Why the Dark Knight was so much better than the Dark Knight Rises

It took me seeing it twice and thinking about it for 2 weeks, but I believe I've finally figured out why the Dark Knight Rises is so much worse than its predecessor.

1. The Dark Knight has a completely self contained story line.  It makes absolutely no references to Batman Begins.  Just one logical plot line with a beginning, middle, and end.  Dark Knight Rises has almost no story line at all if stripped of its references to past events.  I understand Christopher Nolan was looking to conclude the series but honestly, why did the League of Shadows need to be brought back up?
2. The effect put on Tom Hardy's voice by the mask makes much of Bane's dialogue difficult to understand.  Heath Ledger's take on the Joker's voice is chilling and creepy AND it's easy to understand.
3. Although neither movie is a direct adaptation of a single comic book story line, the Dark Knight changed relatively little about the Joker, making it comic book accurate Joker story that is not canonical to the comic books.  The Dark Knight Rises changed a lot of things from the comic books that didn't need to be changed (i.e. Bane having some sort of British accent rather than a Hispanic accent, Bane being addicted to an analgesic rather than Venom, etc.)
4. Bane goes down far too abruptly.  The capture of the Joker takes its time and develops; by the time Batman catches him, it feels right.  Not the case with Bane.  Batman is fighting him one minute and Selina Kyle kills him the next.
5. The Dark Knight Rises attempts to create and resolve too many subplots and accordingly feels jumpy at times.  The Dark Knight plays out smoothly.
6. The Dark Knight is a BATMAN movie.  The Dark Knight Rises is far more of a BRUCE WAYNE movie.  Don't understand?  Go rewatch them both.

**There are more reasons in my mind, but I'm too tired to go on right now.  Will update eventually.**

But for everything that the Dark Knight Rises does wrong, there are still many things I think it does right.  A few quick examples include:

• The snapping of Batman's back over Bane's knee - just like the comics.
• It is not Bruce Wayne who ultimately defeats Bane - in the comics it was Jean-Paul Valley, in the movie it's Selina Kyle.
• I love that they referenced Robin in any capacity, but would it really have been so wrong to make Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character's name be Dick Grayson or Tim Drake rather than John Blake?  (Also, I really would have liked to see the Nolanverse Robin suit, but I think the implication is that John Blake takes over as Batman and that Robin is just his first name, not his superhero identity.)
• The "Bat" from the Dark Knight Rises (the Nolanverse Batplane) is way cooler than the Tumbler (Nolanverse Batmobile).

I could go on, but I'd just be naming specific scenes.

Side note:  Why have Batman movies been shrouded in tragedy lately?  With Dark Knight, we lost Heath Ledger and with Dark Knight Rises came the Colorado shooting.  Maybe it's a hint from a higher power, Warner Bros, that you shouldn't make a new Batman flick for a while (for those that don't know, the Nolanverse Batman flicks end with Dark Knight Rises and the studio is already planning on rebooting the Batman movies again to tie in to the Justice League movie).

Justifying the Obsession: Superheroes as Religion

Disclaimer:  This is, in no way, intended to mock or insult any religion or religious group.  It is simply an analysis of my thoughts on superheroes as they relate to religion in my mind.  Anything perceived as offensive is entirely unintentional on my part.

Like so many kids growing up, I always loved superheroes.  I cannot remember a time when I didn't dream of taking to the sky like Superman or climbing walls like Spider-Man.  Truthfully, I'd be happy even being a powerless do-gooder like Batman or the Punisher.  To be able to fight for what's right and stand up to the forces of evil sounds like the ultimate life.

However, unlike most kids, I never grew out of these childhood fantasies.  Today, I spend my days at work daydreaming of taking up the Bat-mantle and secretly reading digital comics on my iPhone.

Recently, I got to thinking about what it is in my personality that makes me so love the very idea of superheroes.  The theory I've come up with has its roots in religion.

You see, I was raised in a Christian household, but I've always struggled accepting many aspects of the Christian faith.  I've tried associating myself with various sects of Christianity, but no matter what, I still can't seem to fully accept it.  About a week ago, I made a statement to a group of friends that I believe the story of Superman is, in essence, the story of Jesus.  My friends just laughed it off and tried to poke holes in my statement, but in my mind, the reasoning is sound:

Story of Jesus:  God sends his only son to Earth to be the savior of man-kind.  He does many astonishing feats along the way and saves many people from illness and the temptations of sin.

Story of Superman:  A man from a distant world sends his only son to Earth to be the savior of man-kind.  He does many astonishing feats along the way and saves many people from the forces of evil.

Admittedly, not perfectly identical, but enough so to make a case out of it.  I digress; I began analyzing my own statement and quickly realized that a case could be made that superheroes in general embody religion.  Religions - all religions - provide hope to their followers and, at their core, they all teach the same basic principles: goodness, forgiveness, humility, etc.  The stories I've read in comic books have, time and again, given me hope and taught me all the same lessons about morality that I was instructed on in Bible School.

And so, my theory: I think it possible that the reason I have had such trouble accepting Christianity is that superheroes are, for me, a religion.

Lets face it, the Marvel and DC Universes could each be viewed as polytheistic mythologies - with the main characters being major gods and the secondary characters being minor gods.  Individual heroes even embody certain elements and ideals the way that polytheistic gods often would (i.e. the Human Torch - god of fire, Batman - god of cunning and wit, Wonder Woman - goddess of truth).  If superheroes are indeed the "religion" that I've accepted in my mind, it would completely explain why I've so often doubted the faith I was raised to believe.  In essence, this would be like a Muslim attempting to convert to Christianity.  How does one wholeheartedly accept a foreign religion?

It's a stretch, but it certainly would explain my difficulties with faith and my love for all things superhero.

.......... Or maybe I'm just a guy who never really grew up and is seeking desperately to justify his nerdy obsessions............. Yeah.  Probably that.