Written by: Samanthasaurus Rex on September 11, 2012.

At first I was sceptical, really sceptical. I mean, sure Tom Hardy would make a beautiful Bane, but the hell is that mask, and Hathaway as Catwoman? But, my friends enticed me with a free ticket, free candy, the promise of a Jonathan Crane reappearance (true-fact), and their company (I hadn’t seen my villainous love in far too long a time) so I went happily enough.

And oh. My. Gods! It was beautiful. At the risk of sounding cliché, I laughed, I cried and I really, truly loved each of the characters. Bane, oh lordy, Bane… I think my heart completely stopped beating for a second or two the first time I heard him speak, that voice with the scrambler in the mask, jeez. I knew the Nolan brothers were genius script-writers and that dear old Christopher was an absolute god of directing before this, but man was I blown away.

I cried, I really did. I filled my quota for the year. There were some truly heartbreaking scenes. Damn you for making me care, Nolan! But I wouldn’t have it any other way, the sad was poignant, the happy was jubilant, the hope was palpable. So much of me became invested in this movie like I never have been before, I loved and felt and cried for these fictional characters more than I have for most people in real life.

The acting was beautiful, the filmography was brilliant, and the lines were absolutely golden the entire way through. I honestly can’t recommend this movie enough. Though I am still not extremely enthusiastic about the actress picked for Catwoman, though the character is wonderful, the rest of the cast is perfect. Talia Al’Ghul even makes an appearance! There is a plot twist I half-jokingly called but the ‘early reveal’ by some easy-to-spot Easter eggs was obviously done on purpose and somewhat easy to catch for those of you who are familiar with the cast of the Batman comics.

Also, Bane Kitty. So cute and adorable and evil!

So, all in all, my rating is five golden stars and a thumbs up. If you like Batman, and even if you don’t, really, it’s a great movie. Come for the plot, stay for story. However, I do wholeheartedly recommend watching the first two in the trilogy before going to see this, it is not absolutely needed but there are references heavily made that will leave you a little lost and you will not experience the movie as fully as you could without the first two.