Fanboys, don't crucify me for what follows...
Powerful - that's the one word which comes to mind when the end credits start rolling. Don't get me wrong here, but I rank this above
The Dark Knight for more reasons than one.
What made the second film of the trio rise above the rest was the absolute fantastic presence of Heath Ledger as the Joker. Take him out of the scene, and what's left is Nolan's
Batman Begins with Harvey Dent thrown in (no offence to Aaron Eckhart, he was superb), which I consider to be the weakest of the three.
In this, you have Bruce Wayne's human persona taking over The Batman, showing his frailty, his weakness, his guilt...in short, he's human after all. The Batman was never a superhero in the "super" sense, and this film nails that aspect of this wonderful character. Then, there's Bane. The towering, all-powerful, almost anti-Batman. He's everything the dark knight isn't, and much more. Frame by frame, shot by shot, his remorselessness takes over the scenes and envelops you completely. Tom Hardy hadn't just worked on his physique, but on the spirit and mental state of Bane as well. Kudos to him, and to Nolan for building on that.
(*****HERE THERE BE SPOILERS*****)
No film is spared from plotholes, and this one isn't either. The Batman moving straight into a fist-fight with Bane with no prior preparations, only to get the stuffing knocked out of him and his back broken as well? Completely out of character. And then the double "reveals" at the end? I totally get the first one, to tie up some loose ends together, but the second one was unnecessary. They could have ended with Blake chancing upon the Batcave and left it there (how the hell does Blake know such a lot about The Batman anyway? Even Gordon doesn't know stuff which Blake does!)
No film is spared from underwhelming characters, and this isn't either as well - I found Anne Hathaway's Catwoman completely bogged down. For all money, she wouldn't be in the film and nobody would notice it. I think Nolan just threw her in to keep the fanboys happy - especially the geek-tastic moment when her curves light up the Batpod. And there isn't any sort of chemistry existing between her and Bale (I prefer Burton's
Batman Returns over this film for this chemistry between both characters). Catwoman has a lot of history with our hero, and there's supposed to be sparks when both of them are in the same frame - unfortunately none of them exist here, except a couple of forced kisses as afterthoughts.
(*****END OF SPOILERS*****)
All said and done, this is truly a wonderful, powerful film. Amidst the fantastic shots of NY's skylines, a CGI moment which completely takes your breath away, Bruce's sheer frustration at his own helplessness as Bane takes Gotham hostage, a script which could have been a lot more tight had theren't been so many unnecessary twists, it's a film which everyone should savor. Even those who don't read comics and are not fans of all the characters onscreen.
Funny how re-watches change your initial thoughts about a film. A fitting end to the trilogy, though.
* * * ½