Dark Knight Rises, The

Synopsis
Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy concludes with this Warner Brothers release that finds The Dark Knight pitted against Bane, an unstoppable foe possessed of tremendous physical and intellectual strength. Nearly a decade after taking the fall for Harvey Dent's death and disappearing into the darkness, a fugitive Batman (Christian Bale) watches from the shadows as the Dent Act keeps the streets of Gotham City free of crime. Meanwhile, an elusive cat burglar seizes the chance to strike, and a masked anarchist plots a devastating series of attacks designed to lure Bruce Wayne out of the shadows. Determined not to abandon the people who he once risked his life to protect, The Dark Knight emerges from his self-imposed exile ready to fight. But Bane (Tom Hardy) is ready, too, and once Batman is within his grasp, he will do everything in his power to break Gotham City's shadowy savior. Oscar-winner Michael Caine and Gary Oldman return in a sequel also starring Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Reviews
3 stars out of 4 -- "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is a fitting conclusion to an artful trilogy, culminating with satisfying dazzle....The plot is intricate and the characters are multidimensional." (USA Today)

"The real world threats of terrorism, political anarchy and economic instability make deep incursions into the cinematic comic book domain in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Big-time Hollywood filmmaking at its most massively accomplished..." (Hollywood Reporter)

3 stars out of 4 -- "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES leaves the fanciful early days of the superhero genre far behind, and moves into a doom-shrouded, apocalyptic future that seems uncomfortably close to today's headlines....This is a dark and heavy film." (Chicago Sun-Times)

"[A] grave and satisfying finish to Mr. Nolan’s operatic bat-trilogy." (New York Times)

"Certainly one elegiac current running under the THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is that they don’t make them like Batman anymore..." (Movieline)

"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES plunges headlong into the abyss, as seemingly every grim, paranoid post-9/11 fantasy comes to pass....Nolan has hijacked the form to bring it down to earth." -- Grade: A- (A.V. Club)

3.5 stars out of 4 -- "The final chapter in the DARK KNIGHT saga allows Bale to move deeply into Bruce/Batman's troubled soul. Bale, up to every challenge in a tough role, gives a hypnotic, haunting performance." (Rolling Stone)

5 stars out of 5 -- "As the scale and stakes balloon, Nolan maintains taut control....The storytelling coheres sharper than THE DARK KNIGHT." (Total Film)

"Theme-wise, Nolan tackles nothing less than societal upheaval, urban unrest, class warfare, personal sacrifice, and spiritual salvation....That's epic stuff..." -- Grade: B (Entertainment Weekly)

"The whole climax of this epic-length installment plays out on a heroic scale, with soaring Hans Zimmer music and floods of tears..." (Sight and Sound)