One of the rare Hollywood blockbusters that's worth the hype

Rating: 8/10 (24 July 2019)

I'm speaking to those of us who don't like superhero movies, who resent the cookie cutter, moneymaking Hollywood clichÃ©s that dominate the art, and who find themselves generally irritated at movies & tv shows that the guy in the cubicle next to you at work is constantly raving about while you're trying to meet a deadline. Check out "The Dark Knight". It deserves the hype.
Largely due to the gripping performance by Heath Ledger (who reportedly buried himself in the part so deep that it contributed to his tragic young demise), this is no ordinary superhero flick. Propelled by dark themes, profound questions about the ugliness of the human soul, and complex portrayals of madness in both good & bad people, this film finally offers the superhero genre something worth thinking (literally, *thinking*) about. The beauty is that it can also be enjoyed as a straightforward crowd pleasing action flick. It balances the line perfectly.
The power of this story lies in an unlikely trio of characters: of a hero with a dark side (Batman), a deranged & violent criminal who is so quirkily charming that we almost see him as a good guy (Ledger as The Joker), and a third character who straddles the balance (I won't ruin it). It all comes to a poignant statement, punctuated with a gripping climax involving a moral quandary that poses the question: does humanity suck so bad that it will kill itself?
Stick around and find out.
There are other great films in the superhero genre that take a different approach, like "Hancock" (a drunk, dysfunctional hero), "Special" (an incompetent dreamer who fancies himself a superhero), and on the disturbing side "Super" (a vigilante hero who goes too far). Here in The Dark Knight we explore the anti-hero angle more subtlely, and that's what allows it to seep in under your skin.
I haven't seen the other two Christopher Nolan installments of Batman (Batman Begins & The Dark Knight Rises), but even if you start here with the 2nd one The Dark Knight, it stands on its own as a classic.