From here on out, spoiler alert.
So, let's break it down. Pros and cons style.
Pros:
- Awesome performances. Bale is now my favorite Bruce Wayne. The scenes that made him the top spot was his scenes with Alfred. Great job. Even Anne Hathaway did a great job as Selina Kyle. She was able to balance the sultry and tenderness. Bane was definitely great. A physical and emotional powerhouse. However there were some issues here (save that for later).
- The ending. Near perfect. Nicely wraps up Bruce Wayne's story and still leaves the legend of the Batman open to be continued by "Robin."
Cons:
- Unnecessary. Certain pieces felt unnecessary. For example, the plane crash at the beginning. Did we really need to know about Dr. Pavel? Was the character really necessary to show us that no one could fix the reactor?
- Predictable. C'mon, we all knew Miranda Tate was Talia al Ghul. I feel like they forced Bruce and her getting together to make her betrayal mean more. But c'mon, who didn't see that coming even for those who have no knowledge of the comics.
Overall, one of the best comic book movies (hell, movie in general) that I've seen. Sure, it could've been streamlined and had a bit less predictability, but it was still a work of art.
So, where does the Bat-franchise go from here? That is for another blog.