You know the hackneyed device used in many of the Bond films - the overly talkative villain? He has to stop and explain everything or just wants to gloat, which gives Bond a chance to escape whatever dire situation he is in. That's this movie. I swear it seemed like all the dialog in "The Dark Knight Rises" was exposition. All the characters were saddled with clumsy speeches explaining what was happening. That's just one of the many problems with this long, over-wrought, lumbering excuse for an action movie.

I was not a fan of the first 2 entries in the series, except for Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in the second film. This one has some nice special effects, and Ann Hathaway is okay as Catwoman, but that's about it.

There are some very good actors in DKR who are totally wasted. Tom Hardy is hidden behind a mask the whole movie as the villain Bane, and his dialog is mostly incomprehensible. Gary Oldman and Michael Caine are obviously just picking up a paycheck. Morgan Freeman gets to give Batman his high-tech toys and then fades into the background. It's kind of sad watching them sleep walk through this mess.

Then there's Christian Bale with his cheesy grumbling Batman voice. Is that really supposed to help hide his Bruce Wayne identity? There are moments where it is laugh-out-loud funny.

The script is convoluted and the pace of the film is awkward. Was this really made by Christopher Nolan, the same guy behind the brilliant "Inception"? Hard to believe.

It looks like they are setting the stage for yet another sequel, which will rake in the dough and and make all the fan boys happy. I will not be rushing out to see it.