Wait, when do we get to the part that you deserve death threats for? Because that looks like a largely positive review.

thank you for staying pretty much spoiler free, and for being upfront about it. unlike some of your colleagues.

Paul Constant, it's clear you've never even read a Batman comic before writing this review!

@3 - I'm sorry, did I miss the part where it said that this was the place for comic reviews? No? Then who gives a shit if he hadn't even heard of Batman before seeing this movie.

HOW DARE YOU DISPARAGE ANNE HATHAWAY! you will pay - WITH YOUR LIFE.

but it will take another 50 - 60 odd years for my plan to take effect...

Spolier free as advertised. I'll catch this in the theater for sure.

@4: *whoosh*

You lost me when you said Dark Knight was the best superhero movie ever made.

@7 - I assume that's the sound of the joke flying right over 4 (and 8)'s head? Because, yeah.

@1: Ain't I a stinker?

I expect the hate and death threats will come when certain people see it and hate it. The hate for blockbusters of this size is always out of proportion. Nolan gets things wrong, and he gets overambitious, and it'll make a lot of people very angry.

@2: Good one. Even better that two people didn't get it. (God, I wish I hadn't read some of the comics this movie is based on.)

@5:A lot of reviewers really liked Anne Hathaway, but I think she's not so memorable in this one. A large part of the blame for that, though, goes to Nolan. It's his weak-female-character thing again.

@9: What would you call the best superhero movie? And how recently have you re-watched your pick for best superhero movie? I saw Begins and Dark Knight back-to-back over the weekend, and I stand by my claim.

@12

"What would you call the best superhero movie?"

This is a no brainer: this film.

The Avengers is the best superhero movie made to-date. And Begins was superior to The Dark Knight.

If you graded purely on ambition and acting, The Dark Knight would be the best superhero movie ever in a walk. But execution and writing also count, and there's no getting around the fact that The Dark Knight's second act is a complete mess, precisely in the "too many moving pieces; makes no actual sense" vein noted above. (To review: Gordon fakes his death by pretending to be shot by gunmen that nobody knew were there until they started firing, so that he can drive Harvey Dent to jail after Dent confesses to being Batman -- a plan that Dent hasn't shared with anyone at this point -- because having an incorruptible and presumed-dead police lieutenant at the wheel is very important when the Joker and his henchman are attacking your caravan with rocket-propelled grenades.)

So, best all-over superhero movie? X-Men 2. And damn Bryan Singer and Brett Ratner both for letting that franchise tank immediately afterward.

@12: paul, i was just coming up with a reason to threaten your life over the review.

i truly, truly do not care about anne hathaway.

Yeah I think The Dark Knight is a hell of a lot more convoluted than Batman Begins.

Good review. No spoilers. I'm considering going out to see a summer movie for once.

Thanks for the review P.C. If I go see it, does that mean that summer is over?

Christian Bale is a great actor, but a terrible over-acting Batman. His "Batman voice" sounds like a comedic parody. When he talks to Alfred I keep expecting Alfred to say "Hey Bruce, it's just us here, you don't have to use the voice."

I don't know about the "greatest superhero movie" ever made but I can say that by far the greatest Batman movies ever made were the original two.

I miss Lindy.

I didn't leave the film feeling exhausted and beaten up, as I had with The Dark Knight. But then, I guess I didn't really expect to. I'd call this a good end to the trilogy; it can stand on its own, which is something I'm sure we'll be left wanting in the upcoming JLA tie-in Batman flick.

Personally, I thought Hathaway did a decent job; she dripped sexuality, and used it to her full advantage whenever possible. Just as Catwoman should, IMO. And props to the production designers who worked out using her gogles as her "cat ears".

@22 - Gonna have to agree with you. The Catwoman costuming was pretty brilliant.

I thought Hathaway put in a solid performance. I confess that my opinion may be swayed by the degree that I'm physically attracted to her, but then...isn't that half the POINT of Catwoman?

Feels like Paul wrote this before he saw it. Wish The Stranger would have had someone else review it.
"Batman Begins" is Nolan's best Batman, hands down. The Saw-esque "Dark Knight" and way-over-infalted "Rises" had little character development (apparently most of the development between "Knight" and "Rises" happened off screen), and all also have the thinnest of plots. As Jim Emerson has stated "Good vs. Evil" is not a theme.
I hate these movies where the ending is decided first and they write backwards to make the first 2 acts lead to (a ridiculous) climax. It's like the opposite of JJ Abrams who writes a good setup but doesn't know how to pay off.
And don't even get me started on the janky-ass setups and poor editing. What's the point of $3mil set piece that isn't filmed so you know what's going on.
Gimme Whedon's brainless yet cohesive Avengers over Nolan's disjointed, overblown, proseltyzing mess.

I know i"m in the minority, because I thought this movie was the most boring, stupid, lame piece of crap I've seen in 10 years. I loved "The Dark Knight" and thought it was brilliant, and that Heath Ledger was amazing.

But this? Barf. (My boyfriend: "What are you talking about? That movie was awesome!!")

And Anne Hathaway? It's the first time I've seen her in anything, and hated her. Hated. Her. Unattractive (horse face), boring acting. I see nothing in her. (Boyfriend also disagrees with this opinion as well.) ;)

This was an excellent review- thank you!

@26 Anne Hathaway...horse face? Who knew I had thing for horses!

But Michelle Pfeiffer will alawys be my Catwoman.

....and Danny Devito my Penguin! Oh sweet, sweet, little round penguin-man!

As for the movie: I liked, not loved, the Dark Knight Rises but I need to see it again when it's out on DVD in order to give a fully developed opinion...which I know you will all be waiting for! ;)

I thought the film was a mixed bag, but far better than I expected. I loved much of The Dark Knight (though I still wince at the short shrift Two Face was given. That character deserved a film of his own though I'm not sure Aaron Eckhart was a great choice for the character)- but I'd probably go back and forth between choosing it or The Watchmen as best superhero film. Had the Two Face aspect been as thrilling as Ledger's Joker, it might have been unsurpassable.