You get what you expected, and so much more!!

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2008)

I can't believe I am about to say this about a superhero movie, but this film is an absolute masterpiece. This film had me clenching my fists from beginning to end. I'm sure all the reviews about this movie will be similar, but I just have to vent and babble about it. First of all, the storyline and the writing was fantastic. This is a classic epic superhero/super villain with the battle between right and wrong, anarchy vs. harmony, the structure of communities falling on its head, and the true nature of the human condition for survival. Christian Bale did an excellent job as Batman once again, he performs the battle of himself effortlessly and flawlessly. Aaron Eckhart was a great cast for the role of Harvey Dent/Two Face, and Maggie Gyllenhaal was excellent in the new version of Rachel. But of course, and I hate to seem like I'm jumping on the bandwagon, Heath Ledger absolutely stole the show. Every scene he was in was completely meant for this green earth. The thing that baffles me about his performance is how well he did. In general, Heath Ledger was never someone that inspired anyone with his acting, he was a pretty face and had some cute roles. But to see him play The Joker, it seemed as if he played this role knowing it would be one of his last. The entire time I watched the film I could not tell who the actor was underneath all the vile anger and heinous violence. The insanity that Heath brings to the Joker is a character unlike anything I've ever seen in a film. He has no qualms about what he does or who he hurts. It's such a sad thing to see that he could have had this much potential all along, and never got to continue on to the greatness he could have achieved. The Joker was absolutely terrifying and hilarious in every scene, and the movements and being of The Joker has been changed forever. The cinematography was stunning throughout, with the wide shots of Gotham and of Japan. The views of the city were beautiful but still had the air of fear and crime all throughout. It was shot way different from Batman Begins, this one seemed to have a more real city feel to it with a lot more daylight shots present throughout. Even though the mood of the lighting and city was brighter, the story and feeling was more grim than ever, which is a great thing to achieve. Making things scary in the daylight isn't that simple. The only thing in both Batman Begins and Dark Knight that bother me are Christian Bales 'angry voice'...it ends up comical and pushed most of the time, but it needed to be there to conceal Bruce Wayne's identity so it works. And of course, the brilliance that is shone throughout the entire film is that of Christopher Nolan. His directing capabilities I don't think have ever been in question, everything he does is sharp, blunt, and fantastic. This film definitely shows all that he can achieve. The action sequences are gut wrenching and blunt as hell. And to make all this violence into a PG-13 rating takes some skill. Despite all the violence and terror that goes on throughout, there is no blood or gore. This film does an excellent job of keeping you tense without needed to gross you out. All in all, this film was just an instant classic and can be compared to the best of the Crime sagas, this is an absolute must see, and I know I will be seeing it a dozen more times before I get my fill of the richness and beauty that this film can bring.