Definitely lived up to the hype!

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2008)

It's very difficult to explain how great "The Dark Knight" really is. I'm still in shock right now! "The Dark Knight" is probably the best summer movie so far, and may be the greatest movie this year! Let's talk about the Joker first. We see him right when the movie starts, and even then, I fell in love with the character. The Joker is so maniacal, so cunning, and so bad ass that it's hard to not like him. He played the part so well that I almost forgot Heath was the one underneath the character. Heath Ledger obviously took the part seriously, and he gave us a living, breathing Joker. His performance is unforgettable. Early reviews praised Heath, and believed he may win an Oscar. I wanted to see for myself - and I totally agree. I hope he does win because he really deserves it.
Throughout the whole movie, we get to see all of the Joker's crimes and schemes. I've got to admit that I was blown away by everything the Joker did. All of his plans were crazy, but at the same time smart, and many of them had twists. His final attempt was probably the best, and also the most psychological. The Joker pretty much made the film into a psychological thriller. You'll be surprised at how cunning the Joker is and also how much he thinks everything through. Even though he's effing crazy, you'll fall in love with the Joker.
I was surprised at how funny the movie was. There were a few smart jokes from time to time, but the one that took the cake was, of course, the Joker. All the things he says, all the things he does, deserves a laugh. (I also agree that most of his quotes should be on t-shirts).
So, Christian Bale reprises his role as Batman, and he definitely pulled it off again. Bale is great as Batman and Bruce Wayne, and he shows us how human Batman can be. His character is just as important as every other main character. Eckhart is simply wonderful as Harvey Dent, Gotham's "White Knight." Gyllenhaal is also a great replacement for Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. I certainly think that Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman received bigger roles this time than the last, however it kind of felt like Michael Caine got a smaller part. But even though it did feel like that, Michael Caine still made a big impression.
You all have probably already heard about the film's second villain, Two-Face. Two-Face is Harvey Dent's (Aaron Eckhart) other persona. He become Two-Face after a tragic accident (I'm not going to reveal the details), and becomes disfigured. Soon after, he goes on a rampage to take out the guilty and corrupt. Two-Face's trademark coin appears in the film, too. He uses this coin to decide the fate of his victims. Heads means the person will live, while the other side (a scratched up face) means the person will die). Two-Face portrays a very important moral that we discover in the film: "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." That quote has a bit of irony in it, since it was also said by Harvey Dent in the film. Harvey Dent's character in this film probably took some inspiration from the graphic novel, "The Killing Joke." In the graphic novel, a character tries to prove that even the most upstanding citizen is capable of going mad after having "one bad day." The action in this film is amazing. The film doesn't just have explosions and violence for no reason. There's always a reason for them. Also, the stunts that were performed in this film was crazy good. In the trailer, there was a part where a truck flipped upside down and then crashed. You'll never guess what caused that to happen. Batman does some crazy tricks with his batpod, which pretty much just wowed and entertained the audience.
Now let's compare this film to "Iron Man." Many have said how this film changed superhero films forever, just like how "Iron Man" did. But in my opinion, "Iron Man" never made a big impression to me. It was good, but it wasn't amazing. "Iron Man" just felt like another superhero movie, but "The Dark Knight" felt like an actual "film." So, did "The Dark Knight" live up to all the hype? I'd have to say it was even better than that. The trailers (despite how awesome they were) only showed us a fraction of how good "The Dark Knight" is; the film is so much more. The film has meaning - morals that we can use in life, and believable characters. Even with it's two and a half hour running time, never was the film boring. I had to sit near the front of the theater, and I was still entertained! It was entertaining and full of excitement from beginning to end. However, I kind of have mixed feelings about the ending. I didn't understand the ending at first, but after finding out I realized that it was a meaningful ending, but I don't know if I liked it or not. But still, that shouldn't keep you from seeing a fantastic film like this. Believe me, after you see the movie, you're going to want to see it again right away.