The Dark Knight Rises

In 2005, David S. Goyer confirmed that he wrote treatments for two films involving the Joker; the first would involve Batman, Harvey Dent, and Commissioner Gordon hunting the Joker, while the second would have the Joker scarring Dent and turning him into Two-Face during his trial. The third treatment ended in the same way as the final version of The Dark Knight Rises.[64] Other aspects of the third treatment were incorporated into The Dark Knight.[65] However, Heath Ledger's family stated that he was planning on reprising his role as the Joker before his death.[66] After Ledger's death, Christopher Nolan decided not to recast the role out of respect for his performance, and initially was hesitant to make a third film.[67]

Warner Bros. president of production Jeff Robinov had hoped a third film would be released in 2011 or 2012.[68] Nolan wanted the story for the third installment to keep him emotionally invested. "On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question," he reasoned, "how many good third movies in a franchise can people name?"[69] Nolan said that he never even thought a third film was possible in the foreword for his book The Art and Making of the Dark Knight Trilogy.[70] Nolan only agreed to a third film on the basis of finding a worthwhile story, fearing that he would become bored halfway through production if he discovered the film to be unnecessary.[71] By December 2008, Nolan completed a rough story outline, before he committed himself to Inception.[72] Later in December, Alan F. Horn confirmed that while discussions with Nolan about a third film were ongoing, no casting had been done, and Horn denied all such rumors.[73] Before Nolan confirmed his involvement, Gary Oldman had said he was confident Nolan would return.[74]

Following the success of the Joker in The Dark Knight, studio executives wished for the Riddler to be included as the primary villain as he was considered a similar character and encouraged the casting of Leonardo DiCaprio.[75] However, Nolan wanted the antagonist to be vastly different from the previous incarnations and committed to using Bane instead,[75] citing the need for a character with a physical presence within the film.[76] He was initially unfamiliar with the character's back-story,[31] but pointed out the appeal of an archetype, labeling it as "the extreme of some type of villainy". When comparing the choice of Bane with the Joker, Nolan highlighted the Joker as an example of "diabolical, chaotic anarchy and has a devilish sense of humor", juxtaposing him against Bane, whom he likened to "a classic movie monster [...] with a terrific brain."[76] Nolan has said that his draft of the script was inspired by Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities, which centers around the French Revolution.[77] This homage to Dickens was briefly illustrated by having Bane inconspicuously finger knit paracord in the film, symbolizing Madame Defarge, the villain of A Tale of Two Cities, and more overtly by Commissioner Gordon's eulogy for Bruce Wayne, which is taken directly from Dickens' novel.[77]

On February 9, 2010, it was announced that Nolan had "cracked" the story and was committed to returning to the project.[78] Shortly afterward, it was announced David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan were working on a screenplay.[79] Goyer would leave the project during pre-production to begin work on Man of Steel; Jonathan continued writing the script based on the story by his brother Chris and Goyer.[22] Nolan said that his brother's original draft was about 400 pages.[80] The film's storyline has been compared with the Batman comic book series' story arc "Knightfall" (1993), which showcases Bane; the miniseries The Dark Knight Returns (1986), in which Batman returns to Gotham City after a ten-year absence; and the story arc "No Man's Land" (1999), which depicts a Gotham cut off from the rest of the world and overrun by gangs.[81][82] The nickname "the Dark Knight" was first applied to Batman in Batman #1 (1940), in a story written by Bill Finger.[83][84]

Nolan confirmed the Joker would not return in the third film, and dismissed rumors that he considered using unused footage of Heath Ledger from The Dark Knight.[85] Reportedly, before his death, Ledger had plans to reprise the role of the Joker in the third film after enjoying his time filming The Dark Knight,[66] a notion supported by Ledger's costar Aaron Eckhart, who portrayed Two-Face in the film.[61] The Dark Knight Rises reunited Nolan with many of his past collaborators, including cinematographer Wally Pfister, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Lee Smith, costume designer Lindy Hemming, special effects supervisors Paul Franklin and Chris Corbould, and composer Hans Zimmer.[86]

A Tumbler on the set of The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh

