--- title: "The Dark Knight Rises: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight-rises/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight-rises" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Dark Knight Rises (2012): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 15 reviews: 11 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find The Dark Knight Rises a satisfying close to Nolan’s Batman trilogy, praising its ambition, large-scale action and strong ensemble. Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle attracts particularly consistent approval for bringing wit and energy to a solemn film. The reviews also favour the physical spectacle and detailed cityscapes, even when the storytelling proves less convincing. For many, the connections to the earlier films give the conclusion welcome emotional weight. Reservations centre on the crowded plotting, length and heavy dialogue, with several critics finding too little feeling beneath the action. There is less agreement about Bane, the clarity of the action sequences and whether Nolan’s seriousness becomes self-importance. The spread is wide: The Hollywood Reporter praises the lucid storytelling and ranks it above its predecessors, while The New Yorker finds it murky and interminable, with Hathaway providing the principal relief. Even favourable reviews often acknowledge that the film struggles to manage its many characters and ideas. ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 July 2012. The critic calls it big-time Hollywood filmmaking at its most massively accomplished and the best of Nolan’s Batman trilogy. He singles out the realistic dramatic events, lucid storytelling, and opulent production values for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/dark-knight-rises-film-review-349354/) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 July 2012. It is a satisfying conclusion to the best superhero series, with unprecedented scale in spectacle and emotion, strong intimate moments, and superb supporting turns like Hathaway's Selina Kyle, though it lacks some of the earlier films' surprise or anarchy. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/dark-knight-rises-review/) ## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward Rating 4/4/4. 20 July 2012. Christopher Nolan’s baroque opus is a worthy trilogy closer, both seriously epic and epically serious. It is an immaculately crafted, fatally clinical last hurrah dotted with dazzling set pieces and a relentless percussive score, though it lacks a true emotional hook. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-dark-knight-rises) ## Radio Times — Jeremy Aspinall Rating 4/5. Nolan concludes his Batman franchise with another ambitious epic that sees the caped crime-fighter taken to hell and back, featuring superb set pieces and terrific performances. The long haul occasionally sags under too many plot strands, but breathtaking action and directorial ambition make it unmatched for mood and quality. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-lxbubs/the-dark-knight-rises/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 December 2012. Nolan brings solemnity and humourlessness to the franchise, turning Batman into a grave myth of a tortured saviour; the film features strong action and a murky political context but is weighed down by excessive dialogue and over-determined plotting. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-dark-knight-rises-review-7959649.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 July 2012. Stirring in its broad strokes but shakier in its handling of character and story nuances, the film doesn’t lack ambition or vision yet is the first in the series not to smoothly execute its grand aspirations. It suffers from a glut of new characters but is helped by Nolan’s insistence on emotional resonance over mindless spectacle and a satisfying thematic through-line. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-dark-knight-rises/5044379.article) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 July 2012. The critic describes it as a grand but scattered blockbuster whose thematic ambitions and mammoth set pieces are undercut by narrative muddle and a less mesmeric villain than the Joker. He singles out the IMAX-enhanced action sequences and strong supporting performances, especially from Hathaway and Gordon-Levitt, for praise. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-dark-knight-rises/) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 July 2012. The critic finds the film reasonably compelling as a big, ambitious close to the trilogy but notes it is overly long with spatial incoherence in action sequences and a letdown coda. He singles out Anne Hathaway’s witty, charismatic performance as Selina Kyle for praise. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2012/07/movie-review-david-edelstein-on-the-dark-knight-rises.html) ## The Independent — Geoffrey MacNab Rating 3/5. 21 July 2012. The film delivers glum verbosity and thunderous action in Nolan's characteristically solemn style, but benefits from physical seriousness, solid casting, and a satisfying connection to the trilogy's start, with Hathaway providing welcome levity. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-dark-knight-rises-12a-7964052.html) ## Time Out Rating 3/5. 12 July 2012. The sprawling epic is stuffed with side characters, subplots and diversions, skewing toward grandstanding action over emotional resonance. When the action sequences hum with real crowd scenes and massive cityscapes, however, it delivers an impressive, imaginative conclusion to the trilogy. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-dark-knight-rises) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 23 July 2012. The critic calls the film murky, interminable and self-important with poor sound and dialogue, redeemed only by Anne Hathaway's lively Catwoman performance. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/07/30/batmans-bane) ## Film Comment — Scott Foundas 18 July 2012. The critic praises Nolan's ambitious conclusion to the trilogy as a magisterial epic that deepens the story and delivers one of the great sustained action sequences in American cinema. He singles out the film's commitment to shooting on film and IMAX for its rich cinematic images and the spellbinding climax as a highlight. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/foundas-on-film-the-dark-knight-rises/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan 19 July 2012. The critic deems the film potent, persuasive and masterful filmmaking overall, highlighting its bleak tone, terrifying villain and contemporary societal themes. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2012-jul-19-la-et-mn-dark-knight-20120719-story.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 19 July 2012. The critic finds the film a big, brash, epic-scale superhero movie with Wagnerian confidence from Nolan, praising the wounded maturity of Bale's performance, Gordon-Levitt's terrific turn as Blake, Caine's heartfelt Alfred and Hathaway's Catwoman. Bane disappoints due to indistinct voice and lack of a satisfying cerebral duel with Batman, and the absence of Ledger's Joker charisma is sorely felt. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jul/19/the-dark-knight-rises-review) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic's Pick. 20 July 2012. The critic finds the film a grave and satisfying finish to Nolan's Batman trilogy, with strong performances and coherent action that shifts focus from a lone hero to collective hope. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/20/movies/the-dark-knight-rises-with-christian-bale.html) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin 19 July 2012. The critic sees the film as going further than most superhero movies, with Nolan directing a tale where Batman is often absent and the story focuses as much on everyman figures like Blake. It builds to a ferociously satisfying climax with a nuclear payload of catharsis after a bravura final act. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/9412391/The-Dark-Knight-Rises-a-comprehensive-review.html) ## Den of Geek — Simon Brew Rating 4/5. 18 July 2012. The critic finds the film very good as a standalone and even better as a trilogy conclusion, with strong ensemble drama, ambitious storytelling, and impressive action and visuals. He singles out the commitment to physical effects, detailed Gotham cityscapes, and how it ties strands together for a satisfying endpoint. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-dark-knight-rises-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 17 July 2012. The film offers plenty of thrills and lives up to Nolan's standards but lacks the groundbreaking innovation of its predecessors. Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle is singled out as stealing the show with her dangerous and sophisticated performance. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/dark-knight-rises-review-falls-short-bat-legendary-48056/) ## /Film — David Chen Rating 7/10. 17 July 2012. The critic describes the film as a storytelling mess overloaded with ideas but praises its visual spectacle, scale, and performances, particularly Tom Hardy's Bane. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/522122/dave-chen-dark-night-rises-review/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating C. 19 July 2012. The film is an intense, epic conclusion to the trilogy with terrific performances, exhilarating action, and thoughtful ideas, but it sidelines Batman in favor of a large ensemble, socio-political themes, and spectacle. The first act is clunky, the emotional core is weak, and the story feels more like a function than a hero's journey, though IMAX action and Hathaway's Catwoman stand out. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-dark-knight-rises-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight-rises.md