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Shalimar Sahota: I viewed the first two of Christopher Nolan's Batman films on their opening day. The Dark Knight Rises will be no exception. I've enjoyed the moody trailers with Hans Zimmer's score, but am not actively seeking out information or reviews that will spoil my enjoyment. In fact I will most likely read just the single review before watching. I'm thinking it probably won't take the opening weekend crown from The Avengers (given the lack inflated 3D ticket prices), but the finality of it, with it being advertised as "the epic conclusion" ought to be enough to drive people to want to know 'how' it ends before they have it ruined by someone who can't keep their mouth shut.

Reagen Sulewski: This is kind of a weird film to get a handle on the buzz for. There's an almost reverent tone that many have for The Dark Knight, but at the same time there's a strange backlash towards Chris Nolan. With the unique set of circumstances that surrounded TDK which can't possibly be repeated, there's a sense of an inevitable let down, but any time we have "The End" of something, people get up for that. In the end, I think we have to trust in the guy that's brought us two near-perfect Batman films so far, and that he won't fumble at the goal line.

David Mumpower: Simply by perusing this thread, we can clearly see the issue this movie faces. It is expected to be the biggest opening of all time by some and better in quality than The Avengers by others. This is like drafting a baseball player and saying that if their career falls short of Hank Aaron, you will be disappointed in them (i.e. the Jason Heyward Scenario).

I am not slavishly devoted to Christopher Nolan the way that others are and I am one of the blasphemous few who believe that Batman Begins is superlative to The Dark Knight. I agree with Felix that the end of the latter film is muddled to the point of incomprehensible. Batman Begins, on the other hand, is a near perfect film. I have a strange point of view here in that because of his usage in Gail Simone's sublime series, Secret Six, Bane is my favorite Batman villain. I should be ultra-excited about this sequel. The fact that the commercials have yet to grab me is alarming.

What hurts is that the "Why so serious" campaign is exactly the sort of inimitable masterpiece that marketers dream of having once in their careers. Following that up is - to continue the baseball analogies - like playing the game after you hit four homers the day before. It is all but impossible to meet the previously established expectations. What we need to accept is that a segment of the population will wake away this weekend going, "Ugh! What a letdown." This is unavoidable. The question is how big a percentage of early adopters will feel this way.

I would add that the way I can identify that The Dark Knight Rises is a special event is that I'm going to an 11 a.m. showing on Friday. In fact, I've blocked off the whole day in case my wife, a Batman nerd to the nth degree, wants to watch it multiple times.

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