Batman is back… and this time he has a villain who is more cunning, more powerful and more terrifying than all others combined. But like always, the Caped Crusader triumphs against all odds in The Dark Knight Rises, the third and final sequel of the Batman trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan.

The film begins with Gotham City moving on since Batman’s disappearance eight years back. Commissioner Gordon is still in charge of the police while a recluse Bruce Wayne is still the richest man in the city. The arrival of Selina Kyle (aka Cat Woman) and Bane changed all that as they have their own agendas — one is a cat burglar with a mission while the other’s a masked terrorist who wants nothing less than Batman himself.

Bane’s crimes do make Bruce Wayne (and Batman) end his self-imposed exile but he loses the first encounter with the big guy due to his lack of practice.

In order to defeat the muscular slab of a man, Bruce Wayne must reinvent himself and that’s exactly what he does while recapitulating from his back injury. He returns a stronger man and, with the help from his friends, takes back the city that is his own. He finally manages to disengage the weapon Bane created to destroy the city and emerge as the winner, but not before sacrificing himself to save the city from total destruction.

On the whole, The Dark Knight Rises is a stunning achievement as it has amazing sets and action sequences. The scene where a football field explodes is worth a mention as it is likely to take you to the edge of your seat.

All the actors have done justice to their characters — be it Anne Hathaway as Cat Woman, Tom Hardy as Bane — or the recurring characters of Batman, Commissioner Gordon, Lucius Fox and Alfred by Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine respectively.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt does well as John Blake and he might be seen in action as the next Robin, as the climax of The Dark Knight Rises suggests. The film might be the end of the Batman trilogy, but the character lives on, and one hopes that the Caped Crusader will be back as soon as evil returns to Gotham City. — S.F.