What drew me to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight was their indisputable clarity - the clean fine execution and character sketches in taut plots. And that is precisely where I lost it with The Dark Knight Rises. The sheer clutter of a "decommissioned" Batman, the wiles of a Cat-woman, the inevitable comparisons of Bane (Tom Hardy) to the inimitable Joker (Heath Ledger) in the preceding edition - all of it, for the non-diehard Batman fan, was really a smorgasbord of events and characters that left anything but an indelible impression. What a mishmash to end one of the best series of all time. Expectedly, the movie drew praise from viewers and critics alike - the perils of a cult fan following that is all too willing to live the moment and forgive all
10.5/20
