The Dark Knight In Retrospect

Rating: Null/10 (6 August 2008)

I saw this film on its theatrical release after a 4 week wait with an advance ticket that I purchased, and it completely caught me off guard! In a great way! This film had so many twists and surprises than I could have ever imagined. And I clearly saw why many think that Ledger's performance is Oscar worthy. In my honest opinion, this film is the most believably realistic interpretation of a comic book movie that I have ever seen. Now, 1989's Batman will always appear to have nailed our expectations of how Batman & The Joker should translate onto celluloid, but there's something about The Dark Knight that made The Joker more of a frightening threat to Gotham as well as the perfect antagonist for Batman's honor towards law & justice. As I watched scenes in which The Joker was up to his deadly deeds, I could honestly feel a sense of eminent danger and just how dangerous of a threat that the sadistic "Clown Prince of Crime" was despite Batman's attempts to stop him. I feel that this film is clearly the best of all the Batman films, and is a close rival to 1989's Batman. I found each action scene highly exhilarating and smartly plotted. The Dark Knight makes DC a force to be reckoned with in its quest to out do the Marvel films.
R.I.P., Heath Ledger.