I thought it was okay. Kind of threw the whole "realism" thing out the window though. Bruce survives a nuclear bomb with 5 seconds to go (auto pilot or not, it ain't happenin'), rope fall that kills a man that doesn't kill Bruce, even though his back was broken a few weeks ago and is still healing, the prison "chiropractor" punching Bruce's back and fixing it, Bane leaves Gotham to make a round the world trip to drop Bruce in a well...BLAKEMAN BEGINS...Blake knows Wayne is Batman by a "look in his eye", yeeeeeeeet...Gordon still doesn't. And he's had 3 movies to figure it out come on now, movie. No fair to give it to this completely new character, who's had 5 minutes of screen time and not Gordon. And Batman is in it twice, 10 min at the beginning, 15 at the end. In fact, most the Batman footage was all used in the trailer there's so little of it. Catwoman was great though.
But yeah. Could have been much better, easily the weakest in the "trilogy". Not the direction I'd have gone...redeeming Riddler would have been great. Or even Penguin for that matter. But Sean Connery talking out of the Darth Vader mask, err "Bane" wasn't too bad I guess. Actually, I think it's a great movie, just not a great Batman movie. It's the Nolan equivalent of Batman Returns, where Tim Burton got all up his own ass and away from the source material. It's a good example of what happens when a director thinks he is greater than the characters, Nolan decided it'd be better to give us 3 hours of socio-political commentary than a damn good Batman movie. Bruce quitting over Rachel....only in the Nolan U.
Aaand last but not least. NO reference to the Joker. Not even a picture. The hell. I wonder if Ledger had lived if they'd have brought him back or not...I'd have loved to have seen that. I'm sure most would agree.