The final part of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, hits UK cinemas this Friday (July 20), and the first reviews have begun coming in.
Here we round up what the critics have been saying so far about one of the most highly anticipated films of the year, which stars Christian Bale, Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway.
Empire
"With spectacle in abundance and sexiness in (supporting) parts, this is superhero filmmaking on an unprecedented scale. Rises may lack the surprise of [Batman Begins] or the anarchy of [The Dark Knight], but it makes up for that in pure emotion. A fitting epitaph for the hero Gotham deserves."

Screen Daily
The Dark Knight Rises doesn't lack for ambition or vision. Nonetheless, this final instalment in director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is the first of the series not to smoothly execute its grand aspirations. The film suffers a bit from a glut of new characters, but is helped along by Nolan's continued insistence on emotional resonance over mindless spectacle."
The Hollywood Reporter
"Entirely enveloping and at times unnerving in a relevant way one would never have imagined, as a cohesive whole this ranks as the best of Nolan's trio, even if it lacks - how could it not? - an element as unique as Heath Ledger's immortal turn in The Dark Knight. It's a blockbuster by any standard."
Time Out
"As its running time suggests, The Dark Knight Rises is a sprawling, epic feast of a movie, stuffed to the gills with side characters, subplots and diversions."
HitFlix
"I suspect that the reaction to the film will be hotly divided, but I'm firmly on the side that this is a triumph, a victor for all involved. Whoever Warner Bros hires to reboot the Batman films a few years from now, I wish you luck. The bar is as high as it could possibly be."
Variety
"If it never quite matches the brilliance of 2008's The Dark Knight, this hugely ambitious action-drama nonetheless retains the moral urgency and serious-minded pulp instincts that have made the Warners franchise a beacon of integrity in an increasingly comicbook-driven Hollywood universe. Global box office domination awaits."
IndieWire
"An action opus that manages at to be both viscerally and intellectually engaging, Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated third Batman film comes full circle, examining both the Dark Knight and the society that produced him without sacrificing any of the sweeping thrills for which the series is known. A literate, thoughtful and invigorating finale, The Dark Knight Rises delivers everything audiences ask for and then some, albeit in fewer of the ways that they might expect"

The Toronto Sun
"The Dark Knight Rises is a spectacular and thrilling conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. With Christian Bale portraying the brooding, conflicted Batman again - probably for the last time - this trilogy is now the best of its kind. Regardless of the number of instalments, no other comic book franchise can boast being this great, so consistently, and for so long."