Best Bat Movie Ever!

Rating: 10/10 (27 July 2008)

Back in 2005, I saw "Batman Begins" and fell in love with it: finally, a Batman that got the character and the world he lives in right, not a flawed live action cartoon. I thought things couldn't get any better.
"The Dark Knight" has proved me wrong. And I'm glad of it.
For starters, this does what it's predecessor did and treats Gotham City and its inhabitants as if it was a real place. Our hero's gear and equipment have real world origins and explanations, not just something he pulls out of his utility belt and starts doing amazing things with. There are scenes of people reacting to situations as you or I would do, not a bunch of extras following the director's instructions. And there are real world complications that that many other versions of Gotham City didn't seem to have.
Since there are some are some big twists the trailers and commercials avoided showing us, I'll try my best to keep this spoiler free. But the results of those twists have such a great effect on the plot I might go into detail about them, so be warned.
Let's start with the thing on everyone's mind and talk about the late Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, not the mention the character himself. This is not your father's Joker. Everything about him is changed, right down to his origin. Instead of a career criminal who fell into a vat of chemicals that altered his appearance, we have have a psychopath with unique scars wearing clown make up. There are no gimmicky weapons here: no killer laughing gas, no electrifying joy buzzers, no acid squirting flowers, no guns with BANG flags. This Joker uses a variety of guns, knives and bombs that any criminal really could find and use. And he's no longer a criminal mastermind out to get as much money as possible and have fun committing crime. He's out to cause chaos and panic for his own twisted amusement, his attacks becoming increasingly destructive and deadly as they happen in ways that rival real world terrorist attacks. Later in, he's out to make turn the people of Gotham bad, forcing common citizens to do unthinkable acts in response to his terrible demands. And Ledger brings the character to life in way no other actor has ever done or will. The rumors he may win a posthumous Oscar have much truth to them. If you're one of those people who've always thought Jack Nicholson's Joker from the 1989 "Batman" was over the top and cartoonish, then watch "The Dark Knight" for the complete opposite.
But Ledger isn't the only one doing a wonderful job here. Christopher Bale remains the best Bruce Wayne/Batman ever. Micheal Caine brings both humor and sincerity to Alfred. Morgan Freeman wonderfully shows us the mind (and heart) behind the Batsuit and those weapons and equipment. Gary Oldman gives one of the best performances in his entire career as a stalwart James Gordon. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a vast improvement over Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. Aaron Eckhart brings charisma and courage to his role as Harvey Dent, which makes Dent's transformation to the scarred villain Two Face all the more horrifying and tragic (something Tommy Lee Jones didn't even try to do when he played the character in 1995's "Batman Forever"). Even anonymous characters that only get a few minutes of screen time manage to leave an impression.
But be warned: this movie lives up to its PG-13 rating. The violence here is fast and brutal. And even when bullets aren't flying and bombs aren't exploding, the tension is so thick it'll take a lot more than a knife to cut it. There are several jump out of your seat moments and some fairly disturbing scenes. During the last 30 minutes or so, I was on the edge of my seat, my heart constantly pounding and my eyes wide as I hoped for the best but expected the worse. If you have young Bat-Fans, you might want to pause before taking them to see this, or buying the DVD for them when it comes out. Even though the movie has toys and snack food tie ins, I wouldn't let a child under 11 or 12 see this. I imagine even some adult viewers won't be able to sit trough it without squirming in their seats a few times.
My one true complaint is that "The Dark Knight" maybe TOO good, setting the mark a little too high for future Batman Movies. Even if they could find someone to replace Ledger to bring back the Joker, I'm not sure that actor could possibly fill the large shoes left to fill.
"I think you and I are destined to do this forever" The Joker leers at Batman at one point. If only that were true...