Batman Week Day Three: First TDKR Reviews Arrive

What is the verdict on Christopher Nolan's Bat finale so far?
Very soon now, Batman will return to the big-screen in The Dark Knight Rises, an epic finale to the Christopher Nolan trilogy of dark thriller movies. I'll be giving you the Day One exclusive verdict on the movie in comparison to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Avengers Assemble tomorrow, but the press have already begun to deliver their own thoughts on the film. Here's a roundup of what's been said so far...

• TOTAL FILM (5/5): "A smart, stirring spectacle that faces down impossible expectations to pull off a hugely satisfying end to business. Boy, you're in for a show tonight..."
• EMPIRE (5/5): "God help the bloke who reboots this. With spectacle in abundance and sexiness in (supporting) parts, this is superhero filming on an unprecedented scale. Rises may lack the surprise of Begins and the anarchy of Knight, but it makes up for that in pure emotion. A fitting epitaph for the hero Gotham deserves."
• DIGITAL SPY (5/5): "The Dark Knight Rises barely lets up in its two-hour 45 minutes running time as Nolan precision-engineers a full-throttle blockbuster with the walloping, Hans Zimmer-backed action sequences of The Dark Knight and the emotional weight of Batman Begins. Intelligent, heart-pounding spectacle cinema that grips like a vice from minute one and won't let go."
• IGN (9/10): "Christopher Nolan and his team have delivered the grandest, most emotional and superheroic chapter in their Batman saga. The Dark Knight Rises is a fitting emotional and narrative conclusion to this particular interpretation of the enduring story of Bruce Wayne the man and the legend."
• TELEGRAPH (5/5): "If Nolan is prepared to go this far, I found myself wondering at times, just how far is he prepared to go? Well, the answer is further than any superhero film I can think of: after a breathless, bruva final act, a nuclear payload of catharsis brings The Dark Knight Rises and Nolan's trilogy to a ferociously satisfying close."
• TIME (5/5): "The movie may not top The Avengers at the worldwide box office, but it is a far, far better thing- maybe the best, most troubling, assured and enthralling of all the superhero movies."

So pretty consistent praise across the board so far, and with any luck things will only get better as we head towards tomorrow's worldwide release!