During location scouting in December 2010, Nolan began searching for locations such as India, Romania, and Michigan.[87][88][89] According to the Romania Insider, Nolan was interested in Bucharest's historical centers, Edgar Quinet Street, the Palace of the Parliament, and the Turda salt mine.[87] The film had an estimated budget of $250–300 million, coming down to about $230 million after tax credits.[3] Nolan elected not to film in 3-D, but instead stated that he intended to focus on improving image quality and scale using the IMAX format.[90] The Dark Knight Rises featured over an hour of footage shot in IMAX (by comparison, The Dark Knight contained 28 minutes).[91][92] Nolan had several meetings with IMAX Vice-president David Keighley to work on the logistics of projecting films in digital IMAX venues.[92]

Wally Pfister had expressed interest in shooting the film entirely in IMAX,[93] but because of the considerable noise made by IMAX cameras, 35mm and 70mm cameras had to be used for shooting the film's dialogue scenes,[92][94] as dialogue had to be dubbed when shot with IMAX cameras.[95] Chairman and president of the IMAX Corporation Greg Foster stated that IMAX planned to run the film in its theatres for two months, despite only being contractually committed to run the film for two weeks.[96] Nolan also bypassed the use of a digital intermediate for the film, resulting in less manipulation of the filmed image and higher film resolution.[97]

Filming was scheduled to start in May and conclude in November 2011.[98] Principal photography commenced on May 6, 2011, in Jodhpur, India, at the Mehrangarh Fort[99][100][101] before moving to Pittsburgh, where it operated under the working title Magnus Rex to reduce the visibility of the production.[102][103] Shooting locations within the city included Heinz Field, the site of an American football game,[104] with members of the Pittsburgh Steelers playing the Gotham Rogues football team. More than 11,000 extras were used to depict the shot sequence.[17][56][57] Filming in Pittsburgh also took place at the Mellon Institute and Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.[103] A letter sent out to residents and business owners detailing road closures revealed that the streets of the city would be featured "as the start of [the] film".[105] 9-1-1 operators were told to expect an increase in calls related to gunshots and explosions in the film's production.[106]

The Pittsburgh leg of production wrapped after three weeks on August 21, 2011.[107] The next portion of the filming began in Los Angeles in late August and finished up on October 23 after nine weeks of filming. New York and New Jersey were the next places of filming. The Trump Tower replaced the Richard J. Daley Center as the location for the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises.[108] In November 2011, shooting shifted to Newark, New Jersey.[109][110] Newark City Hall and Military Park were among the locations used for filming.[111] Other shooting locations include London and Glasgow, the latter of which was used for "additional exterior filming".[112] Principal photography concluded on November 14, 2011.[113] The external waterfall scene at the end of the film was shot at Sgwd Henrhyd falls, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales.[114]

Production photos from filming in Pittsburgh showed a second Tumbler chassis after the first was destroyed, indicating that a new Batmobile would be in the film, following the destruction of the first in The Dark Knight.[115] Further set photos revealed a "new vehicle" being transported to Wabash Tunnel, prompting speculation as to its nature.[116] In June 2011, Autoblog confirmed the presence of the new Lamborghini Aventador on the film set.[117]

Wollaton Hall in Nottingham was used as Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne's residence.

Several accidents occurred during the production of the film. While filming at Wollaton Hall, Nottingham, a tractor-trailer crashed into the main entrance, though no one was injured.[118] A stuntman parachutist later crashed through the roof of a home in Cairngorm Gliding Club, Feshiebridge in Scotland, and became wedged there after a failed landing during a skydiving stunt; he was not seriously injured.[119] While filming scenes in Pittsburgh, Hathaway's stunt double crashed into an IMAX camera while filming a sequence that required her to ride a Batpod down a flight of stairs during a riot. There were no injuries, but the camera was destroyed.[120] A second accident took place in Pittsburgh when the truck carrying the then-unidentified vehicle later termed "the Bat" went off-course and crashed into a lighting array, damaging the model of the aircraft. Production was delayed while the model was repaired.[121]

