first time poster...just wanted to chime in on the discussion about one thing that some people didn't pick up on in the movie that really bothered me. that would be the fact that commissioner Gordon and his wife are separated. i saw a lot of people who were either confused about where his family had gone (and had clearly not paid enough attention to the Harvey Dent Day party scene) or were upset that something so vital to Gordon's character and motivation had been left out of the movie.
frustrating to hear people with these problems. seems like some people who went to the theater forgot the closing scenes of TDK where Gordon and wife watch a madman point a gun at their children's heads...more than enough reason for her to feel like maybe this wasn't the healthiest relationship. also, she and the children were obviously among the few people who knew the truth about Harvey Dent, and I'm pretty sure hiding a secret like that from the world might drive just about any happy couple apart.
it was also necessary for the character's development for Gordon to lose his family. he made a deal with the devil, and in TDKR we see the consequences for all of the people who made that deal. Gordon loses his family, Alfred essentially loses Bruce to internalized madness, Gotham locks away all the high-ranking criminals but the price for clean streets is paid in sacrificing the fundamental rights of it's citizens (the Dent Act is a not so subtle criticism of the Patriot Act and others enacted by recent administrations), Fox loses Wayne Enterprises and sees his friendship with Bruce wither away...and that's just the first act. it was all necessary, because the movie is about all of those people who allowed Batman to become a necessary form of justice finding a way to rise from the pit they've willingly thrown themselves into.
I think people should react to TDKR right away after they see it in theaters, but should also take time to watch the first two movies after having seen TDKR. A lot of the things that you felt were wrong with this movie might very well be explained in the greater context of the trilogy. it is a long saga but incredibly well balanced. you will understand more of what happened in the dark knight rises and why it happened if you go back and watch the first two movies again. i'm a huge Batman fan, but I love this trilogy because of the epic story-telling - in time I feel like many people who say the TDK is better/more entertaining than TDKR (myself included at the time of this post) will come to see how epic and finely crafted the final installment of this series really is
sorry for the rant, for future posts I will be much more brief...I just had to get some things off my chest. if i did anything i'm not supposed to in this post, please tell me so that i can correct for future posts.