaint. Suffice to say, by the end of the movie I had withdrawn my emotional interest in the outcome entirely. A girl on a bike ruined what could have been the greatest comic book film adaption of all time. And one little button. Expand
  87. Dec 19, 2012
    1
    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.
  88. Jul 24, 2012
    9
    I must say that I went into this movie with average expectations. But after 2 hours and 45 minutes of epicness was smeared into my head, I thought "you know what, this movie was almost as good as The Dark Knight." The only problem I had with this movie was Tom Hardy's character Bane because it was a little hard to understand him at times, but in some ways, it works for the character. The rest of the cast had solid performances, especially Anne Hathaway. And she was the reason why I didn't have very high expectations coming into this, but I was dead wrong. She kicked complete ass in this movie. Plot was good, editing, special effects, fight scenes, etc. It was all good. You will not be disappointed, especially if you're a Batman fan. Expand
  89. Jul 20, 2012
    0
    A Fanboy
  90. Jul 24, 2012
    4
    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.
  91. Aug 6, 2012
    8
    The Dark Knight Rises is a fitting end to the Batman Trilogy. The story clips aong throughout the entire movie, and the plot twists keep you on your toes. There are some surprises here. Some poeple say there are some plot holes, but I didn't notice any. I'm sure people don't know the difference between twists and holes. The action scenes are great, and the emotional development is there, too. Anne Hathaway has a great performance, and she does add sex appeal into the role. All in all, this a a great movie, and if you haven't seen it yet, you have to. Also, there's robably gonna be a sequel. Expand
  92. Jul 23, 2012
    10
    the more i think about this movie, the more i like it. seeing it once is just an introduction to the story and the characters. the journey REALLY starts on viewing number 2, where you can piece together everything that this movie is doing. All of the shades of grey it tries to paint.
  93. Jul 23, 2012
    10
    After seeing the other brilliant films that Christopher Nolan has made, I knew that The Dark Knight Rises would be amazing. I knew it would be brilliant from the moment I found out that it was being made. But I never, ever anticipated the quality of this film.

    I won't go into too much detail, but everything is perfect: the story, the effects, the acting...everything has been carefully c
    onsidered and used to masterful effect.

    The story is excellent, and culminates in one of the best, if not the best, film endings I've ever seen. Anne Hathaway is the perfect actress to portray Catwoman, and while Tom Hardy's performance doesn't match Heath Ledger's, it is nonetheless brilliant and his Bane is a very different villain from those previously seen in Batman films. It goes without saying that this intelligent, sinister Bane is hundreds of miles ahead of the stupid, emotionally soulless character featured in Joel Schumacher's....'Batman' film.

    In conclusion, this is the greatest superhero film, let alone Batman film, ever created, and well up there with the all-time greatest films. This dark, exciting epic makes the recent Marvel films look silly and childish. Everyone should see this film, and will be celebrated by film critics and audiences alike as one of the greatest films ever made for years to come. A masterpiece.
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  94. Dec 17, 2012
    9
    Not so impressive like its predecessor, but this one is worth to buy: Every stage of the film is good, a good, tragic ending for batman and the rise of the Robin, and the hero is not only batman, but the hero will rise when it comes to its age. That's what the dark knight wants, what our hero will continue ...
  95. Jul 20, 2012
    10
    A decent b movie but compared to its predecessor is woefully lacking of its potential. There were huge plot holes banes voice was odd and had "god" re verb so it sounded like he was everywhere unlike everyone else in the scenes. Several things in the movie were so ridiculous and unneeded I burst out laughing( batmans "where is it like 6 times in a row" and had me asking why? Decent movie but such a sour bite(in comparison) to finish off an otherwise masterful trilogy. Expand
  96. Aug 4, 2012
    10
    Great movie, one that if you feel mixed about it you should definitely watch it again, completely different from The Dark Knight (which I've seen so many times), it's really a great way to end the trilogy and together this really does make a great trilogy, can't wait to watch all of the movies together in one sitting
  97. Jul 28, 2012
    10
    The Dark Knight Rises is a surprisingly break-neck conclusion to Nolan's wistful Bat-trilogy, in that the bravado of the first two acts is largely overshadowed by the legacy that is (clears throat) THE BATMAN in his finest and final hour. While it's perfectly understandable that no one wants to see the Batman flutter into obscurity, least of all me, Christopher Nolan really has some balls for ending the vespertilian dream as no other would. I had the special joy of watching all three movies back-to-back, and I really think that fans of the series and the Batman universe alike who found this finale less than satisfactory might wish to consider taking a nice long walk in the opposite direction of the theatre instead of getting in line for something that they can't dignifiedly embrace. I look at The Dark Knight Rises, and I don't see the box-office behemoth of the summer or the cinematic main course of the year that ranters and ravers around the world are flocking to. I see the Dark Knight's bright conclusion, and that's really all that moviegoers ought to stomach. Flex your bat wings, moviegoers. Flex your bat wings. Expand
  98. Jul 24, 2012
    8
    This film is superb, all by itself. However, it pales in comparison to The Dark Knight. Nearly all performances are what they should be, but Tom Hardy unfortunately fails to satisfy the high expectations of Bane, all with that uncharacteristic over-the-top accent. Bane is indeed devastating, and never before have we seen a superhero beaten to a pulp, slammed to the ground, and kept there for such a long time. Bale continues to shine as Batman, and Michael Cain's Alfred is so heartbreakingly perfect. Yes, the film itself is awesome, but how can you not compare this one to the haunting echoes of it's predecessor? The Dark Knight was about an idea. The Dark Knight Rises is more about devastation, and that is accomplished here. Expand
  99. Aug 2, 2012
    9
    The problem with sequels of any sort is that an amazing amount of pressure is put on the crew to produce something better than the previous. No one will be able to display such marvelous madness than Heath Ledger did in the Dark Knight, and so Bane was a good move by Nolan to implement a different kind of villain into the movie, with a brilliant performance from Tom Hardy. Whilst the plot wasn't as well written as the Dark Knight, it was on a par with Batman Begins and was clever with interesting, though sadly foreseeable twists. However this movie was still amazing to watch with beautiful visuals and a good amount of action. Expand
  100. Jul 29, 2012
    8
    Overall it was a good film, however I feel the main flaw was the focus on New York city with a Terrorist plot, rather than a Gotham City with a Villain Plot much like the last 2 films.
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 45
  2. Negative: 2 out of 45
  1. Reviewed by: Todd Gilchrist
    Jul 23, 2012
    100
    A cinematic, cultural and personal triumph, The Dark Knight Rises is emotionally inspiring, aesthetically significant and critically important for America itself – as a mirror of both sober reflection and resilient hope.
  2. Reviewed by: Anthony Lane
    Jul 23, 2012
    70
    Christopher Nolan, for all his visionary flair, wants to suck the comic out of comic books; Anne Hathaway wants to put it back in. Take your pick.
  3. Reviewed by: Bob Mondello
    Jul 20, 2012
    85
    As you might expect from the creator of "Inception" and "Memento," there are surprises both in the story and in the storytelling. But the biggest surprise may just be how satisfying Nolan has made his farewell to a Dark Knight trilogy that many fans will wish he'd extend to a 10-part series, at least.