Best Movie Ever!

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2008)

For the faint of heart be warned--Here be spoilers.
Let me start off with, Yes; I have been looking up every small piece of info about this movie for a year, Yes; I ordered my tickets 12 years in advance, Yes; I counted down the hours and minutes till the movie opened and Yes; I stood at the theater 2 hours early to make sure I got a really good seat. I'm a fan of Batman, always have been always will be, through the good and Batman and Robin.
But this Bat movie had so much hype that even if you're not a fan you are drawn to see it, if only to see Heath Ledgers last movie. And after seeing it I can only say one word....Holy Crap. Take everything you know about movies and throw it out the window people, this movie is so full of twist and turns that the 2 hour 45 min run time seems like 10 minutes and once the last frame of the movie is over, you'll find yourself asking "When is the third one now?"
The Dark Knight picks up right where Batman Begins left off, and the caped crusader could not be in better form. New gizmo's and gadgets make the capture of the joker look good.
Which brings me to, the Joker. I personally have never been a fan of Heath Ledger (My daughter thinks hes dreamy) but this role made me a fan at once. THIS IS THE JOKER! Forget Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson, while good versions, they fell far from who the Joker really was, a sadistic serial killer with no morals or guilt. This Joker is scary, and believe me, you would not want him at your birthday party. My wife (who is a shrink) is watching this trying to diagnose his mental illnesses, and I'm laughing because I'm watching a comic book literally come to life. We've come a long way from the 60's batman series and its about time we saw the characters for who they really are.
We have the usual players: Bale, Caine, Freeman, Oldman (Except Katie Holmes, but oh well, her loss) Two Face even makes an appearance here, and he reminds me of Shadow of the Bat comics, a very good look for him, way way better than Tommy Lee Jones' Two Face.
However, a few things did Bother me, and I thought I'd share them with you, Like:
1: Gordons wife, her name is Barbara....You mean like Batgirl? Isn't Barbara Gordon commissioner Gordons DAUGHTER? Ewwww.
2: Two Faces 'transformation'. It seemed really rushed, a big lead up just to have a small 'poof' and hes TwoFace. Seemed a silly way to have it happen if you ask me, which no one did.
3: With Two Face, the eye on his scarred side, how does it stay moist? He has no eye lids to blink with. Does he use special eye drops or something?
4: OK, so some dweeb guy at Wayne Enterprises discovers 'Hmmm, a lot of stuff is missing', why did it take so long for this to be discovered? You'd think with a huge business like that there would be more checks and balances.
5: On the same note with the dweeb guy, how did the guy decide 'Bruce Wayne is Batman' why not Fox? Fox had access to all that stuff and was obviously the one who lied about the stuff going missing? Why would he go after Wayne of all people first?
6: Maggie Gyllenhaal....What is the deal? Every line she had seemed like she was whining through it. Thank god we didn't have to put up with much of her in this role.
7: What is with Batmans voice? Take a cough drop already.
But even with my nonsense complaining, this is the best I have seen in a LONG time. Best film I have seen ever if I may be so bold. The hype was well met and this one is even better than the first. If this is any indication of what to expect from this new Batman franchise, we are in good hands.
Long Live Batman!