WOW, WOW and WOW again...

Rating: 10/10 (9 December 2008)

I'm not a huge fan of the whole superhero genre, but I have always been a Batman fan - and trust me, to call The Dark Knight a superhero movie is almost an insult. Everything that (in my opinion at least) makes a film brilliant is in here - the acting is outstanding, the story is totally gripping, the musical score is brilliant, and the pacing is so fast that those 152 minutes just fly past in what seems like virtually no time at all.
The aspect of this film that I think deserves the most amount of praise is by far the acting as it really is outstanding. Believe the hype around Heath Ledger's performance especially; his portrayal of the Joker is so vivid and gripping that he is genuinely frightening in some scenes (this is definitely not a film for kids; I'm a bit surprised that it got away with a 12 certificate).
The other actor who really stands out for me is Aaron Eckhart, bringing a new depth to the character of Harvey Dent/Two-Face and completely dragging him away from comics such as The Long Halloween (as the director Christopher Nolan has done with the entire Batman franchise so far). And, of course, who can forget the performances from the actors such as Christian Bale and Gary Oldman, who are just as brilliant in this film as they were in Batman Begins.
The Dark Knight is a film that is wonderfully, brutally dark, and contributes enormously to the whole new dimension of the Batman universe that Christopher Nolan has created. It has a very deep, complex storyline, and manages to be dark without being too overpowering (there are still some laugh-out-loud moments, particularly a very memorable one involving the Joker, a bodyguard and a pencil). If you think you're ready for a Batman film that has all this and much more, then watch it. You won't be disappointed.