In Darkest Knight...A Great Movie Appears

Rating: 10/10 (28 July 2008)

The Dark Knight is the follow up to Batman Begins, and was a well anticipated film. And guess what? It lived up to its standards.
A lot has improved from Batman Begins and it was a lot better too. The plot revolves around Batman still being the vigilante of Gotham, but is now more excepted. He is now teamed up with Gordon and new district attorney Harvey Dent to crack down on crime and put all the bad guys behind bars. However, there is one maniac on the loose who totally is ruling the heroes - The Joker! Manipulative, cunning, terrifying and a real basket case, the Joker brings Gotham to its knees. Things get worse when the loss of a loved one (not saying who), results in Dent getting scarred quite brutally on one side of his face and he becomes Two-Face, going on a rampage across Gotham killing all those involved with his tragedy.
Christian Bale improves his role as Batman and Bruce Wayne, particularly as Bruce. Batman still needs some work and must ditch that gravely voice. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman return as Alfred, Lucius Fox and Commissioner Gordon and they all are brilliant. I still do not care for Rachel Dawes. My main interest in this film was the portrayal of the villains.
Scarecrow showed up for about five minutes and his role was generally pointless. Sal Maroni was introduced and his portrayal was very enjoyable to watch. Two-Face was played by Aaron Eckart who was completely different to how Tommy Lee Jones handled the character. He was very emotional before and after the transformation into a villain. His scarred face was very realistic, done through CGI.
But the main attraction was the late Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Prince Clown of Crime. Just as Jim Carrey playing the Riddler in Batman Forever ruled that film, Ledger ruled the Dark Knight as Joker. The interesting thing about this Joker, is that he was portrayed as a true homicidal maniac, using knifes and guns to kill instead of using zany weapons like previous versions did. He was terrifically maniacal in his own way and each line he says is a laugh riot. I give an applause to Mr. Ledger for his take on the Joker.
A notable absence is the Batcave and a warehouse is used instead. Aside from the Joker, the introduction of the Batpod (a motorbike) was excellent. The best moment involves a truck driven by the Joker flipping over and than Batman nearly drives the Batpod up a wall.
To parents, the film has a lot of violence, death, dark moments and a lot of scenes that may be unsuitable for children. However, it is an excellent film.