10 Reasons The Dark Knight Rises Is Awesome

Having been lucky enough to attend the star-studded premiere of The Dark Knight Rises last night, I can gladly tell you that Chris Nolan's epic conclusion to his Bat-trilogy is awesome. After a few hours of reflection on the auteur's grand, emotional and exciting swansong, I've put together 10 reasons as to why The Dark Knight Rises will have you picking your jaw up from the floor. But first, if you haven't seen the film yet I implore you not to read on. Chris Nolan intends his audiences to go in knowing as little as possible, and TDKR will be a far richer experience if you go in unspoiled. Final warning: if you've not seen the film and you choose to read on, you are going to ruin it for yourself - make no mistake.

10. Nolan Breaks The 3rd Film Rule

How many trilogies maintain their quality into their third installment? Very few, if any. Christopher Nolan has proven that with vision, resistance to trends and studio pressure, fully-formed characters and - above all else - putting the story first, you can pull off a great final film to close off a trilogy. People will still probably say that the trilogy peaked with TDK, but I'd say the final installment is as good as its predecessor. In fact I might, on my own, in the middle of a dark night whisper: "The Dark Knight Rises is better than The Dark Knight."