Shortly before Christmas of 2011, Christopher Nolan invited several prominent directors, including Edgar Wright, Michael Bay, Bryan Singer, Jon Favreau, Eli Roth, Duncan Jones and Stephen Daldry, to Universal CityWalk's IMAX theatre for a private screening of the first six minutes of The Dark Knight Rises, which had been shot on IMAX film and edited from the original camera negative. Nolan, feeling that the use of film stock in cinema was being phased out due to the introduction of digital cinematography and projection, used this screening to make a case for the continued use of film, which he asserts still offers superior image quality to any digital format, and warned the filmmakers that unless they continued to assert their choice to use film in their productions, they may eventually lose it as an option.[122][123] Nolan explained; "I wanted to give them a chance to see the potential, because I think IMAX is the best film format that was ever invented. It's the gold standard and what any other technology has to match up to, but none have, in my opinion. The message I wanted to put out there was that no one is taking anyone's digital cameras away. But if we want film to continue as an option, and someone is working on a big studio movie with the resources and the power to insist [on] film, they should say so. I felt as if I didn't say anything, and then we started to lose that option, it would be a shame. When I look at a digitally acquired and projected image, it looks inferior against an original negative anamorphic print or an IMAX one."[122]

A digitally mapped model of Tom Hardy's face and skull was used to design and construct Bane's mask.

Costume designer Lindy Hemming explained that Bane uses a mask to inhale an analgesic gas, which, in director Christopher Nolan's words, "keeps his pain just below the threshold so he can function." In designing Bane's costume, Hemming needed it to look "like an amalgam of all sorts of bits and pieces he cobbled together, as he passed through some very remote places. We made parts of his vest, for example, from fragments of an old military tent. His clothes are militaristic, but are not in any way a uniform." Hemming also designed Bane's mask to look "animalistic".[17][124][125] Costume effects supervisor Graham Churchyard created a three-dimensional model of actor Tom Hardy's face and skull to design the mask, allowing the mask to perfectly conform to the contours of Hardy's face.[17] Hemming personally designed Bane's coat, which she admitted took two years to complete. Taking inspiration from a Swedish army jacket and a frock coat from the French Revolution, it was designed to make Bane look equal parts dictatorial and revolutionary.[17] The design was difficult as Hemming struggled to find a tailor in Los Angeles who could work with shearling.[126]

The Batsuit consisted of 110 separate pieces, each of which had to be replicated dozens of times over the course of the production. The base layer was made of a polyester mesh that is utilized by the military and high-tech sports manufacturers because of its breathability and moisture-wicking properties. Molded pieces of flexible urethane were then attached to the mesh, to form the overall body armor plating. Carbon fiber panels were placed inside the sections on the legs, chest and abdomen. The cowl was sculpted from a cast of Bale's face and head to become a perfect fit for Christian Bale. The suit remained unchanged for the film since The Dark Knight.[17]

In creating Selina Kyle's catsuit, two layers of material were used, the outer layer being polyurethane-coated spandex embossed with a hexagonal pattern. The catsuit also consisted of elbow-length gloves, a utility belt, and thigh-high boots with spike heels.[17]

Concept artist Tully Summers commented on Nolan's style of cinematography when asked about the difference between his designs for this film and fantasy-based designs for Men in Black 3: "The difference for me was Christopher Nolan's visual style. One of the things that makes his Batman movies so compelling is their tone of plausibility. He will often prefer a raw, grittier design over one that is very sleek and product design pretty. It's sort of a practical military aesthetic. This stuff is made to work, not impress shoppers. The Dark Knight Rises is a war film." Producer Emma Thomas stated this Batman film has a different visual aesthetic from the first two Nolan-directed features, explaining that "it's meant to be winter in Gotham, so that right there is going to lend a whole different look to the film."[127]

The film introduces a vehicle that has been compared with the Batplane and the Batcopter, dubbed "the Bat". In designing the Bat, Nathan Crowley approached it as if it were an actual military project, emphasising the need for it to "fit into the same family" as the Tumbler and the Batpod. The final version of the Bat takes its design cues from the Harrier jump jet, Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey and the Boeing AH-64 Apache.[17] Chris Corbould described the Bat's size and shape as presenting a major challenge for filming given Christopher Nolan's emphasis on practical effects over computer-generated imagery. In order to make the Bat "fly", it was variously supported by wires, suspended from cranes and helicopters, and mounted on a purpose-built vehicle with hydraulic controls to simulate movement.[17][128][129]

When designing the Batcave set, Crowley and fellow production designer Kevin Kavanaugh hit upon the idea of flooding the Batcave and having Batman's equipment, the Batsuit and a supercomputer rise from the water.[17] Another set was designed at Cardington as an "underground prison", a rough-hewn labyrinth of stone cells in a vast abyss with a 120 foot (37 m) vertical shaft leading to the surface. Exteriors above the prison were filmed in Jodhpur, India, chosen because the "forbidding landscape added to the desolation".[17]

