I must admit that I had to stifle a laugh when Bruce went to see Lt. Dangle at the hospital, though that scene I think was intended for a bit of a chuckle, so perhaps the casting was not too strange.

The sewer fight is easily the best fight scene in the trilogy. One of the best one on one fight scenes I've ever seen. Period.

So this film is stunning. It's not a masterpiece on quite the level that The Dark Knight was, but I felt that Nolan has improved leaps and bounds since Batman Begins. It's just epic and fun and grand and brilliant throughout. The cast is universally great, and the new additions (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard) more than hold their own...but Anne Hathaway runs away with the film whenever she's on screen. I was a bit skeptical of her casting at first but she killed this. This trilogy is just full of great achievements. I'll write more concrete thoughts tomorrow when I'm not so tired. But even though TDKR can't reach the heights of its predecessor (nor did I expect it to), it still warrants an A from me.

I've seen people call that scene flat and I think they're insane.

It is an amazing scene. Perfectly choreographed, cut, acted, and shot. (Part of the reason why their second fight is deflating and mediocre.)

I just can't accept Bane's death. I just can't. I've read justifications, but they don't cut it for me.

Maybe I'm a Michael Bay barbarian, but I wanted the ferocity and intensity of the first fight on steroids at the end. It starts to get there, but then it peters out.

I don't really get the complaints bemoaning that Selina killed Bane and not Batman, or that his death was too "easy." I mean, he was recovering from being stabbed at the time, and I felt the moment had more to do with her embracing the notion of heroism and Batman's ideals anyway.

He's also recovering from the holistic vertebrae-kick/quasi-crucifixion treatment.

Selina should have helped Gordon with the bomb. Or have her show up to chase Talia after Batman's finished Bane. Just can't accept Bane's death becoming this ha-ha girl-power moment for Catwoman. It undermines Bane as a character.

The Cillian Murphy cameo in this movie is so fantastic. Superior even to the cameo in The Dark Knight. "Death...by exile."

I hope Jonathan Crane is still alive at the film's end.

Also, I think Nolan might be making some kind of point by not giving the villains in this film super dramatic, over the top deaths. Bane is quickly dispatched by Selina, and Talia (even though she only exists in the film as a villain for a brief time, I'll certainly count her) is felled by a car wreck. It seemed purposeful to me.

One other question: even though it is super poignant, why does Alfred feel he can only nod in Bruce's direction at the end? They are virtual family. He can't go over and have a beer with Bruce and Selina? They can't continue to be friends and confidants because he's not Batman anymore?

Did you miss his speech towards the beginning of the film? Where he had hoped to never see Bruce back in Gotham and would see Bruce in Florence with a wife/children and give him a knowing nod but not speak to him?

I think it is more that they both know that the other is fine and that as long as they know that, there is no need to go further.

I know this is the point, and at first I accepted it, and it's poignant, but it's also bullshit, IMO. Bruce was raised by Alfred, through good times and bad. I believe he would still want to have Alfred in his life.

Just doesn't ring true.

Two other notes of character interaction I just couldn't invest in:

1. BLAKE KNOWS BRUCE IS BATMAN...because he can tell when an orphan is pretending. Farmiga and Sarsgaard could have used those skills.

2. Bruce stringing Fox along for months regarding the Bat's autopilot function. Why? Bruce couldn't have known what exactly would transpire during the final day of Bane's control of Gotham. It facilitates the oh-snap-he's-alive "twist," but it doesn't sit well considering the deep respect Bruce and Fox seem to have for each other.

Bruce only has The Bat for a few days before his confrontation with Bane, and he's very much planning the bomb run after he comes back. Look for it the next time you see the film -- whenever the autopilot is mentioned, Bruce has a very knowing look. He already knows what might happen and he's setting it up.

He must be psychic then. He knew every single element--people's actions, the timeline of events, etc.--would fall exactly into place to allow him to "leave" Batman in such a way.

All right. Fine. Even then, why the subterfuge? Is Bruce a secret asshole? At the end, Fox still knows Bruce was Batman, and he still finds out Bruce is alive.

It's not like Bruce was around for months stringing Fox along. He was in prison for what? 4 months? Was there ever any reason to tell fox he fixed the auto pilot? Didn't Fox imply that he should be able to fix it anyway?

I don't believe what you're saying is Nolan's intent, but such an impression might be a byproduct of what Manohla Dargis terms head-over-heart storytelling.

I wonder if Nolan and Guy Pearce hate each other. Nolan has utilized so many actors twice or even three to four times, but has never cast him again. A shame. I s'pose this is also true of Al Pacino and Robin Williams, but they are harder to cast. Such big movie-star presences. Pearce is more a chameleon.

Interesting. I could see it. Though Eckhart was no doubt the right choice. He has such a "politician" quality.

Anne Hathaway's worth the price of admission.

Not much else. It's mediocre. Again, so many people jizzing over Nolan, yet there's been 'zilch development over these three movies. I mean, the fact that Magnus is openly questioning Batman's intentions and true 'character' in a summer blockbuster where everything is always filmed so intentionally...sort of proves my point.

And, again. The movie is, once again, so depressingly humorless. Hathaway has a few good one-liners, but my crowd didn't track them. Or, they did, but they feared laughing in such a "DARK" movie.

B/B-. Glad I went, hope there's more action roles for Anne Hathaway down the road, but does nothing to change my view of Nolan

Nolan "should" (lol, as if I am the authority) do a smaller film next. Don't get 100 percent pigeonholed as the director of Big-budget, FX-heavy Extravaganzas with Serious Tones and Creative Ideas. Particularly since The Dark Knight Rises shows him stumbling a bit under the incredible pressure to deliver a COMPLICATED, UNPRECEDENTED, MEANINGFUL EPIC EXPERIENCE.

I would love to see a Nolan-directed horror movie.

Regarding Nolan... I hope he puts a lot into Superman. Maybe make an original film in 3-ish years.