Greatest Superhero adventure ever...(minor spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2008)

Let me begin by clearing a few misconceptions about 'The Dark Knight': It is not a superhero movie and it is not just a Batman movie. You could transfer the setting, and the theme of the characters to a real-life situation, and they would behave just the same way.
All right then, down to the details. First of all, this is definitely, easily, and comprehensively, the best superhero movie ever. Period. Second, Ledger is the Joker. He is the brightest star in an especially bright galaxy. Nicholson, Romero, Hamill can all fill out their retirement forms. They will never be looked upon as Joker anymore. The manic intensity, the crude yet subtle humour, the unpredictability he possesses, takes Ledger to a level higher than any villain in comic book adaptations. TDK picks up from where Batman Begins left: Batman has established himself in the criminal circles, and is now inspiring a few of Gotham's citizens to take up the fight for justice themselves. But rather than doing what he thinks they would have done, i.e., taking the legal route, raising their voice, standing up to the mob; a few take up the vigilante's mantle, trying to be Batman themselves.
Enter Harvey Dent, the D.A. of Gotham, and the man who is what Batman has been waiting for so long to take over the cleaning operation of the city. Dent is the face to take Gotham out of their misery: their White Knight in shining armour. And this Knight takes the damsel with him as well: Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne's long-time love and childhood friend.
The emotional turmoil this puts Bruce Wayne through is immense, considering that Dent is the man he was waiting for to come in, so that he could hang up his shoes and retire to normal life with Dawes. But this soon becomes the least of his worries, as the Joker, a criminal who is trying to establish himself in Gotham's underworld, takes centre stage. As he himself says, he is "an agent of Chaos." The lack of a background story only adds to the aura and mystery of the Joker. He blows up hospitals, kills people for the fun of it, and plays with Batman's psyche: "You complete me", he snarls.
We also play witness to the inner turmoil of Batman. Wayne even ponders whether he is really a hero, or just a fed-up guy who wants to teach the goons a lesson by using force. During critical moments in the film, he thinks of quitting his night job as the situation seems impossible. During these times, his anchors: his butler Alfred, and Lucius Fox, his technical mentor, are the men who keep him on the course, who make him endure for the greater good.
Moving to the acting department, Christian Bale as Batman puts in a great performance. He is able to transfer the turmoil of Bruce Wayne and Batman effectively onto the screen. He seems to have settled into the mould of both characters like second skin. An Oscar nomination doesn't look too far away.
Aaron Eckhart does justice to both his roles: Harvey Dent, and Two-Face, though he doesn't get enough time to develop the two-face character. Maggie Gyllenhaal does a better job than Katie Holmes at playing the headstrong Rachel Dawes. Though the character is not as well sketched out as the others, but it does not act as a roadblock in the story. Batman's allies: Jim Gordon, Alfred and Lucius Fox, are extremely well played by the veteran thespians Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.
But this movie belongs to Ledger alone in the acting department. He gives the Joker a twist that will live on forever, despite Ledger's unfortunate death. He might well become the first posthumous winner of the Best Actor Oscar. Yup, Best Actor, for this movie is his swan song; a final bow before he walked into the sunset.
The vision of Christopher Nolan about human psyche is terrifying and extremely thought provoking at the same time. He forces you to think in between the movie as to what you would do if faced with the situation as the characters in the film. Nolan has taken his vision of a superhero movie from Batman Begins and worked on it to give us a gem on the screen on a much bigger scale. He has able help from his brother and co-writer Jonathan Nolan; the music team Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard; and Wally Pfister, the cinematographer.
Chilling to the core, it leaves you wanting more. It is one of those rare movies where you think that 2 and half hours are less. The experience is emotionally overwhelming, visually grandiose, and overall, something not to be missed.