'The Dark Knight Rises' movie review.

Myself and many other movie goers had anxiously been waiting for the date July 20, 2012 to arrive. This date marked the release of the third and final film of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. The final film in the trilogy titled "The Dark Knight Rises", had very high expectations based on the success of it's predecssor "The Dark Knight" -- which hit theaters in the summer of 2008. I very seldom go to the theater to watch a movie on it's opening weekend. However, the added excitement and buzz surrounding the film led to me uncharacteristically going earlier than usual. I went and saw the movie yesterday evening, and I'm going to give my thoughts on it. Before I get into this review, I think it's fitting to give my condolences to all the victims of the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado. I'm sure that most of you know about the shooting that took place during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone from that community. I want to warn readers that this article won't contain any major spoilers, but I advise people who have yet to see the movie to read at their own risk. Alright lets get into "The Dark Knight Rises".

As I previously mentioned, "The Dark Knight Rises" is the third and final film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Christian Bale returns again to reprise his role of billionaire socialite Bruce Wayne, who is also Batman. Michael Caine once again portrays the role of Alfred Pennyworth. Alfred is Bruce Wayne's butler, adviser, and father figure. Gary Oldman returns to portray the character of police commissioner, James Gordon, an ally to Batman. Morgan Freeman once again reprises the role of Lucius Fox, who is the president of Wayne Enterprises, and Bruce Wayne's armorer for his Batman equipment. Finally, Cillian Murphy reprises his role as Johnathan Crane/Scarecrow from the previous two movies. Liam Neeson also makes a cameo appearance as Ra's al Gul, the leader of The League of Shadows from "Batman Begins". Newcomers to the series include Tom Hardy, who plays the role of Bane, the lead villian in the movie. Anne Hathaway, who plays the role of Selina Kyle, a burglar who sets off a trigger of events that lead to Batman's confrontation with Bane. Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, who is on the board of Wayne Enterprises, and is a love interest of Bruce Wayne. Finally, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the role of John Blake, a young police officer, who has good instincts, and believes that something big is coming.

Taglines:

• The Legend Ends
• A Fire Will Rise
• Rise

The plot of "The Dark Knight Rises" is set eight years after the events of 2008's film, "The Dark Knight". Bruce Wayne is now older, and he is both physically and mentally drained from the events in the previous movie. Batman has now gone into retirement after becoming a wanted fugitive. Batman becomes a fugitive after taking credit for the death of Harvey Dent. Both Batman and police commissioner Gordon have made the public believe Batman was responsible for Dent's death, in order to preserve Dent's legacy. After going into exile, Batman must once again rise from the shadows to take on terrorist leader Bane, who is hell bent on destroying Gotham City. Bane is unlike any enemy that Batman has encountered before. Bane is not only the most physically strong nemesis that Batman has encountered, but he is also looking to mentally break Batman. Not only does Batman have to contend with Bane, he must also deal with burglar Selina Kyle, who triggers the events that ultimately lead to Batman coming out of retirement. There are numerous twists and turns that will have viewers on the edge of their seats. Lies and deceptions will also be revealed during this movie, and these events will change both Gotham City, and the relationships of the characters forever.

"The Dark Knight Rises" is easily the darkest movie from the trilogy. Viewers can probably tell within the first ten minutes of this movie, that things in Gotham City will never be quite the same. This movie definitely connects with the previous two films, but I think the story coincides more with the theme from the first film, "Batman Begins". The acting is this movie is amazing, but that's to be expected in most Christopher Nolan films. Tom Hardy was absolutely amazing as Bane in my opinion. Bane is easily the scariest and most physically intimidating villain that we've seen in these Batman films. I was also very impressed with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's portrayal as officer John Blake. Anne Hathaway's performance as Selina Kyle/Catwoman was on point as well. In my opinion, she is the best Catwoman that I've seen on film. She outdone both Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry in my opinion. There are also some very good fight sequences in this movie as well. I've noticed that ending film is being highly debated on the Internet. I suppose viewers are being allowed to draw their own conclusions based on it.

I do believe that if you are a fan of both "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight", you'll enjoy this movie. I would definitely recommend fans of Batman to go see this movie. I caution viewers not to expect much humor or laughter from this movie. Each and every one of the heroes from this movie will be greatly tested. I'm already looking forward to seeing this movie again. I already own the previous two Batman films directed by Christopher Nolan, and I'm pretty sure I'll be adding this one to my collection once it comes out on DVD. Again, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Aurora, Colorado. You never expect for something tragic like this to happen in a place where people go to unwind. Well that's my review of "The Dark Knight Rises". I hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1345836/taglines