An outstanding installment of the Batman legacy.

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2010)

today was an amazing day. I managed to see The Dark Knight, the newest Batman film, on opening night with a good group of my friends. excitement buzzed through the air in a packed theater as we awaited what so much buzz and expectations had led us to feel. needless to say by now, none of us were disappointed.
The Dark Knight follows some time after Batman Begins, where the Caped Crusader has made a name for himself and acquired some new technology for fighting the bad guys. all the old faces from the previous film return (except for Katie Holmes', who was replaced excellently by Maggie Gyllenhaal), and most perform even better than before. notable newcomers are of course The Joker and district attorney Harvey Dent (most well-remembered as the villain Two-Face). after some exposition and a few dramatic scenes, the action steps up to the plate and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the final frame. the special/visual effects here are spectacular, and the cinematography is top-notch. however, what really shines here is the character development, wonderfully brought forth by Oscar-worthy acting. Heath Ledger deserves all the hype he's getting, an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (or possibly even Best Actor), and his very own spot on the landmark road of fantastic film performances. very rarely does an actor and character fascinate and astound with their believability and raw emotional power, but Ledger has it here in spades. Christian Bale gives no slack as Batman, and brings forward a new sense of character study with his conflicting choices in the storyline. believe me when I say this, there will be times when you laugh, shudder, gasp, gape, cheer, and clap for everything you are seeing on screen. truthfully, I was left trembling for a good while after the credits started rolling. that's how phenomenal The Dark Knight is.
of course, there has to be something wrong or amiss in any film, since no movie is perfect..however, like the previous comic-adaption 300, I feel that this film is practically flawless. the only time one can see a continuity error or realistic problem is when one fails to suspend their disbelief, which honestly won't be too hard for you while watching The Dark Knight (a fine characteristic, considering how comic-book movies have been the last few years).
Regardless, The Dark Knight is a superb film, and will likely excite watchers for years to come.