I have seen the movie twice. (And in true comic book geek form, I went back and watched parts of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight -- both which are much better.)

I think Nolan made two mistakes with this movie that made it less enjoyable and less than the other two movies:

1) He got away from the essence of Batman -- The character is haunted by his past. Driven. Almost insane, himself. (And that was pointed out very well in the Dark Knight with the interrogation of the Joker.) That doesn't just go away. He doesn't just think anyone can be Batman. He's Batman. Ultimately, he believes he is the only one who can do the job. And that his job is necessary. The idea that he would be content to hide away for 8 years without the drive to come by constantly eating away at him is just wrong. He is arrogant and firmly believes he is the smartest person in the room. And most of the time he is right.

2) Nolan never gives Batman a true defining moment with Bane in this movie. Batman never learns that his arrogance caused him to get defeated the first battle (thinking he could beat him in a brawl) with Bane and then come back and beat with physically and mentally. That never happens. And, in fact, Catwoman has to save him.

I watched the last hour of Superman II recently. That movie has not aged well. The special effects are not great -- not even as good as Superman, the Movie. But, it is still enjoyable. Mainly because Superman has a defining moment with Zod -- where he crushes his hand. It is and will always be a great scene.

From my point of view, this is were Nolan swung and missed with this movie. There is never a point in this movie that you look at Batman and know why he is such a badass. Why someone with no superpowers can be so unstoppable. There is never a point where Batman makes Bane afraid.