Let's do the Bat Dance Again

Rating: 9/10 (29 September 2008)

Right where to start. Yes this is a fine fine move, and probably the best Batman movie to date (though I do lobe Batman Returns), but this is not the greatest movie of all time that some people and the hype would have you believe. Personally I am not even sure it is the best movie of this summer (that reward going to Wall-e). But back to the movie it's self. You will all be familiar with the basic storyline with the Batman coming up against his greatest foe the Joker. This is extremely well done and the hype is right Heath Ledger is mesmerising as the Joker (but like Jack Nicholson before him, with material like this it would have been a criminal waste had he not delivered) but like in Burton's Batman he does tend to take over the movie at the expense of Batman. Christian Bale is good here but I would want to see more of the drive and obsession that leads the Batman and the Joker to be each others counter point. I found that slightly missing and I also found the character interplay between Bruce Wayne, Alfred and Luscious a little disappointing as did I the relationship between Bruce/the Batman and Rachel. But these are minor faults when you look at the overall quality on show here. Summer movies are not normally this bold or deep or brooding and on all those points Christopher Nolan scores of the charts. This is definitely the best blockbuster since the Lord of the Rings movies. There is good if performances by numbers support form the likes of Gary Oldman as Gordon and Aaron Eckhart gives a magnificent performance as Harvey Dent. This is not a children's movie and I for one found myself thinking it has been given a slack rating by the British board as some of the scenes where very disturbing. Overall this is superb stuff glued together incredibly well that one will enjoy time and time again, it's just a shame we will not see the leads resume their battle somewhere down the line. Oh and a mention should go to Alan Moore for obviously have a massive influence on the Joker with his Killing Jone graphic novel. Great but not the greatest.