Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” the third and final installment in the Dark Knight Trilogy; which is either the first or second most anticipated movie of the summer, Marvel’s “The Avengers” being the obvious other choice. Nolan definitely delivers a clear-cut concise conclusion to the trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and was highly impressed.I must say that while I was somewhat disappointed that the film was not offered in 3-D, the nerd crew felt oddly different actually walking into the theater printed on the tickets, instead of trying to figure out which theater was the 3-D one where we could use our “recycled” glasses. However, five minutes after the film opened I’d forgotten all about the lack of 3-D.

The main villain, Bane (played brilliantly by Tom Hardy), a vicious and methodical sociopath that has disastrous plans of destruction for Gotham City. Bane engineers a ridiculously awesome plane heist that kick starts the movie, which takes place eight years after the ending of “The Dark Knight.”

Harvey Dent, AKA Two-Face, has been hailed as a hero, while Batman has been exiled after taking the blame for Dent’s death and the crimes Dent committed. Gotham City seemingly has cleaned up crime due in large part to “The Dent Act.” Police Commissioner, Jim Gordon (played by Gary Oldman) is haunted by the memories of what actually happened on the night of Dent’s death, when Dent kidnapped Gordon’s family and Batman saved Gordon’s son from certain death.

SPOILER ALERT!!! Batman is a wealthy orphan named Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale (if you don‘t know that please stop reading now, this review is not for you), who has become a recluse, as he still mourns the loss of Rachel Dawes, a childhood friend and former love interest. Wayne also struggles with his identity because he’s Batman, and Batman is gone.

SPOILER ALERT!!! Bane brings havoc to Gotham City. Now here comes the problem with reviewing this movie. I can’t actually review further without “being that guy.” I refuse to give all the details of the movie, that would rob my audience of a fantastic experience. However, I must give some to truly give an accurate description, so bear with me.

There’s a rookie cop (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who’s bluntness and ability to read and relate to Wayne/Batman are shadowed by Bane’s boldness and brutality. There’s revelations around every corner, most of which were easily spotted by the trained eyes of the nerd crew. There are quite a few sarcastic, “didn’t see that one coming” moments. In fact my one and only critique of the movie would be that it was incredibly predictable, even the surprise ending was not all that surprising.

Side note, did my boss actually text me last night to ask if I was going to see “the new Batman movie?” Yes he did; and I assured him that I would indeed be going to see it, and that I would also be wearing my glow in the dark “Dark Knight Rises” t-shirt. What, it cost less than eight bucks, and IT GLOWS IN THE DARK!!!

While I must admit that the final chapter in this story is not the best of the three (that honor falls to “The Dark Knight”), it’s still amazingly awesome. The story told is an in depth look into the psyche of Bruce Wayne, and the growth he must experience in order to truly rise.

Nolan’s epic conclusion is well, epic. There’s not as much action as the previous two movies; however, there’s more than enough to keep one on the edge of one‘s seat. Also the characters in this movie are truly scrutinized and developed so that move goers can empathize, sympathize and/or understand each one’s motivation and reasoning.

SPOILER ALERT!!! While I promised a co-worker who plans on seeing the movie this weekend not to give anything away, I must tell the people two things: the “Man of Steel” trailer was weak as Jimmy Olsen’s chances in an arm wrestling contest, and there is no teaser/extra scene at the end of “The Dark Knight Rises“. Once the credits begin to roll, it’s time to roll on out, no need to sit through 20 minutes of names just to see the Warner Brothers symbol at the end. If “Batman” is the story of Bruce Wayne becoming Batman, then “The Dark Knight Rises” is the story of Batman becoming Bruce Wayne.