An unexpected masterpiece that will be remembered long after its counterparts have been forgotten

Rating: 10/10 (29 July 2008)

Who knew that the best movie of the year and perhaps the biggest cinematic event in a decade could come from the same franchise that once saw George Clooney in a nipple suit? I had pretty high expectations for The Dark Knight after months of hype and anticipation, and not just because of the unfortunate and untimely death of Heath Ledger. As many of my esteemed fellow movie-goers have already stated, the end result was head and shoulders above the considerable buzz surrounding it and is on its way to setting box office records that may not be approached for a long time. Is it possible that a comic book movie can excel as film-making in such an overwhelming fashion that it is actually considered a front runner for...gasp!...Best Picture at the Oscars? I say yes, and if there is justice in this world, it will happen. Even as out-of-touch and elitist as members of the Academy usually are, even they would be hard pressed to overlook the staggering achievement that is The Dark Knight. To call it a comic book movie is an insult to everyone involved; can we really put this in the same class as Fantastic Four or Catwoman? How many other comic book movies have so perfectly mixed action and human drama? Spider-Man 2 comes close, but even it pales in the shadow of TDK. For once, the hype can be believed. If anything, it is insufficient. This could very well stand as one of the definitive films of our generation, and it doesn't take a superhero to see that.