I walked in with just basic information (Bane being the villain, Selina Kyle being in it, and No Man's Land elements being in it, and info off the trailers) having almost avoided the threads and the OT for the most part, so I'd say I was almost blind (like a bat!) to the speculations going in.
Overall, the movie was pretty solid. Story was engaging, the cast were fantastic, the way everything just came together was great.
Pros:
- Christian Bale. Not a standout performance, but being the central character, he didn't let me down.
- Michael Caine. His scenes were some of the most powerful in the movie. Really heartbreaking when he and Bruce were in that hallway in Wayne Manor, and he revealed that Rachel chose Dent instead of him, and he had burned her letter, with Bruce telling him, "goodbye, Alfred". Even more heartbreaking when Alfred was standing over Thomas and Martha Wayne's grave telling them he failed them. The one constant thing that the movies got right was Bruce and Alfred's relationship. It's never been master and servant, but any combination of friends, father and son, and brothers.
- Anne Hathaway. I was neither excited nor unimpressed by her casting, but I had faith that she'd do a good job. She did a hell of a job, and I think a lot of people misjudged her when she was cast for the role. I wouldn't go so far as saying she was the standout, but with a cast already established and clearly "stitched" together, she managed to fit in just fine.
- Tom Hardy. He was pretty intimidating as Bane, especially after beating the shit out of Batman. When he placed his hand Daggett's shoulder, you feel the fear. His face was covered for the entire movie, but Tom Hardy was able to express emotion just with his eyes. Really pulled it off well.
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt's role as John Blake for the most part. Felt like he was overdoing the "hothead cop" thing at times, but he did a good job. The Robin reveal was pretty much Nolan winking at us. Ain't even mad, thought it was funny.
- Plot. Straightforward, easy to understand, which are what you'd really hope for in a movie plot in general. With The Dark Knight, there were multiple threads to follow that, on my first viewing, left me a bit confused as to what had happened (made sense after a second viewing). This time, you have just the one big one: "Gotham's Reckoning", with Bane and the League of Shadows' backstory supporting it.
- Bane vs. Batman, Round 1. I was literally cringing watching Bane beat the shit out of Batman, and ultimately breaking his back. Every punch felt deadly, and it was just really painful watching. Well done scene.
- No Man's Land. Having just read the series, it's all pretty fresh to me. Seeing Gotham's bridges blown up, the government telling everyone that they haven't abandoned the city, with food rations coming in, Gordon still keeping his police force (glad they didn't label themselves as the "Blue Boys" lol) planning on getting the city back themselves.
- Bane and Talia plot twist. All through the movie, I was legitimately convinced that it was Bane that climbed out of the pit, and they simply decided to make him Ra's son, rather than put Talia in the movie. Well played.
- Football game. Hey, it's the Steelers! Wait, no. The "Rouges". Pretty much that whole scene. Bane taking control, telling the people of Gotham that their city is theirs to take control of, then shooting Pavel since he was the only one who knew how to disable the bomb.
Cons:
- Miranda Tate. Pretty much a background character for the most part. Felt like they wasted Marion Cotillard for the role. I actually liked the Talia Al Ghul reveal, but her death was pretty terrible. Suddenly closing her eyes to indicate she was dead felt like they one-and-done'd it.
- Gotham. After Bane "gave" the city back to the citizens, it looked surprisingly...clean. I wasn't expecting it to be in No Man's Land levels of destruction and grime, but I wouldn't think that Bane would continue to employ city workers to clean up the streets, or something. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
- Gotham cont'd. The city looked generic, with nothing unique about it. I had the same issue in The Dark Knight, where it felt like the city was very generic. It wasn't perfect, but the Gotham of Batman Begins had The Narrows and the rail system, which were unique enough to make up the identity of Gotham.
I didn't have an issue with Bane's voice for the most part. If anything, I had more of an issue with Gordon talking with the oxygen mask, since I didn't get one of the things he said to Bruce.
Will be watching this again soon. Maybe over the weekend.