With 3 days and a couple hours left 'til opening day, a couple insiders whom I'm extremely envious of have already managed to see the highly anticipated closer to Nolan's Bat-trilogy, "The Dark Knight Rises." Below is a collection of their reviews. Read on if you dare...
Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter - "Big-time Hollywood filmmaking at its most massively accomplished, this last installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy makes everything in the rival Marvel universe look thoroughly silly and childish...Entirely enveloping and at times unnerving in a relevant way one would never have imagined, as a cohesive whole this ranks as the best of Nolan's trio, even if it lacks -- how could it not? -- an element as unique as Heath Ledger's immortal turn in The Dark Knight. It's a blockbuster by any standard."
Todd Gilchrist, The Playlist - "A literate, thoughtful and invigorating finale, "The Dark Knight Rises" delivers everything audiences ask for and then some, albeit in fewer of the ways that they might expect...A cinematic, cultural and personal triumph, "The Dark Knight Rises" is emotionally inspiring, aesthetically significant and critically important for America itself - as a mirror of both sober reflection and resilient hope."
Tim Grierson, Screen Daily - "The Dark Knight Rises doesn't lack for ambition or vision...Nonetheless, this final installment in director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is the first of the series not to smoothly execute its grand aspirations. The film suffers a bit from a glut of new characters, but is helped along by Nolan's continued insistence on emotional resonance over mindless spectacle."
Justin Chang, Variety - "Few blockbusters have borne so heavy a burden of audience expectation as [director] Christopher Nolan's final Batman caper, and the filmmaker steps up to the occasion with a cataclysmic vision of Gotham City under siege in The Dark Knight Rises...If it never quite matches the brilliance of 2008's The Dark Knight, this hugely ambitious action-drama nonetheless retains the moral urgency and serious-minded pulp instincts that have made the Warners franchise a beacon of integrity in an increasingly comic book-driven Hollywood universe."
Nev Pierce, Empire - "With spectacle in abundance and sexiness in (supporting) parts, this is superhero filmmaking on an unprecedented scale...Rises may lack the surprise of Begins or the anarchy of Knight, but it makes up for that in pure emotion. A fitting epitaph for the hero Gotham deserves."
Drew McWeeny, HitFlix - "I suspect that the reaction to the film will be hotly divided, but I'm firmly on the side that this is a triumph, a victor for all involved...Whoever Warner Bros hires to reboot the Batman films a few years from now, I wish you luck. The bar is as high as it could possibly be."
Jim Vejvoda, IGN - " If you were one of those fans who prefer Batman Begins to TDK then you'll find much to love about TDKR. And if you weren't then no Batman film will ever match TDK for you...Bale gives his finest performance yet in the role. With these three Batman films, he has brought to life the most fully-formed, multi-faceted screen superhero yet."
Luke Caulfield, Gamenguide - "I really wanna see this movie, and I'm tired of waiting for it."
"The Dark Knight Rises" is out this Friday, July 20...