I really don't see what all the fuss was about with The Dark Knight Rises. Like The Dark Knight, it was a good story and the acting was solid, but it was not great. Batman Begins is the under-rated film of this trilogy, it was the best, mostly because it was not trying so hard to be more than it really is.

But for this installment. Most movies lately have been edited half to death, presumably to make them run no longer than 90 minutes out of fear of losing audiences with shrinking attention spans. The Dark Knight Rises swings far to the other side, it is in desperate need of some editing. A few sequences are painfully drawn-out, many are just a bit draggy.

Additionally, while the movie attempts to be psychological and complex (quite successfully in some scenes), some rather juvenile elements interrupt the storyline. Other scenes try so hard to be deep that they border on being a spoof, making you wonder if the screenwriters are laughing at themselves (and the audience) a little.

Lastly, the actions scenes are mostly flat. They are not bad or outlandish as many comic book action scenes are, they just are not very interesting. Most of the fights are little more than boxing matches where you don't even see much of the actual contact of the hits. And you always know how the fight will end before it starts.

That said, it has some excellent elements as well. Some of the new characters are dynamic and interesting. The overall "feel" of the movie, including lighting, music, & special effects, are spot on, adding to the story without being distracting.

In the end the movie has it's ups & downs, but is certainly worth your time... just not all the fuss that has been made of it.