First Reviews: 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Firstly, a word of warning: If the excitement around Chris Nolan's trilogy-capping finale is threatening to overwhelming you, perhaps you're better not to read on...

Because the first reviews are out and they may well blow your top - they are unanimous in praise (if casually warning that it doesn't quite reach the heights of The Dark Knight).

Hollywood Reporter
"The real world threats of terrorism, political anarchy and economic instability make deep incursions... Big-time Hollywood filmmaking at its most massively accomplished, this last installment of Nolan's Batman trilogy makes everything in the rival Marvel universe look thoroughly silly and childish... A truly grand finale raises [the] Batman trilogy to the peak of big-screen comic book adaptations."

Variety
"Few blockbusters have borne so heavy a burden of audience expectation as Christopher Nolan's final Batman caper, and the filmmaker steps up to the occasion with a cataclysmic vision of Gotham City under siege..."

Empire Magazine - 5 stars
"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."

Total Film - 5 stars
"A smart, stirring spectacle that faces down impossible expectations to pull off a hugely satisfying end to business. Boy, you’re in for a show."

The Dark Knight Rises opens nationwide (and in IMAX in Auckland) on July 19th. Distract yourself for now with the lego trailer...