In a year of choice box-office escapism (Skyfall, The Avengers, Ted, The Hunger Games), The Dark Knight Rises deserves pride of place. Though not time-capsule material like 2008's The Dark Knight with Heath Ledger, Christopher Nolan's  hypnotic capper to his Batman trilogy lifted spectacle close to the level of art. The Colorado tragedy in which a gunman opened fire in a theater showing the film should not be confused with Nolan's achievement.