While I thought "Batman Begins" was good, I consider 2008's "The Dark Knight" to be not just the greatest superhero film ever made, but one of the greatest movies in general. I'd been wondering if this would be another example of the 'second film is best' syndrome. Superman II, Wrath of Khan, Empire Strikes Back, etc.

It took me a while to get to "The Dark Knight Rises" but I finally can confirm that it's the weakest of the three. Which is not to say it's horribly bad. It's not; however, I'm afraid the bar had been set too high from #2 for me to not feel the anguish of weak villains, cynically inept characters, moments of badly acting and dialog, and an overall plot that I just could not fully accept. Alas, I couldn't recommend this film.