A Spectacular Sequel and Tribute to a Lost Talent

Rating: 9/10 (20 July 2008)

I just got back from seeing this movie, and in a word: Marvelous. Heath Ledger was even better than the hype. I found myself anxiously awaiting his next screen appearance. Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine were all stellar in their respective roles, but I was pleasantly surprised by Aaron Eckhart's Harvey "Two-Face" Dent. Overall, he was very convincing and held his ground in a movie full of excellent performances.
The action and fight sequences were all very well done, and I disagree with some of the statements that this didn't have enough of Batman kicking butt, because it certainly had plenty. It also had one of the coolest opening scenes in recent history, in my opinion. There were some new Bat-gadgets thrown in as well, which was good to see. The cinematography was absolutely spectacular. Some of the overhead and tracking shots were simply outstanding and helped to give the movie its grand scale.
As for the downfalls, the movie is a tad long. While it never drags, I think they could have trimmed the fat. (Excluding any Joker scenes, of course.) Christian Bale's Batman voice got annoying a couple of times, but it doesn't really detract from the movie and he's so great besides that so I won't hold it against him. Maggie Gyllenhaal, while not as terrible as everyone said she was, definitely could have been better. My last complaint is that the ending, while great, didn't leave as much anticipation for the next movie (assuming there is one) as Batman Begins did. Overall...
Rating: 9/10 - Certainly a must-see for any fan of Batman, and fans of movies for that matter.
R.I.P. Heath Ledger