To the delight of many, Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight Rises," will soon hit theaters on July 20th.  The talented director of the latest installment of the Batman franchise does not disappoint; as the film clearly complements the first two.

The flick fast forwards eight years after Batman goes dark following "The Dark Knight," which turns him from superhero to a fugitive on the run for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent.  For a set time, criminal activities in the Gotham area came to a halt under the anti-crime Dent act, but Catwoman and masked terrorist Bane have ended that. 

The cast was well above par as the gritty Christian Bale, the well voiced Morgan Freeman and the beyond his older years Michael Caine delivered some of the best performances of their careers.

The character development was above par.  Also, the breadth and depth of Nolan's characters appear to be specifically designed to draw the audience members in.  The only downfall was that there was a plethora of actors on the screen at certain times; which sometimes seemed to take away from the potency of the leads.

Tom Hardy of the surprisingly excellent independent hit "Warrior," also brought his A-game; as he played the villainous Bane.

However, he still has a ways to go as an actor to reach Joker heights; along the lines of the late Heath Ledger.

The pacing of the flick seems to go really well as the action seemed to be sprinkled in at just the right time.  However, the movie did tend to spend too much time on the story and less on any adrenaline pumping action sequences. 

From a cinematography point of view, the IMAX shots and the quality of the scenes really shined through.  All in all, the film is a must see for Batman enthusiasts and is a testament to how talented Christopher Nolan truly is. 

Anybody else on the bandwagon for a fourth installment?  I truly think the Nolans can pull it off.

For those of you who dare to find out more before hitting the theaters - especially who the secret character is - please follow the link below:

"Dark Knight Rises" Spoilers!