First came Batman Begins, an amazing film that depicts how, and why, Bruce Wayne became Batman. Then came The Dark Knight, a film that defined 2008, a film considered by many to be the best comic book based movie ever made. Could Christopher Nolan defy the odds, and surpass the second movie in the trilogy? The answer is no, although it was a valiant effort. The Dark Knight Rises is an excellent film, and a satisfying conclusion to an amazing trilogy, but it comes up short when compared to The Dark Knight.
What the movie does right:
1) The casting- Nolan's Batman films have had an exceptional cast from the beginning, and TDKR is no exception. Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were fantastic.
2) Scale- TDKR is full of intricate set-pieces that will have your eyes glued to the screen. It is a larger film in scale than the the previous two films.
What the movie does wrong:
1) The plot is too complicated for it's own good- The plot needs too many things to go right, and with perfect timing.
2) Unaddressed plot points- This is a problem TDKR shares with The Dark Knight, but it's a lot more noticeable in the former due to the scale of the film. Some of the events that happen seem unlikely, and to make it worse, there's no explanation for some of those miracles.
Overall, TDKR is a great movie with amazing performances, but it feels like the project was too ambitious for it's own good. Plot holes, and some sloppy combat scenes hold back TDKR from being the best movie in the trilogy.