Very, very good batman

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 2013)

Only just watched this and I like where the Batman franchise has been going. Been a bit grittier and a bit more respectful of it's comic book heritage.
This outing sees the Joker (back again) trying to wrest control of the criminal underworld (which has been severely curtailed by Batman and an ambitious and brave DA) of Gotham by vowing to destroy their nemesis - namely, Batman. The plot meanders at times but I liked the central theme of the film: what separates the good guys from the bad guys. The Joker is like the house dealer giving characters hard choices and trying to see what makes people better by the choices they make. It's an interesting dynamic and I think it transforms the film from your average superhero film into something more. It is where the Marvel franchises suffer in comparison, IMHO.
What really elevates this film to another level (to a level where the action is actually the dull bit) are the performances of Heath Ledger (The Joker) and Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent). Heath Ledger is by far and away the best portrayal of The Joker so far. An interesting, charismatic and scary individual - Ledger seems to walk the line of parody and insanity with ease and I found The Joker to be utterly enthralling and horrific at the same time - he is mesmerising every time he is on screen.
Eckhart takes a while to grow into the role but towards the end of the film I found him to be excellent as well.
I still find that Bale having a regular voice when he is Wayne to then having a I-Smoke-40-Malboros-a-day voice as Batman is a bit weird.