Movie review - The Dark Knight Rises

Set several years after the events of The Dark Knight, Gotham City apparently an almost crime-free city due to stuff I can't really remember. Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) has become a recluse, but that all changes one night, Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) steals his fingerprints and his mother's pearls while posing as a maid during a charity event hosted at Wayne Manor. And other trouble is brewing in Gotham City with the arrival of Bane (Tom Hardy), a character who is slightly difficult to understand through his mask and set on creating some sort of chaotic new world order.

As with the other movies, the subtext of the plot is meant to resonate with current events, and this is the same for this movie - the inequality in wealth distribution and the resentment this breed within the poor and disenfranchised against against the rich. This movie is essentially well made. The main actors (including Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine) all acquit themselves well, although I must again say that Hardy's dialogue can be unintelligible at times due to the mask. That's probably not a great thing given that he's supposed to be main villain. Also, I found Bale's Batman growl somewhat ridiculous but I admittedly found that ridiculous in the other movies as well. 

But at the same time, I don't know, I had a distinct sense of disappointment upon leaving the cinema however, I can't exactly figure out why I'm disappointed. I mean, even accounting for the huge plot holes (you'll know when you watch them), the story is engaging and I was entertained by the action set pieces and explosions. Nonetheless, the first comment I made when leaving was that I was sore after having sat there for nearly 3 hours (the movie clocks in at a whopping 165 minutes). Out of all the things I could have commented on, the first one I thought of was my sore ass? This is not a sign of a great movie. But on the other hand, I didn't really notice that the time was passing, which is not the sign of a bad movie!
So yeah....I can't put my finger on why I didn't like it. And in fact when I do think about it, other than the usual flaws, the film is actually pretty solid. I can't unequivocally recommend it due to my initial gut reaction but I can't say it's a piece of crap or borderline fail, so I guess it's a...
7/10