Let's put a smile on that face...

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2008)

That is exactly what this movie did to me. From beginning to end, The Dark Knight manages to keep your attention focused on the events displayed frame by frame on the big screen, be it Heath Ledger's brilliant performance as the witty and elusive Joker or the deep topics of human nature the film exploits to a most outstanding display.
This time around, Batman is not as much the central figure of the movie as he was in 2005's Batman Begins. Instead, the film revolves around a more unexplored character: Cristopher Nolan's Gotham City. The Dark Knight exposes the true innards and dimension of Bruce Wayne's hometown as never seen before in a Batman movie. The interaction between law enforcers, criminals, and citizens builds a stage for the major characters to deliver their empowered performances on, each of them representing a part of Gotham that evolves in pretty interesting ways throughout the film.
Now, about the Joker, Heath Ledger's impression of him is absolutely fantastic. Some may think that Ledger's performance is being over-hyped and sweetened by the audience over his late passing as an act of commemoration, but the truth is they couldn't be more mistaken. You WILL leave the movie theater loving a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy". That's what's best of The Dark Knight's Joker; no matter how many atrocities he commits or how villainous he can get, people won't help but like him.
Lastly and since this is a spoiler-free comment, there isn't much else to be said about the movie other than I recommend it for both fans of the comic book and general audiences alike.
A definite 10 out of 10.