First The Dark Knight Rises reviews are in: the best Batman film?

The first reviews are finally out for the hugely anticipated third and last Christopher Nolan Batman epic — and they're glowing like the bat signal on Gotham City's skies.

"The Dark Knight Rises succeeds as an epic triumph that scales the rare heights of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, making it the crowning achievement of the Batman trilogy and the biggest, best, most exciting Batman of them all," wrote Access Hollywood's Scott A. Mantz.

"The Avengers is kid stuff compared with this meditation on mortal loss and heroic frailty. For once a melodrama with pulp origins convinces viewers that it can be the modern equivalent to Greek myths or a Jonathan Swift satire," wrote TIME magazine's Richard Corliss.

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"TDKR is that big, that bitter — a film of grand ambitions and epic achievement. The most eagerly anticipated movie of summer 2012 was worth waiting for."

"Whether you believe this betters Batman Begins or eclipses The Dark Knight, it is certainly a satisfying conclusion to what is now — we're calling it — the best superhero series of all time," wrote Empire magazine's Nev Pierce.

The many five-star reviews are already pitching the superhero blockbuster and its director Nolan as contenders for next year's Oscars.

The actors are also receiving the highest of praise, especially Anne Hathaway for her decidedly un-Halle Berry-esque turn as Catwoman.

"Nolan's Catwoman is the best cinematic rendering of the character to date, allowing Anne Hathaway sex appeal, humor and real humanity in equal measures," Indiewire's Todd Gilchrist said.

Tom Hardy's villain Bane has been described as "a fearsome figure" but one with "emotive limitations" given his masked face and distorted voice, according to Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy.

McCarthy sums up the general consensus that Christian Bale is at his "series best" as the tortured caped crusader. As his ever-faithful butler Alfred, Michael Caine gets "surprisingly emotional scenes to play and handles theme with lovely restraint".

Not everyone agrees that TDKR is such a masterpiece. Three out of 32 critics' verdicts counted so far on review site Rotten Tomatoes are negative.

Associated Press' Christy Lemire thinks it doesn't match The Dark Knight, being too "plot-heavy, obsessed with process, laden with expository dialogue and flashbacks that bog down the momentum".

We'll be able to make up our own minds when The Dark Knight Rises hits cinemas on Thursday.

Will The Dark Knight Rises be the best of the trilogy? Let us know below.