In an interview in October 2010, composer Hans Zimmer confirmed that he would be returning to score The Dark Knight Rises. James Newton Howard was offered to return and write the score with Zimmer as he did for Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but he chose not to because he noted that the chemistry established between Zimmer and Nolan during the making of Inception would make him seem like a "third wheel".[130] Zimmer included several cues from the earlier scores but explained that he wanted to go in a "completely different direction" for Bane's theme.[17]

The film features a prevalent chant of the phrase "Deshi Basara".[131][132] In November 2011, Zimmer crowdsourced online audio recordings of the chant to be used in the film's score.[133][134] When asked about the chant for clarification, Zimmer said, "The chant became a very complicated thing because I wanted hundreds of thousands of voices, and it's not so easy to get hundreds of thousands of voices. So, we tweeted and we posted on the internet, for people who wanted to be part of it. It seemed like an interesting thing. We've created this world, over these last two movies, and somehow I think the audience and the fans have been part of this world. We do keep them in mind."[135]

Just like Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, the film's main theme consists in just two notes repeated, representing Batman's pain and guilt.[136] Many times is also reprised in small parts "Molossus", Batman's main action theme in the trilogy.[137]

On July 20, 2012, during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises at the Century 16 cinema in Aurora, Colorado, a gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire inside the theater,[187] killing 12 people and injuring 58 others.[188][189] Police responding to the shooting apprehended a suspect later identified as 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes[190] shortly after arriving on the scene.[191] Initial reports stated that Holmes identified himself as "the Joker" at the time of his arrest though this has been debunked.[192][193]

Warner Bros. cancelled the Paris, Mexico, and Japan premieres of The Dark Knight Rises,[194][195] and suspended the film's marketing campaign in Finland.[196] Several broadcast networks also suspended television ads for the film in the United States.[197] The trailer for Gangster Squad, another Warner Bros. movie included in the screening of The Dark Knight Rises, was removed as it contains a scene which shows gangsters shooting submachine guns at moviegoers through the screen, similar to the shooting in Aurora.[198]

Director Christopher Nolan released a public statement calling the shooting "unbearably savage".[186] Other stars of the film released statements expressing their condolences, with star Christian Bale paying a personal visit to the survivors and the memorial in Aurora.[199]

The Dark Knight Rises was released on November 28, 2012, in Hong Kong and New Zealand. On December 3, it was released in the United Kingdom, and on December 4, it was released in the United States. It is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and as a digital download.[200] Coinciding with the release of this film, a box set of The Dark Knight Trilogy was released.[201] The Dark Knight Rises was released on 4K UHD Blu-ray on December 19, 2017.[202]

Hours before the midnight release of the film, several box office analysts suggested as much as a $198 million domestic opening weekend.[203][204][205] However, in the wake of the mass shooting during a midnight screening of the film, Warner Bros. decided to not report further box office figures for the movie until Monday, July 23, 2012.[206][207] As a result, other distributors also delayed the release of their official estimates as well.[208] The shooting is also speculated to have hurt the ticket sales as E! Online reported that a North Carolina audience member had stated that "this theater was kinda empty".[209] Some reports released on July 21, 2012, said that rival studios estimated that the film grossed $75 million to $77 million on its opening day.[210][211][212] Warner Bros. shortly after released a statement to ABC News stating that they delayed the release of their estimates for the opening day total of the film "out of respect for the victims and their families," and added "Warner Bros. Pictures will not be reporting box office numbers for The Dark Knight Rises throughout the weekend. Box office numbers will be released on Monday."[213]

The Dark Knight Rises earned $448.1 million in North America, and $632.9 million in other countries, summing up to a worldwide total of $1.081 billion.[4] Worldwide, it became the seventh-highest-grossing film of all time[214] and the third-highest-grossing film of 2012.[215] It had a worldwide opening weekend of $248.9 million.[216] The film set a worldwide IMAX opening-weekend record with $23.8 million (overtaken by Avengers: Age of Ultron)[217][218] and also broke the record for the fastest movie to make over $50 million in IMAX theatres. IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond explained this by claiming, "Audiences are clearly seeking out and embracing the film the way it was meant to be seen – in IMAX."[219] On the 2012 Labor Day weekend, it became the third film distributed by Warner Bros. and the thirteenth film in cinematic history to cross the $1 billion mark.[220] The film also became the second movie (after Avatar) to reach $100 million in worldwide IMAX grosses.[221]

