In order to protect Harvey Dent's good name and preserve the enormous number of convictions he secured as District Attorney. Batman decides to shoulder the responsibility of criminal acts perpetrated by former District Attorney, who was driven to personality disorder by the actions of the criminally insane, Joker. Eight years later, In the aftermath of the events, a recluse Bruce Wayne is forced out of retirement, picking-up the mantle of Batman once again, by the emergence of a new enemy. The masked criminal Bane. This mysterious adversary makes short work of the crime-fighter, now well past his prime. Not only is Batman defeated, but an under siege Gotham falls victim to a new order under the boot-heals of Bane and his followers.
I'm particularly fond of underdog/comeback story's so my expectations for Bruce Wayne/Batman to rise to the occasion a-mist impossible odds were high. Though the set-up is nearly perfect the end-game just didn't deliver.
#1) TWIST ENDING: Batman's back is severely damaged in his first hand to hand encounter with Bane. He's left broken at the hands of his enemy, both physically and emotionally. Though I won't nit-pick about his speedy recovery in an under-ground primitive prison without the miracle of modern science/medicine and a licensed, practising doctor. I will however nit-pick over Batman's second confrontation with Bane. An encounter which is too short and not as impact-full as the first. Also, immediately following Banes defeat, Batman is stabbed incapacitating him, by his love interest/business partner Miranda Tate. Revealing Miranda is actually the daughter of Batman's former mentor/enemy Ra's al Ghul. Talia al Ghul is the true mastermind behind the plot to destroy Gotham city and to break its champion, not Bane. Reducing one the deadliest foes in Batman's rouges-gallery, yet again (Director Joel Schumacher's 1997 Batman & Robin) into a lackey at the bequest of a beautiful fem-fatal.
#2)THE WORLDS GREATEST DETECTIVE? The films script also tends to forget or down-play Batman's deductive reasoning and he's somehow unable to deduce that Miranda is playing both sides. He also makes the same mistake with Selina (Cat Woman) Kyle earlier in the film. One could argue: Batman knew Selina was playing both sides and knew she would sell him out to Bane to save her own skin. But if he could deduce Selina's true motives why would he fall for it with Miranda/Talia? One could also argue: Batman had an emotional connection with Miranda which blinded him to her real agenda. Okay, that may be plausible if the film had spent more time with Bruce and Miranda actually developing a real romantic relationship. However such is not the case. Besides a roll in the hey, the two hardly spend any real quality time together for Bruce to grow so attached, that he'd be fooled by her deception. I guess he's only the worlds greatest detective in the comics. But I digress, back to Batman being incapacitated by the knife wound inflicted upon him by Talia. Leaving The Dark Knight defeated, yet again, and at the mercy of Bane, yet again. Selina bursts in on the bat-pod and rescues the damsel, I mean Dark Knight in distress.
#3)TOO MANY ENDINGS! Batman sacrifices himself to save Gotham by disposing of a bomb into the bay moments before it detonates in his air-craft dubbed "The Bat" . BOOM! The film could have ended there but it doesn't. Earlier the film foreshadowed this moment by stating the auto-pilot wasn't functional. Then after what seems like Batman's ultimate sacrifice, it's revealed through exposition, the auto-pilot had been repaired. They could have rolled credits here but they didn't. Nope, they probably felt their audience was too stupid to understand the not so subtle hint to Batman surviving the explosion. So a visual enactment of a hypothetical scenario Alfred describes earlier in the film is played out. Where in, Alfred visits Florence and envisions a better life for Bruce where he never returned to Gotham and never became a crime-fighter, and he lived happily ever after. Only this time Alfred isn't daydreaming, he witness Bruce alive and well and in the company of Selina. Okay, full closure right. However the film still doesn't end. The films actual final ending feels tagged on for fan service. For those who were disappointed that the Dark Knight's junior partner never made an appearance. Detective Robert Blake's real name turns out to be Robin and he seeks out the bat-cave. Suggesting he'll take over as Batman, or Robin or Nightwing or who knows. Though I'm a huge Robin/Nightwing fan, I feel that he doesn't fit into the world Christopher Nolan created and also feel this misrepresentation to be a big disservice to the character.
All nit picks aside The Dark Knight Rises is still a four out of five stars movie going experience. This article was written out of genuine respect and appreciation for Batman and all related characters. It's based on personal opinion/perception and is not meant to offend any fans of The Dark Knight Rises.