I want to preface this review with a little soapbox moment. Back in January, I ran a story where a friend and contact of mine helped by disclosing some information on some of the possible endings to The Dark Knight Rises. One of the proposed endings was as follows:
Bane is defeated, but the device is active and with little time to spare. Bruce tries to call in The Bat (the flying machine) remotely as he tries to take the device as far out as possible. sadly, the signal emanating from the device scrambles the remote control and Bruce has to manually fly the device out to sea. A large explosion takes place and it's assumed that Batman died in the explosion. People have been trying to figure out who JGL is playing, and rumor has it...he's playing John Blake. He helps out Bruce during the course of the film, and eventually takes over the cowl. End of the film echoes the ending of the first, but with JGL wearing a newer Batsuit (Described as very Batman Beyond-esque). This is also supposed to mirror the words said by Ras Al Ghul in Begins where he mentions how Batman can be a symbol, more then just a man. Despite the death of Bruce, Batman lives on.
While there were some alterations to this; as in the Autopilot supposedly not working when I initially reported it as interference from the bomb; or Alfred seeing Bruce at the restaurant with Selina Kyle (when I reported that there was no explicit clue of Bruce's survival). That being said -- the bomb, JGL and his true role, the 'death' of Bruce Wayne and Batman. It's all there. I want to thank my contact, I am slightly opposed to spoilers but there'll always be some sense of pride in discovering a scoop. Especially with a movie so shrouded in secrecy.
On to the movie. I thought it was great; I don't think it manages to accomplish the same goals that The Dark Knight did. In fact, the film is closer in tone and feel to that of Batman Begins.
The first portion of the film is essentially meant to show that Bruce is a battered man. Left scarred from the final moments of The Dark Knight -- Bruce is essentially a recluse. This works for the film, and plays into the theme of Batman rising once more. Works well, even if it draws itself thin with some of the Bruce/Selina stuff (as great as both actors are).
The prison scenes were great. I obviously enjoyed that, yes, Bane breaks the Bat! It was nice to see Bruce so focused on saving Gotham. With the TV as a constant reminder to what was back at home. Seeing him fail, and then rise finally -- it was great to see.
The finale worked. As we've no doubt seen, I knew the rough ending for months now. It still shocked me. I knew the ending, I knew Miranda was really Talia...but it still worked. I would've liked to see JGL get a suit; maybe even the Batman Beyond inspired suit that was a hot idea floating around. Still, I suppose Chris was saving that for an indirect sequel where a new director will hopefully come along and direct JGL as the new Batman.
Casting choices were great on that note. Christian Bale is again excellent as Bruce/Batman and again, I real did think his prison scenes were some of my favourite in the film. Hathaway is great as Selina, as is Hardy as Bane. For Hardy, he does more with his eyes to compensate for a covered up mouth. He shows so much malice and hatred in those eyes throughout the film, it's astounding to watch. JGL was great as John Blake; although to be honest, his reveal as being 'Robin' should've come earlier in the film, not at the end. It just doesn't have that time to sink in. Which is a problem I have with the the plot twist involving Talia and Bane.
What else do you want me to say? It is a technical achievement! Hans Zimmer delivered a great score, Wally shoots more brilliantly (and less dependent on VFX) then most other Cinematographers.
I do appreciate The Dark Knight Rises as a successor to The Dark Knight, and a complete cycle with Batman Begins. I'd argue it's a better film then Begins; but not a better movie then The Dark Knight. It wraps everything up, and wraps up Bruce's story most importantly. I want to see where Warner Bros. takes this but that's a part of the fun.