Dark Knight Rises - SPOILERS

While I may gripe here or there in the next few paragraphs, I will try to keep the spoilers to a minimum since in the end I will recommend this film.

Story: The main plot seems to take influences from at least 2 different Batman story arcs: Knightfall (the infamous storyline that had Batman's back broken at the hands of Bane) and No Man's Land (which saw Gotham City fall into disarray after a devastating earthquake pretty much cut it off from the rest of the world) with a few dozen new points added to the plot. All in all however, it is a definite end to the Nolan-version of Batman, that's for sure. Sadly a lot of hints are dropped subtly -and not so subtly- of how the movie will play out but it's not so much that you won't end up enjoying it for one reason or another.

There are quite a few things in this movie that, as a comic book fan, I take umbridge with but for the most part is played out well for the story they're presenting. It starts off 8 years after the events of Dark Knight and shows us a Bruce Wayne that has been in seclusion, both as Wayne and Batman, because of the devastating events of said movie. While I can understand a need to jump forward, I feel that it's too much of a gap for Bruce to have stopped being Batman. Anywhere between 1-4 years would have been more understandable.

The thing that really ticked me off about Batman Begins rears its ugly head once more: the MISpronunciation of Ra's Al Ghul. IT'S PRONOUNCED "RAY-SHH" ASSHOLES ARGH.

Casting: Everyone who was anyone in the first movie makes a return and does well in their parts plus ya'll want to know more about the newcomers anyway.

Let's start with Anne Hathaway: with the version of Catwoman she was given, she did a good job with it. Seriously. I can't think of a moment that I didn't really believe her performance. She can handle herself, and well, and it's hard to describe accurately. She doesn't so much exude a "I must be better than everyone" kind of attitude so much as a "Pfft. Like I don't have a handle on this situation" kind of attitude. If nothing else, we can all agree that she's a better Catwoman than Halle FUCKING Berry thought she could be. I also am satisfied with the explanation for the cat ears: it's not a headband with ears on it, they're goggles/glasses that look pointed when she puts them up.

I'm not sure how I feel about Tom Hardy. Love the guy, don't get me wrong, and he did a good job as terrorist Bane rather than 'roid-rage Bane, but...I also feel bad that Bane got whitewashed. I would have loved to have heard his latin accent from behind the mask but we got what we got and he doesn't do a bad job. Though, from the start, you can tell they needed to do ADR for most, if not all, of his lines.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I have nothing bad to say about this kid. At all. He fills out a suit and a uniform like a BOSS and he has a great handle as the "rookie hot-head cop who idolizes Batman" without being annoying about it. There's a speech he gives in the beginning of the movie that just tugs at your heart. But then again, I just admitted to a bias towards him so...yeah.

I had no idea Matthew Modine (one of my fave actors) was going to be in this and HOT DAMN is he awesome. He's basically your jackass cop who gets to redeem himself in the end because there simply is too much at stake NOT to do something.

Last but not least, Marion Cotillard. You may remember her as Mal from Inception and she plays a much bigger role in this film than is originally let on. Trust me that, if you're as big a geek as I am, and you think she'd play the part of a certain character very well and you wonder why that person isn't in the movie...well, let's just say you may be more right than you think. HINT HINT.

CGI/3D: I saw this in THE NATION'S LARGEST IMAX THEATER at Liberty Science Center, and while not in 3D it was still impressive. That said, it's not a good idea...if you're in the first few rows at least. Neck, leg, and back cramps from leaning back plus the screen is so wide you don't really get to see "everything". Regular viewing at best, because screw you 3D.

The action scenes and the CGI don't look half-bad in here. Not great, but then again I saw more detail than was probably expected. Nothing feels too overlong, and I swear the time passed faster than I thought it would have.

As far as I know, there are no mid/end credits scene, but then again they did rush us out as soon as the credits started rolling.

Final Verdict: So while I personally do not believe the movie lived up to the hype, I do still think it's a good movie nonetheless. It ends in a satisfactory enough way that no one will be crying foul -not too much anyway unless you're THAT big a fanboy douche- but can also lead to potential sequels if necessary. I sincerely hope they do not try to add on to this one, I really don't.