Quite simply, The Dark Knight Rises is magnificent, not only as a more than fitting end to the Nolan trilogy but also as a superb example of film-making. The anarchy of The Dark Knight is replaced here by a harsh, almost clinical physicality, from Bruce Wayne's opening physical degeneration to the utterly palpable threat offered by Bane every time he appears on screen. The intelligently subtle scripting offers terrific dialogue and excellently controlled plotting which makes this long film incredibly rewarding and provides numerous wonderful pay-offs - both large and small - to viewers who have followed this trilogy. Even within the confines of a comic-book story however, there are a couple of moments that truly stretch suspension of narrative disbelief to the very limit, but after all this is a Batman film, not a gritty documentary. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are all terrific actors who are at the top of their game here, and even the usually irritating Anne Hathaway provides an excellently cool real-world socially-aware take on the Selina Kyle character. Huge credit goes to Wally Pfister for truly stunning cinematography and to Hans Zimmer for a majestic and powerful score that works sublimely throughout, as well as the stunningly realised effects which are occasionally quite breathtaking. The film does not lose out in using Nolan's preference for IMAX rather than 3D, as the power of the images and the director's complete control and understanding of what is on screen is absorbing and commanding from the very start. It will be interesting to see where Warners take this property in the future - and the ending does offer further possibilities - but for now The Dark Knight Rises may well prove to be the film of 2012.
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