The Dark Knight Rises opened on Friday, July 20, 2012. It earned an estimated $30.6 million in midnight showings, which was the second-highest midnight gross behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($43.5 million).[222][223] It did, however, set an IMAX midnight-gross record with $2.3 million (overtaken by Avengers: Age of Ultron).[224][225] The film made $75.8 million during its opening day, achieving, at the time, the third-highest single and opening day tally of all time.[226] On July 23, 2012, it was announced that the film grossed $160.9 million for its debut weekend, which was the third-highest opening weekend ever, at the time, behind Marvel's The Avengers ($207.4 million) and Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($169.2 million).[227] However, it did set an opening-weekend record for a 2D film (previously held by The Dark Knight)[228] and an IMAX opening-weekend record with $19.0 million (previously held by Marvel's The Avengers).[229] The film also held the top spot at the box office for its second and third weekends.[230][231] In North America, it is the thirteenth-highest-grossing film,[232] the third-highest-grossing 2012 film,[233] as well as the sixth-highest-grossing superhero film and film based on comics.[234][235] Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold more than 55 million tickets in the US.[236]

Outside North America, the film opened with $88.0 million from 7,173 theaters in just 17 markets.[237] It was in first place at the box office outside North America for four consecutive weekends.[238][239] Its three largest markets are the UK, Ireland and Malta ($90.3 million), where it is the highest-grossing superhero film,[240] China ($52.8 million) and Australia ($44.2 million).[241]

The Dark Knight Rises received highly positive reviews from critics.[242][243][244] Many have named it one of the best films of 2012,[245] and one of the best superhero films of all time.[246][247][248][249][250][251][252] Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave The Dark Knight Rises an approval rating of 87% based on 372 reviews, and a rating average of 8/10. The web site's critical consensus reads, "The Dark Knight Rises is an ambitious, thoughtful, and potent action film that concludes Christopher Nolan's franchise in spectacular fashion."[253] Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[254] CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[255]

Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph granted the film a maximum score of five stars, stating that it is "a superhero film without a superhero" and praising Hardy's performance as well as the film's intricate plot and narrative.[256] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times thought the film was "potent, persuasive and hypnotic" and that it was "more than an exceptional superhero movie, it is masterful filmmaking by any standard."[257] The Playlists Todd Gilchrist wrote "A cinematic, cultural and personal triumph, The Dark Knight Rises is emotionally inspiring, aesthetically significant and critically important for America itself – as a mirror of both sober reflection and resilient hope."[258] IGN gave it a 9 out of 10, noting similarities in tone and theme to Batman Begins over the trilogy's second installment, The Dark Knight, but also describing Bane as "that bit less interesting to watch" than Ledger's Joker, despite praising his "menacing voice" and "body language-driven performance".[259]

Film critic Richard Roeper gave the film an "A", calling it "a majestic, gorgeous, brutal and richly satisfying epic", and citing the final scenes of the picture as "the best five minutes of any film this year."[260] The London Film Review gave the film a B and said "Nolan's film is a reminder that superheroes aren't merely a frivolous distraction, but an embodiment of our best selves."[261]

The Guardian scored the film four out of five stars, calling it a film of "granite, monolithic intensity", yet also calling it a "hammy, portentous affair".[262] Andrew O'Hehir of Salon writes "if The Dark Knight Rises is a fascist film, it's a great fascist film, and arguably the biggest, darkest, most thrilling and disturbing and utterly balls-out spectacle ever created for the screen".[263] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, stating "the film begins slowly with a murky plot and too many new characters, but builds to a sensational climax."[264] This was the final Batman film and also the final DC film Ebert reviewed before his death in 2013.

