The Dark Knight Rises

Name: The Dark Knight Rises
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller, Crime
Released: July 20, 2012
Duration: 165 min
Rating: 78
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard

2012

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 45 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 8638 Ratings

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8.8

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8.8	User Score Universal acclaim based on 8638 Ratings

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The Dark Knight Rises

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: July 20, 2012 | PG-13

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hardy

Summary: It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City wasIt has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act. But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane. (Warner Bros. Pictures)… Expand

Director: Christopher Nolan

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller, Crime

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 165 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

The Playlist Todd Gilchrist

Jul 23, 2012

A cinematic, cultural and personal triumph, The Dark Knight Rises is emotionally inspiring, aesthetically significant and critically important for America itself – as a mirror of both sober reflection and resilient hope. Read full review

100

Lou Lumenick

Jul 18, 2012

Christopher Nolan's dramatically and emotionally satisfying wrap-up to the Dark Knight trilogy adroitly avoids clichés and gleefully subverts your expectations at every turn. Read full review

Scott Tobias

Jul 18, 2012

The miracle of Nolan's Batman trilogy is the way it imprints those myths with the dread-soaked tenor of the times. Read full review

The Guardian Xan Brooks

Jul 16, 2012

The Dark Knight Rises may be a hammy, portentous affair but Nolan directs it with aplomb. He takes these cod-heroic, costumed elements and whisks them into a tale of heavy-metal fury, full of pain and toil, surging uphill, across the flyovers, in search of a climax. Read full review

Claudia Puig

Jul 18, 2012

While it's the most ambitious of the three films, it's not as mesmerizing as 2008's "The Dark Knight." The plot is occasionally murky, its archvillain lacks charismatic menace, and the last hour is belabored. Read full review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Jul 17, 2012

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. Read full review

Rex Reed

Jul 18, 2012

Halfheartedly, I give The Dark Knight Rises - the third and final Batflick in the Nolan trilogy - one star for eardrum-busting sound effects and glaucoma-inducing computerized images in blinding Imax, but talk about stretching things. Read full review

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User Reviews

filmbuff96

Mar 14, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Truly and amazing piece of film work, and creating a story to challenge Batman even further to truly become a symbol. Nolan and Bale accomplished what they set out to do, and truly made this film a great summer blockbuster.To cap the dark and grim trilogy off, it ended with Bruce Wayne having a happy ending. A true dedicated film to the fans of the trilogy and of Batman.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MRedzuan

