An excellent movie in every way...except the one way that mattered.

Rating: 1/10 (21 July 2008)

Looking over this movie piece by piece, anyone could say it was excellent.
The acting was phenomenal. Heath Ledger deserves every accolade that's heaped on him by fans and reviewers alike.
The dialogue was sharp, relevant, and paced well.
The action was mind-boggling, but not so over-the-top that you were taken out of the story. That is an excellent, and incredibly difficult, balance to achieve.
The directing and camera work was outstanding.
The music was great.
Even the makeup and costuming deserves a nod, especially for the fascinating re-design of the classic "Joker" look. And I loved the new batsuit. (Nestor Carbonell was wearing eyeliner--was that a shout-out to LOST fans? :) ) All-in-all, it was a superbly *crafted* piece of art.
****But I will never, ever watch it again. Why?*****
Well, let's put the shoe on a different foot and see how it fits. What if the story of "Lord of the Rings" was told this way? What if, after their long, arduous journey, Sam decides that *he* wants the ring, kills Gollum to get it, then Frodo has to throw Sam into the pit of Mount Doom to destroy the ring...but destroying the ring doesn't really rid Middle Earth of Sauron, and Frodo spends the rest of his (short) life in disgrace, and dies of a broken heart? What would we say after we left the theater? "Why the hell did I just sit through that movie? What was the point?"
Or what if Harry Potter was told this way? After 7 books and 17 years, what if it ended with Hermione being tortured to death, Ron blaming Harry and becoming a Death-Eater, Harry refusing to kill Voldemort out of respect for all living things, and the entire wizarding world blaming Harry for Hermione's death? What would we say after putting down book 7? "Why the hell did I just read all those books? What was the point?"
The Dark Knight's over-arching theme was, "You either die the hero, or live long enough to watch yourself become the villain." The story that this movie tells is simply this: no matter how hard you try to fight evil, evil will take everything from you, and the world will be no better off for your sacrifice. If you stand against evil, here's what you'll get. Maniacs with no motives, misguided moralists, or simply "blind chance" will take the people you love, break your body, destroy your mind, and leave you with nothing in return. And as the Joker unflinchingly tells Batman, insanity is just a little "push" away.
Oh, great.
Does it surprise anyone that Heath Ledger had anxiety attacks and insomnia after immersing himself in this script?
The creators of this movie used an immense amount of story-telling talent to create a film that tears hope away from the soul. Why? What's the point? What a waste of time, creativity, and resources! What a waste of a good story! What a waste of spirit!