Simply Incredible and One of My All-Time Favorites...

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2008)

Christopher Nolan has created the greatest superhero film ever in the latest installment of his Batman franchise. While I didn't get involved in all the viral marketing for this film, I did follow the news on it very closely in the year preceding it's release. I had some ridiculously high hopes for the movie before it came to theaters and I was so happy when it not only lived up to the hype, but blew it away. Not only is film the greatest superhero film to date, it is easily one of my favorite movies ever. The movie continues the Batman saga with the mob losing it's stranglehold on Gotham City due to the actions of Batman, Lieutenant Jim Gordon, and the new district attorney, Harvey Dent. In an act of desperation, the mob turns to a relative newcomer who offers to handle their little Batman problem...the Joker.
Seeing as how Nolan wanted to keep his Batman franchise grounded in reality, I was confused as to how he planned to do so with a character such as the Joker. And, I won't lie, I was a bit leery upon hearing of his casting Heath Ledger in the iconic role. Well, I've learned my lesson and I will not doubt the skills of Christopher Nolan again. Ledger was AMAZING in his portrayal of the villain...he wasn't the least bit campy and he came off as a sadistic, chaotic, genuine threat to Batman. He stole EVERY scene he was in and was almost charismatic in his lunacy. It's a shame Ledger was so good in his performance because he nearly outshines the other great performances in the film.
Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman each reprise their roles from the first film and continue providing solid performances. Oldman (Gordon) was given a larger role in this film and it was cool watching his character grow into the powerful figure we're familiar with. There have been a lot of complaints regarding Maggie Gyllenhaal's replacement of Katie Holmes in the role of Rachel Dawes but I thought she did a fine, if not a little better than Holmes. Finally, the film introduces Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, who I feel should get more recognition for his performance. While Ledger was definitely the highlight of the cast, Eckhart had the challenge of portraying Dent through a crucial character arc and pulled it off with ease.
Everything about this film was a dramatic improvement over an already amazing film. The action was bigger, the tone was darker, the characters/cast were incredible...I really couldn't find a single thing to dislike about this film. The running time was a full 2.5 hours but you really don't notice. From the opening scene, the film grabs you and doesn't let up until the end. I know not everyone agrees with my opinion, but so everyone I've watched it with does. Nolan has created a Batman film that the audience doesn't need to be comic book fans to appreciate.