I fucking LOVED IT. Let's get this out of the way straight away - in some ways this is the very worst entry in the series, and in some ways its the very best entry in the series. It is BY FAR (like much, MUCH more than even BB) the most comic book-y of the films.
As such, it carries a whole host of contrivances and holes in the plot and the film's internal logic that trump anything seen in either BB or TDK. Big time. I suspect this is a movie that will have its nits picked to an extent that would make the nitpicking done on TDK seem tame. Also, time and distance are played extremely fast and loose with, and as such, I would probably would say its the messiest movie of the three, from an editing and plotting perspective. Some of the characters, Bane and Miranda Tate chief among them, were not nearly as well developed as Rhas was in BB or The Joker or Harvey were in TDK. Fabulously acted, but both felt as though they needed some more meat on their bones. The action wasn't bad at all, and most of it was clearly shot, but as usual it lacked that stylistic and editing prowess that Nolan's action always does. So yeah, TDKR has its problems.
Thankfully, it's also FUCKING AWESOME. Bruce's arc, which has always been the heart of the franchise for me (and his backseat role in TDK is one of the reasons I am down on that film), gets the treatment and the screentime it deserved, and Nolan pulled it off brilliantly. Like, fucking amazingly. I had the biggest smile on my face during the final scenes. The heart and emotional undercurrent that drove BB has returned here in droves, and Bale really gets to shine. It really felt like the ending to an epic trilogy, and it really went out with a bang. The final few minutes were just perfect. I suspect there will be some controversy arise out of some of the final events, but I felt there were all thematically justified and struck just the right note for me. I was 100% completely satisfied with the journey of Bruce Wayne.
There is a whole host of fanservice in this movie, but you know what? That shit fucking worked for me. TDK and especially BB have heaps of references to them, both overt and subtle, and I ate that shit right up. The cast was great as usual, with the real standouts aside from Bale this time being Michael Caine and Anne Hathaway. Caine just fucking slays me when he gets on with the emotional stuff, and Anne absolutely owned her role and definitely came to play. So many great scenes that I know I've likely forgotten half of them already, yet some of them are instantly unforgettable to me.
A bold, unconventional, out there conclusion to a flawed, but very special trilogy for me. It's Chris Nolan being Chris Nolan, and all the good and the bad that comes with it, and he nailed this one for me. A script with issues triumphed over by a movie with character arcs and emotional beats that resonate.