The film was crowned by Forbes as the best modern comic book superhero adaptation on screen, outranking both its main summer blockbuster competitor, Marvel's The Avengers, and the trilogy's previous installment The Dark Knight.[265] It was selected for the American Film Institute's top 10 films of 2012,[266] in addition to being on over 140 top ten end-of the year lists.[267][268]

CNN's Tom Charity said the film was a "disappointingly clunky and bombastic conclusion to a superior series" and called it Nolan's worst film.[269] Anthony Lane of The New Yorker says that the "story is dense, overlong, and studded with references that will make sense only to those intimate with Nolan's previous excursions into Batmanhood".[270] In reaction to fan backlash to some of the negative reviews, Rotten Tomatoes chose to disable user commentary for the film leading up to its release.[271] Some fans had threatened violence against critics while others threatened to take down the websites of movie critics who had given the film a negative review.[272]

Outside of the positive critical and audience reception that The Dark Knight Rises has received both upon release and retrospectively, certain retrospective reviews have been negative.[273][274][275]

n 2011, Aidan Gillen's character in the film, CIA operative Bill Wilson, became the subject of an Internet meme popular among 4chan users known as "Baneposting", which references the dialogue between Wilson and Bane in the film's opening plane scene.[276][277][278]

Writing in Salon, David Sirota, a progressive[279] political commentator, compared The Dark Knight Rises and the game Call of Duty to 1980s popular culture reflecting the political period of the time, accusing them of perpetuating a conservative agenda: "Just as so many 1980s pop culture products reflected the spirit of the Reagan Revolution's conservative backlash, we are now seeing two blockbuster, genre-shaping products not-so-subtly reflect the Tea Party's rhetorical backlash to the powerful Occupy Wall Street zeitgeist."[280] An article in Variety reported Chuck Dixon, the cocreator of the Bane character, as saying that Bane is "far more akin to an Occupy Wall Street type if you're looking to cast him politically."[281]

Catherine Shoard of the center-left[282] British publication The Guardian said the film "is a quite audaciously capitalist vision, radically conservative, radically vigilante, that advances a serious, stirring proposal that the wish-fulfilment of the wealthy is to be championed if they say they want to do good."[283] In contrast, liberal commentator Jonathan Chait opined in New York that "What passes for a right-wing movie these days is The Dark Knight Rises, which submits the rather modest premise that, irritating though the rich may be, actually killing them and taking all their stuff might be excessive."[284] Writing in USA Today, Bryan Alexander called Bane "the ultimate occupier" and reported that Christian Bale was amazed that the script had "foreseen" the Occupy movement.[285]

Nolan has denied that the film criticizes the Occupy movement, and insists that none of his Batman films are intended to be political: "I've had as many conversations with people who have seen the film the other way round. We throw a lot of things against the wall to see if it sticks. We put a lot of interesting questions in the air, but that's simply a backdrop for the story. What we're really trying to do is show the cracks of society, show the conflicts that somebody would try to wedge open. We're going to get wildly different interpretations of what the film is supporting and not supporting, but it's not doing any of those things. It's just telling a story. If you're saying, 'Have you made a film that's supposed to be criticizing the Occupy Wall Street movement?' – well, obviously, that's not true."[286]

Alternatively, politically conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh alleged that the film was biased against 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney due to Bane's name being a homophone for Bain Capital, the financial service company Romney used to head, despite the fact that the character has existed as a major Batman foe since 1993.[287][288] In response, Nolan said that the comments were "bizarre",[289] while Dixon and Freeman said that the comments were "ridiculous".[288][290] Democratic adviser Christopher Lehane has noted the similarities between the narratives of the film and the presidential campaign.[288][291]

Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek pointed out that the film was inspired by the French Revolution as portrayed by novelist Charles Dickens.[292]

• In 2014, Empire Magazine ranked The Dark Knight Rises the 72nd greatest film ever made on their list of "The 301 Greatest Movies Of All Time" as voted by the magazine's readers.[326]
• In 2018, a poll of 1,000 British adults was conducted by Virgin Media for people's choice of favorite superhero movie, and The Dark Knight Rises came in eighth place out of 20 films.[251]
• Film critics Richard Roeper and Roe Conn of Chicago Sun-Times, for their Best Movies of the Decade podcast, ranked The Dark Knight Rises among their list of the best action movies of the 2010s.[327]
• Total Film named it the 48th best film of the 2010s.[328]
• In 2019, on a poll held by LADbible, The Dark Knight Rises was voted as the best film of the decade 2010–2019.[329]
• Den of Geek ranked it No. 61 on their list of the best movies of the decade.[330]
• The Daily Telegraph has frequently ranked it number one on their list of the 25 best superhero films of all time.[331]
• In 2018, the film was featured on The Daily Telegraph's list of the 100 greatest films of all time in 2018.[332]