I'll never forget where I was

Rating: 9/10 (7 December 2017)

The first time I saw The Dark Knight in theaters, I was the DD for a group of drunk friends back in my high school days. To say my first experience with this film was underwhelming is quite the understatement. I left the packed theater feeling disappointed and annoyed with my buzzed peers.
A few years later, I had the opportunity to see all three Batman movies in a row the night of The Dark Knight Rises premiere. It was my second day working in my first job out of college, and a bunch of us decided to buy tickets together. Because the theater was so packed, I was located in the dead center of the front row. I hadn't sat that close in years. When Batman Begins ended with the Joker card being revealed, I knew I was finally in to experience this movie the right way. An hour passed between films, and we all took our seats for the beginning of The Dark Knight.
From the onset, I was absolutely HOOKED. Christopher Nolan decided to take a page out of Michael Mann's book and created an atmosphere in The Dark Knight that wasn't merely a superhero movie, but a crime thriller with intricate characters, decisions, emotions, action scenes and struggles. Does this movie has some flaws? Absolutely. Humans made it so that is always to be assumed. However, the positives greatly outweigh the negatives (always thought the Joker ship scene was strange and Gyllenhaal as Rachel was meh) and we were left with an absolutely stunning peace of cinema.
It's hard not to watch this movie every time it comes on TNT (they love this movie and Saving Private Ryan) because it just has this ability to completely draw you in. Watching Heath Ledger take on the Joker from the front row was an experience I will truly never forget. I guess because I never really grew up reading the comics, I wasn't too worried how closely he portrayed any Jokers in those, and I thought his take on this villain was completely amazing. I can't imagine what it was like behind-the- scenes with him and Nolan working their magic. It is truly a joy to watch. It is so sad his life ended so early and we didn't get to see more from him in his young, budding career and life.
Also, the ending of this film leaves me with goosebumps every single time and is the perfect lead into The Dark Knight Rises. Which stinks. But that's okay because I'm not writing about that movie, I'm writing about the epic that is The Dark Knight. So, do yourself a favor and watch this movie on a great TV with great speakers and immerse yourself in the cinematic experience. Turn your phone off, quit texting and checking Instagram and really WATCH what happens. There is much more going on here than you think.
Batman and Joker set the bar for a superhero and villain combination that will be hard to top, and I'm not sure that any film ever will. The interrogation scene is perfect, as is the car chase scene (aside from some really terrible dialogue from the movie cops), the hospital scene and the very end of the film. You're in for a treat with this one.