At first I was worried about The Dark Knight Rises, but I thought there was no way in the world that it could top The Dark Knight. I mean Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker was one that can never be topped. However, Christopher Nolan is an excellent director and did a fantastic job with this movie. Tom Hardy as Bane is a chillingly villain. While there is no way to compare such villains as Joker and Bane, both Ledger and Hardy brought excellent performance and gave their characters that malevolence required of all Batman villains. The story line of the Dark Knight Rises is also beautifully written. With Gotham turning its back on the dark knight how in the world can batman ever return to help the city he loves? It was a beautiful struggle to watch as the plot developed. I thought the entire acting cast was phenomenal. The only downside to this movie, was not the movie itself, but the tragedy that occurred in Colorado at one of the movie's screenings. My heart goes out to the families of loved ones who lost their lives at that screening.