Christopher Nolan has one of the strongest track records in modern cinema. Over the past decade and a half he's delivered a string of smart, deeply plotted and beautifully shot movies that not only take critics to nirvana but also have mass audience appeal; it's no surprise his films have proved some of the most influential in blockbuster cinema. Of course, there'll always be detractors waiting for cracks to appear and with The Dark Knight Rises they seemed to have got their wish, with a tirade of fan hate washing over the internet following its 2012 release. There were some areas where the film could never win. Tom Hardy's Bane was never going to top Heath Ledger's Joker and the film's position left Nolan in a tricky spot; kill Batman and you risk annoying a good chunk of the fanbase, let him live and you're accused of wussing out. But as time's gone by complaints have been increasingly baseless, aimless jabs trying to make it the new Spider-Man 3. The Dark Knight Rises is, for our money, stronger than Batman Begins; the end of The Dark Knight Trilogy is much more confident and large in scope that the more conventional opener. Thankfully, compared to some on this list, the hate directed at Rises has stayed within in the fan group, meaning its reputation hasn't been as tarnished as some other examples.
