Now, I was one of the people who trusted Nolan. Actually, I registered here just for Nolan's Batman news. I was waiting for this movie. With that being said, you might be a bit surprised about what I have to say. I will try to present my review in a few quick notes. Some spoilers ahead.
Disclaimer: I didn't see it in IMAX and I didn't see it in the original voice acting. However I will mostly focus on other things, so that shouldn't MUCH hamper my judgement, but be ready to take it with a grain of salt.
The Good:
1) Bane looked absolutely massive when Gordon is brought to him.
2) There is a bit in the second Bane vs Batman fight, where Bane seems like he is punching with light speed. I loved that. Ironically though, this is the only scene in the whole movie, where you can notice that Bane is shorter than Batman.
3) This movie didn't feel like 2h45min. I thought it was 1h30mins. Had to consult my watches, because I seriously thought there was some kind of fraud going on the theater. The plot is really tight, a lot of things are going on and despite what some other people say, I didn't feel like action was void for the first part of the movie. Actually, we get to the next action piece, involving Catwoman and later Bane, pretty quickly.
4) Anne Hathaway gave an amazing performance as Catwoman. I can tell that even without hearing the original voice acting. But I don't think she had enough screen time to warrant an Oscar nod.
5) I loved Bane's eye-acting. However, until I hear the original voice acting, can't judge him.
6) Some people didn't like how Bane was handled in the end, but I loved the reveal, his true role in the pit. That suited him, it was good.
The Bad:
1) I didn't like the way the story was told. There is a whole lot of big scenes, concerning the framework of Bane's plan that are only briefly discussed and you never feel the punch. Everything moves along too quick. I didn't feel any emotional connection with Bruce climbing out of the pit. The recovery was too soon, in the sense that there are 1-2 scenes where he is broken, and figuratively, the 3rd scene - he has escaped. Same with Bane filling concrete with explosives. Now, thinking back, it was ingenius, but it never punched me in the movie. It was so briefly metioned, drowned in some other dialogue, that I nearly missed it, and when I recollected, it was too late to have an impact on me.
2) Already mentioned it in the 1st, but this movie really lacked focusing on the framework. I liked how they explained how Bruce went bankrupt through options, how the concrete was mixed with explosives. But at the same time, there is this magical "clean list" program? the knee-brace, although I could forgive that. Then the supplies for the city. Only one brief scene on the bridge - and thats it, problem solved? I guess, there is no plothole there, but I didn't FEEL the supplies having any effect. The cops in the underground. We never see them underground except for one brief shot where they are eating conserves. And the next thing I know they are standing in the street. Again, ZERO emotional impact on me.
3) Now Bane's plan. He very effectively seized control of the city. for what? he turned out to be just some madman with a bomb. I guess, all the fuss with the revolution was brought to life just to buy time for the bomb to explode? Feels void. I won't even get in the wasted opportunity at moral ambiguity, with the revolution. And it seemed to me they didnt tribute French revolution, they kinda mocked it. It was done badly. And again, the city is under seige right? But there are no shots of people getting food, I don't know, getting terrorized, some new order Nolan INFORMS me that city is under seige, rather than SHOWING it.
4) Too much expository dialogue. Especially when the framework is concerned (how cops are doing under ground? explained rather than shown. How people were surviving 4 months? explained, rather than shown). It's like the movie is trying to convince you that it is good (by talking about how good it is), rather than demonstrating it.
5) In places I really felt that mask hampered Tom's acting ability. The guy does what could be done best with that strap on the face, but it stands in the way. It is cool to look at on the posters, but when it is movie time it hurts. Thanks to Tom's eyes and screen presence, that didnt turn into disaster. Also, from the pieces of original voice acting that I heard, he took advantage of that too. "I AM the lEAgue of shadOWs".
My verdict: good action, some good promise, good plot and good story, sloppy editing, too little focus on the framework to the point of unbelievability.
3/5, or 6.3/10