To those who are disappoint in the movie not being as action packed as The Dark Knight, and therefore claim that The Dark Knight Rises is an inferior movie, you have misjudged Christopher Nolan's movie making. The Dark Knight Rises is perhaps one the best movies I have ever seen, and as such, it is a fitting conclusion to The Dark Knight Trilogy.
To understand this movie for what it truly is, you first must understand that this movie is not a movie to stand alone. This movie requires you to have watched the previous movies to experience the journey of Bruce Wayne and his rise, fall, and end as Batman. The Dark Knight Trilogy isn't three movies with Batman, they are a cohesive story about Batman, and that is a very large difference in terms of the scale of the universe this trilogy is set in, and its plot.
Batman Begins was exactly as the name implies, a begginning. You see the development of Batman, of Bruce Wayne embracing his greatest fears and rejecting them in order to begin the healing of Gotham city. As such, you have villains to reflect the disolution of Gotham, its corruption and failing. You have Gotham in need of saving, from itself. The key themes here are the themes origins and the conquering of fear. The movie is all about taking the first step on a new path.
The Dark Knight takes place a little over a year after the events of Batman Begins. This movie reflects upon Batman's fight to bring about change to Gotham, and as such, by this time Bruce Wayne has fully embraced his role as the city's protector. He fears for nothing other than the harm that may befall others, however, he does not fully recognize the scope of potential consequences, and the death of Rachel shoves him into a darkness where he is no longer Bruce Wayne, he simply is the Batman. The fall of Harvey Dent from Gotham's DA to a cold blooded killer is fully understood in the theme of cause and effect. Rachel's death also pushes Harvey over the edge, but without something else to hold on to Harvey falls into madness. Furthermore the Joker ties into the theme of Order vs. Chaos. Remember, Gotham is at war with its criminals. The Joker even says he is an agent of chaos at one point, showing that his motives are merely anarchy. When Harvey dies at the end of the movie and Batman forces the blame upon himself the stage is set.
The Dark Knight Rises is the culmination of Gotham's fight to recover from the city it once was. Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight Bruce is still trapped in his dispair, and has given up being Batman, at least insofar as acting the part. In his heart he is still The Dark Knight. Bane is the embodiment of all the previous villains. He seeks to bring down Gotham, and with it, Batman. The Dark Knight Rises focuses on what came before, how things in the previous movies have reflected the current situation. It is a movie about falling, a movie about the depths of dispair, yet overcoming those depths, rising above them. Before, Bruce Wayne simply was The Dark Knight. Yet, after, at the end of all things he becomes more.
Overall the pacing of the movie is well thought out. There is a great deal of tension not only as the plot moves foward, but also in between characters and the relationships viewers have come to recognize, and rely upon. There are moments that raised a few eyebrows, but nothing that couldn't be overlooked in the grand scheme. The stakes are high, and as a final movie they should be. However, this is not a movie to be taken lightly, there is a great deal of thematic work here place subtly, and overtly within the movie. The movie, as I said before, isn't a movie with Batman, it is a movie about Batman. This is a movie that needs to be looked at for it's messages and themes, not just action scenes.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10
