There were many reasons I was looking so forward to seeing The Dark Knight Rises that I purchased a ticket to a midnight showing for the opening of the film to the public and dared any rowdy teenager (as their were many of them there ‘cuz yeah, it’s unfortunately summertime and they don’t have anywhere to go in the morning) to ruin my movie watching experience. One, Chris Nolan - I’m a dedicated, hardcore fan of his (if you know me well enough, you know that Memento is my favorite movie of all time). Two me, he’s a very exciting, introspective, intriguing writer/filmmaker who often captivates me in one way or the other. I have been really enjoying he’s take on Batman and what he has brought to comic book film history. It’s Chris Nolan’s world and I’m just living in it, folks. Two, Joseph Gordon-Levitt - I love him, pure and simple. It may be corny but there is a sort of joy that he brings to his acting that always makes me care out his characters and connects with me as a viewer. Also, there was much speculation on his role in the movie, and I was excited to see how he was really going to fit into the Batman universe (John Blake, rookie cop, my ass). Three, the cast. Except for Anne Hathaway (really?), everyone just made sense in their supporting roles when the cast was announced. Ahem, and I would like to note that I may from here on in refer to this movie as the unofficial Inception reunion (five, count ‘em, five actors + director in common). Tom Hardy especially made sense as he has been so great in transformative roles that I couldn’t help be into him as Bane. Four, last but not least, the story. I was alittle sad to learn that this would be the last of Nolan’s Batman (I actually think he won’t do any more of them and move on, which I actually think he should), but I wanted to see how it would wrap up. I was interested to see how the symbol of Batman stands and survives in the post-Dent world. As I had shared with a friend of mine, Batman has always been my favorite comic book hero and resonated with me because he’s imperfect, moody, and valiant; he represents the best and worst of us much more than any other superhero. I’m glad to say that I really enjoyed and applaud The Dark Knight Rises in so many respects. I didn’t feel it was an amazing movie or even one of Nolan’s best, but what it does do was present another consistent and interesting layer to the Batman mythos and remind us of things we can strive for in our own lives. I clapped at the end of the movie; I teared up alittle. It is more than a movie, that is worthy of attending. My Grade: B+

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