One of A Kind

Rating: 9/10 (3 March 2013)

Most people had no idea that The Dark Knight was a sequel, I know I didn't. Thank god this movie exists. It is well known that I was not a huge fan of Batman Begins but every problem I had with the original no longer exists. Bruce Wayne was a much better character, Rachel Dawes was portrayed perfectly, Harvey Dent added a new twist, Alfred was inspirational and lovable, Gordon found his comfort zone, and Heath Ledger portrayed the best Joker the world has ever seen, god rest his soul. This movie was Christopher Nolan's masterpiece and is a movie I can watch again and again.
The Joker. That is really all I need to say to make this movie what it is. Without the joker, this movie is nothing. The opening scene we see the madman at his finest. We see how all he cares about is chaos and how he really has little to no motive towards anything. The physical and psychological attacks on Gotham keep the audience wanting more. We never get a background story on the joker, which is annoying, but perfect. We are supposed to know nothing about this man. He has no fingerprints, no ID, no home, nothing. He is a rogue madman who likes to bring out the worst in people and he is right. My favorite scene is when he is being interrogated by Batman and he talks about chaos theory and how people will turn on each other. And he is right and we see his plan come together in the third movie. Heath Ledger prepared well for this role, a little too well as it cost him his life, but he left behind one of the best performances I have ever seen in any movie, ever. It's up there. If there was ever a role to go out on.
This movie basically picks up shortly after Batman Begins left off. Batman is still fighting the mob and crime but Gotham also had Harvey Dent. Dent is the "White Knight" and he does wonder for Gotham. "You rather die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." He says this early on in the film and that foreshadows him becoming Two-Face. It shows more brilliance on the part of The Joker. He took Gotham's hero and turned him into a villain, just to prove his point. Harvey's story is really kind of tragic but was also so powerful and caused conflict.
Rachel and Bruce had their one moment at the end of Batman Begins, but she has since been in a relationship with Dent. But, she told Bruce she would be there when there he didn't need Batman anymore. This has strong inner conflict with herself. She loves Bruce, but she also loves Harvey. Her character was so much more developed and she had such a strong impact on Bruce, Dent, and even Gotham. She found her place in this trilogy. She is a stronger character and Maggie Gyllenhaal did a lot better than I expected.
More characters were simply more relevant in this movie. Gary Oldman kills it as Gordon and Alfred just steals the show in every scene he is in. He has a way of explaining the world to Bruce that just makes sense. "Some men just want to watch the world burn." Alfred just gets what is going on and understands what is going on in Gotham. Gordon tries to understand but he is too much of a cop and tries to find motive behind the Joker. That is what I think is his weakness. He tries to think like the Joker, but he can't. He wants to be one step ahead but it's impossible. Alfred understands that one cannot try and understand the Joker to defeat him. It's genius really and there are little subtleties like that in which make this move what it is.
Is this movie perfect? No, far from it. The ending to this movie is highly flawed with characters not getting proper endings. Granted nobody expected Heath Ledger to kick the bucket and one could argue that Harvey Dent got screwed. Let's be honest, the ending wasn't great but it was how it had to end. I may not have enjoyed all parts but given the circumstances and assuming Christopher Nolan wanted the Joker in the third movie, the ending worked. Gary Oldman saves it with the monologue he gives before it cuts to credits. The man just speaks the truth in that monologue. Other characters, like the lawyer who tied to blackmail Wayne was never heard from again, one of the mobsters was questioned to be alive. Just little things die-hard fans can nitpick at. I'm not sure how accurate these movies are to comic books, but who cares.
Overall, The Dark Knight was a summer blockbuster that deserved every cent it made. Honestly, I think Christopher Nolan deserved an Oscar nomination, but that's just me. I know a lot of people agree with that but the Academy is weird like that. Hans Zimmer returns and nails it with the music once again. Music makes the movie, I say it again and again and that is a big reason why The Dark Knight gets the WillyT Seal of Approval. Go and see this movie and enjoy. It has an effect on your mind as well as incredibly entertaining. It's movie like this that inspire people to want to make movies and join the experience. So see this movie, get inspired, make a movie, and get approved.