Movie critics offer their take on the final chapter in the epic trilogy.
View full sizeThis undated film image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Christian Bale as Batman in a scene from the action thriller "The Dark Knight Rises." (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Ron Phillips)The final chapter in Christopher Nolan's blockbuster Batman trilogy arrives in theaters on Friday. Here is what the critics have to say about "The Dark Knight Rises."
"Few blockbusters have borne so heavy a burden of audience expectation as Christopher Nolan's final Batman caper, and the filmmaker steps up to the occasion with a cataclysmic vision of Gotham City under siege in 'The Dark Knight Rises.'" – Justin Chang, Variety
"This is a dark and heavy film; it tests the weight a superhero movie can bear. That Nolan is able to combine civil anarchy, mass destruction and a Batcycle with exercise-ball tires is remarkable. That he does it without using 3D is admirable. That much of it was shot in the 70mm IMAX format allows it to make that giant screen its own. That it concludes the trilogy is inevitable; how much deeper can Nolan dig? It lacks the near-perfection of 'he Dark Knight' (2008), it needs more clarity and a better villain, but it's an honorable finale." – Roger Ebert
"The movie may not top 'The Avengers' at the worldwide box office, but it is a far, far better thing — maybe the best, most troubling, assured and enthralling of all the superhero movies." – Richard Corliss, Time
"This third—and, the director insists, final—installment of Mr. Nolan's series makes you feel thoroughly miserable about life. It's spectacular, to be sure, but also remarkable for its all-encompassing gloom. No movie has ever administered more punishment, to its hero or its audience, in the name of mainstream entertainment." – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
"Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy makes everything in the rival Marvel universe look thoroughly silly and childish. Entirely enveloping and at times unnerving in a relevant way one would never have imagined, as a cohesive whole this ranks as the best of Nolan's trio, even if it lacks – how could it not? – an element as unique as Heath Ledger's immortal turn in 'The Dark Knight.' It's a blockbuster by any standard." – Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter
"Just let 'The Dark Knight Rises' propel you into Nolan's carefully wrought maze. You may have to fight yourself out. But a movie this potent and provocative is well worth the battle." – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"After a breathless, bravura final act, a nuclear payload of catharsis brings The Dark Knight Rises, and Nolan's trilogy, to a ferociously satisfying close." – Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph
“'The Dark Knight Rises' feels overloaded, and sadly lacking the spark that gave 2008’s 'The Dark Knight' such vibrancy. The absence of Heath Ledger, who won a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the anarchic and truly frightening Joker, is really obvious here. It retrospect, it makes you realize how crucial Ledger’s performance was in making that Batman movie fly." – Christy Lemire, Associated Press
“'The Dark Knight Rises' isn’t an easy super-hero movie, like the fun 'The Amazing Spider-Man' or 'The Avengers' which reliably delivered fan-friendly archetypes. It is, through and through, a Nolan movie - a brooding, complicated film that asks that you come to the theater prepared, and that you watch the movie engaged. Is that too much to ask?" – Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
"Director Christopher Nolan and his team have delivered the grandest, most emotional and superheroic chapter in their Batman saga." – Jim Vejvoda, IGN
"Chaos reigns for much of The Dark Knight Rises, often in big, beautiful, IMAX-size scenes that only Nolan could have conceived. Yet when the apocalyptic dust literally settles on this concluding chapter, the character who lingers longest in memory is an average Gotham City cop named John Blake, wonderfully played with human-scale clarity by Joseph Gordon-Levitt." – Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly