The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The third-movie curse that has plagued so many other trilogies has been thwarted in this epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman Saga.  I am beyond satisfied.  It's so exhilarating to have one's favorite comic book hero brought to screen in such a bold and superior way.  Bob Kane is smiling from ear to ear with pride up there in heaven, I am sure.  I really don't know how to start.  I'm buzzed.  Bruce Wayne's journey is complete.  Bane turns out to be more threatening than the Joker (yes, I know that's shocking to some of you out there but that's what I thought) and Commissioner Gordon can still kick ass.  What's especially fun is watching Anne Hathway steal the show as Catwoman, I mean she surprised even me and I always thought she would be great.  I'd almost say it's a perfect film but of course it does have a few minor issues (and I mean minor as in tiny).  With all the pieces of the plot up in the air, juggled with skill by a brilliant director, it does feels like some corners are cut to keep an already long movie from being even longer.  What makes these movies so good isn't that they are dark.  The reason they surpasses all other superhero films is because they are about something more than bad guys and good guys.  There are themes at work here that are sweeping and important.  Batman isn't just a crime fighter, he's a symbol that we can fight back and that there is good in all of us that can break down the shadows that want to swallow us whole.  Fear can be defeated but only if one accepts that fear is important.  While Marvel's superheros succeed in making tons of money and entertain us with their colorful characters and broad strokes of adventure, they have less substance and ingenuity.   The Avengers is a fantastic festival of fun.  But it's like a happy meal in comparison to a steak dinner.  Bravo to Nolan and company, you just made a legendary cinema experience.  Grade: A

Spoilers: Obviously for those that have read the comics, there's not much to surprise you.  I wish I could have deleted what I knew about Batman lore before seeing this because I would have loved to experience all the twist and turns without knowing what I knew.  The story is a balance between the Knightfall series and No Man's Land.   It brings Ra's al Ghul back full circle and gives us a hint of a future Batman without Bruce.  Some are already calling for a sequel with the new Batman continuing in Nolan's Batman universe.  I say, let this be the end.   In five years or so Warner Brothers can reboot the character with a new look but let Nolan's world stand on its own, which it does so well.   Any continuation will only weaken what is the best Superhero trilogy of all time.