Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.
Leaves the fanciful early days of the superhero genre far behind and moves into a doom-shrouded, apocalyptic future that's close to today's headlines. As urban terrorism and class warfare envelop Gotham, and its infrastructure is ripped apart, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) emerges reluctantly from years of seclusion in Wayne Manor and faces a soulless villain named Bane (Tom Hardy), as powerful as he is. The film begins slowly with a murky plot and too many new characters, but builds to a sensational climax. It lacks the near-perfection of The Dark Knight (2008); it needs more clarity and a better villain, but it's an honorable finale. - Three stars