Jul 20, 2012

The Dark Knight Rises was gloriously the best moment of my life in a movie theatre. It stands alone, peerless in the pantheon of superhero movies. There will be no spoilers here and if the impulse to spoil yourself before watching the film is too excruciating to bear, remember this, it'll beThe Dark Knight Rises was gloriously the best moment of my life in a movie theatre. It stands alone, peerless in the pantheon of superhero movies. There will be no spoilers here and if the impulse to spoil yourself before watching the film is too excruciating to bear, remember this, it'll be the equivalent of Selina Kyle robbing you blind. When Batman Begins came out, I was very sceptical about watching another one of those Batman flicks, such is the enduring traumatic impression Joel Schumacher's films left me. Thank goodness I did and from that point on there's no turning back. Christopher Nolan's finale made all the recently released superhero movies look like child's play to be honest, it is the appetizer to the main course that is the final chapter of The Dark Knight trilogy. The typical critique of Chris Nolan's movies is that it might be too cerebral for the casual moviegoer, no it's not. His films are universal, it's so well-layered, directed towards everyone. If you're more of the "intellectual genre" you'll notice the political undertones and social commentaries and what have you, but even if it goes over your head, it doesn't detract your experience from the film. Fanatic fans of the Batman comics will love all the little nods and references, even the major ones from the comic books thoughtfully implemented throughout the film.
Christian Bale is just magnificent, as he puts it he plays three characters, the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, the true persona of Bruce Wayne still grieving the lost of his parents and the Batman. He's the defining actor of The Dark Knight, his portrayal of all these characters are just perfect and even though he's a man dressing up at night as a bat beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands, we empathise with him. Returning inhabitants of Gotham and Bruce's fundamental foundation of his lifestyle is Gary Oldman's aged and weary morally-strayed Commissioner Jim Gordon, the Q to Batman's James Bond, Lucius Fox and possibly a Best Supporting Actor nominee perhaps, the closest thing to a father figure Bruce can get, his moral compass, oozing with words of wisdom, Michael Caine's Alfred Pennyworth. Scenes between the trio are so poignant, beautifully crafted and presented, it's so hard to watch without getting a lump in your throat, to describe it as tear-jerking ia an understatement. One of the newcomers is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's solid portrayal of beat cop John Blake and Marion Cotillard's enviromentalist Miranda Tate. The chief antagonist is Tom Hardy's full time terrorist Bane, He's frightening to watch, Tom embodies and embraces the sheer brutality and monstrosity of "the mercenary" flawlessly with half his face covered up, the way he conveys his emotions with only his eyes is amazing. Anne Hathaway's morally ambiguous Selina Kyle is a wild card, it's really fun to watch the development and chemistry between Bruce/Selina and Batman/the cat burglar. The 2 hours and 44 minutes running time didn't feel long at all, the story flows seamlessly as it comes full circle with flashbacks from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, it's all beautifully balanced between the intimate moments of character development that's unusual in a summer blockbuster film and the really elaborate and simply put awesome all-out war action sequences and the choreography of the brawls between Batman and Bane is much improved than the previous films. The most important element of The Dark Knight Rises however and what makes it a gem is that it manages to amp up the suspense and anxiety to incredible heights knowing that every single character is dispensable including the Batman. When was the last time you watched a superhero film and feel a genuine concern that our hero is not going to come out alive? Exactly.
Thank you Christopher Nolan for not giving in to the public and I'm assuming studio demands to continue this magnificent 7-year journey we have all been through together, to truly end this great vision of the legend with integrity, to give this great story a great and true conclusion to let the Batman ride off into the sunset if you will. It was the ending this iconic character deserved. And to anyone who thinks the Rises in The Dark Knight Rises is just a convenient way to name the film, it makes complete sense, it… Expand

91 of 145 users found this helpful9154

Wnwja

May 8, 2021

jesus mary and joseph i haven’t watched this movie in so long and I always forgot how flawless it is. christopher nolan you brilliant wizard you

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Habbwgbagag

May 11, 2022

This movie was actually better than I remembered it being. Incredible cinematography, likeable characters, great acting, amazing plot, overall a very very good film with lessons and meaning in it, like it's predecessors. It is definetly one of the best movies that I've watched. It's amazingThis movie was actually better than I remembered it being. Incredible cinematography, likeable characters, great acting, amazing plot, overall a very very good film with lessons and meaning in it, like it's predecessors. It is definetly one of the best movies that I've watched. It's amazing how Bruce Wayne decides to return in order to find Bane, which he knows is a serious threat, just to get beat down (something you don't really witness in superhero movies), learn from it and finally find himself, defeat his fears through escaping a pit turned to a prison and save finally an entire city. It's heroic and adds a near perfect conclusion to my favourite trilogy of all time. There were quite a few memorable moments from this movie, like, obviously Batman's first appearance and Bane's first appearance, Stock market hit, Batman vs Bane in the sewers, and everything after and including the pit escape is just pure top tier cinema material.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

GagaForGhibli

Aug 6, 2012

What I Like To Call
Movie Of The Year

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

TheApplegnome

Jul 8, 2014

The final film with our beloved Batman is both awesome, stunning and furious.

Just as The Dark Knight, we have another incredible well made movie from Christopher Nolan and he keeps me heavily entertained. Just as the previous film, it suffers with a slow amount of action and to muchThe final film with our beloved Batman is both awesome, stunning and furious.

Just as The Dark Knight, we have another incredible well made movie from Christopher Nolan and he keeps me heavily entertained. Just as the previous film, it suffers with a slow amount of action and to much conversations, but in the end is The Dark Knight Rises a hell of a movie, and it might have one of the best endings I’ve ever seen.

Not as stunning as The Dark Knight, but it's still a masterpiece.

The Dark Knight Rises gets a 9/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

lastcrush

Mar 13, 2022

Okay. Bane is the highlight of this film and Anne hathway as Catwoman was just a bad secision

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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54	#54 Best Movie of 2012
1	#1 Most Discussed Movie of 2012
1	#1 Most Shared Movie of 2012