The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Bane sounds like a museum audio guide that wants to fight you, and that’s somehow not the strangest choice in Nolan’s last Batman movie. That would be keeping Batman out of the suit for most of 164 minutes. The opening, where one plane steals a guy out of another plane, is pure Nolan nonsense and I loved every second. Tom Hardy makes every line sound like a speech, even the ones you can’t quite hear. Anne Hathaway is the best thing here, a cat burglar who’s sharper than everybody in the room. Michael Caine gets one scene that leaves the whole couch quiet. The plot, though, has holes big enough to drive a tank through, and the middle hour rushes stuff that needed room. It still made $1.085 billion worldwide, and 2.03 million IMDb ratings average an 8.4, so the crowd forgave it. A 7.2 because it swings huge and sincere and trips over its own logic on the way. $19.61 says you rewind at least one Bane line three times and still end up guessing.

What works: Anne Hathaway’s sly Selina Kyle, Michael Caine’s most heartbreaking Alfred and Tom Hardy turning a muffled voice into pure menace.

What doesn’t: The plot leans on huge leaps of logic, and Batman spends so little time as Batman that the title starts to feel like a promise.

Who it’s for: Fans who want the full trilogy finish, and anyone who likes their superhero movies huge, sincere and a little operatic.