Clearly a fan-boy favorite, but actually a mess

Rating: 5/10 (26 July 2008)

In my opinion, this movie has been completely over-rated by the fan-boy crowd and most critics (with the notable exception of The New Yorker's David Denby and New York's David Edelman). A sentimental, knee-jerk obligation to praise the late Heath Ledger's performance--which *does* merit all the accolades it's received--has spilled over into blind worship of the movie itself.
When the dust settles, I think it will become clear that the movie is overlong, unnecessarily complex, pretentious, visually muddled at various points, and saddled with a dull-as-dirt hero who's computer modified voice is completely laughable. I mean, seriously, every time Batman tried to talk to someone with his stupid Darth-Vader voice, it jarred me right out of the movie.
The Dark Knight certainly isn't Art. It's not even a particularly good blockbuster, compared to, say, the far more entertaining and coherent Iron Man or a classic like Die Hard.
Ledger's achievement is astounding, but the movie around him is just not on the same level.