-Even at nearly 3 hours, this is a jampacked film. And unfortunately the flip side of that coin means that a lot of things get rushed through (IE, Blake sussing out Bats' identity pretty darned easily...but at the same time, I kind of dug that, because really, who the hell else could Batman be? It was sort of refreshing to see someone just be like "Yeah that's you. Clearly"). You don't really feel the fact that all the events of the film, from the very beginning to the end, actually happen over the course of about a year.
-Really dig that they took elements from two of my favourite arcs, Knightfall and No Man's Land, and mixed them up into a new story.
-Bane. When Tom Hardy booked this, he had to know he was about to take on the most difficult role in recent film history. Not only does he have to follow Heath Ledger's titanic Joker (And Aaron Eckhart's equally revelatory Two Face), but he's tasked with putting a new spin of one of the most beloved comic book villains ever, who was already portrayed as less than a joke in a previous film. And he's gotta do this with a mask covering his entire lower face for 99.9% of his screen time. And the dude just dives in fearlessly. Great portrayal. I love the way he speaks in this almost...imperial tone. I remember when I read the novelization of Knightfall, Bane's voice was described as almost musical. This fits pretty well. Physically, he looks like an absolute mothefucker, so much so that I'm not really sure why they decided to put him in coats and long sleeves for most of his screen time. I would've loved if he'd had Trogg, Bird, and Zombie for sidekicks, but I can see why he didn't.
-Selina. I think Anne nails it. Incredibly sexy. Love the acrobatic, liquid fighting style she uses.
-Bruce. I like that they went from a film that was really Batman heavy (Dark Knight), to a film that was really Bruce heavy. Even when he's suited up, you see a lot more of Bruce shining through than before. I like that the years have taken a toll on him (though I didn't quite buy his transition from cane using near cripple to Batman shape. But I'll forgive it). I love the cockiness on this bastard, when Alfred is telling him about Bane and essentially saying, this is a bad motherfucker, and Bruce is just like whatever I'll just fight harder. There's a certain egotistical side to Bruce that never really gets explored. I liked that little bit.
-John Blake. Another typically solid Joe Levitt performance. About halfway through the film I was waiting for a "Well, John Blake is just my foster name. My birth name is Richard" or what have you kind of line. The line they went with is probably better, a neat little nod to his role with the overtness. The last shot of him in the cave is outstanding.
-The first Bane/Batman confrontation is a great, great scene. I love the way it's presented. No fast edits. No music. You can tell from the moment Bane steps out, that Bats is just royally fucked. The physicality of some of those blows...the way Bane near shatters the helmet...awesome. They don't have the luxury of the whole Knightfall arc to set up how Batman is already broken by the time Bane snaps his back, but I did like that in this flick, he's essentially broken as soon as he's in there. He's been out of the game for 8 years and is a shadow of his former self.
-I wish there'd been a quick scene to fully wrap up Scarecrow, but I'm ok without it.
-Even though you knew the Talia Al Ghul revelation was coming, I loved the way it was handled. Talia ended up getting short shrift in terms of screen time, but I think the revelation of her back story informs the character enough that you get what she's capable of.
-The ending. Best part. All the talk surrounding the film, all the speculation that Nolan would kill Batman...and he kind of does, he kind of doesn't. But he does something far ballsier. He exorcises Bruce's demons. One of the big themes of Batman, the "Is Batman a mask that Bruce Wayne wears" vs. "Is Bruce Wayne a mask that Batman wears", everyone always seems to fall on the side of the latter. I love that this film takes the opposite tack. At the beginning, Nolan has Bruce out of the cowl for 8 years. At the end, permanently. Brings a whole new dimension to the series' repetition of Thomas Wayne's "Why do we fall?" line. Bruce has finally picked himself back up.
Yeah man. Loved it. There's certainly flaws, but the greatness overrides them. What a goddamned trilogy.