Just OK, didn't live up to the hype.

Rating: 7/10 (22 July 2008)

I must be the only person (or part of a measly 9% of people) who didn't think this was the best superhero movie ever.
ACTING: all good, especially by the leads. However, I don't like Bale's choice to put on such a fake voice as Batman. It comes across as over-compensating for something.
PLOT: Decent for an action movie, although at many times repetitive (the middle of the film especially gets repetitive). I wished there were more of a mystery present. Similar to the Loeb/Sale graphic novels, but without knowing the characters thoughts, falls flatter on screen.
SCRIPT: A mixed bag. Some jokes are funny, others are painful. Often characters will deliver "on-the-nose" dialogue. Kudos to the actors for making it all somehow believable.
VISUALS: Good. Although I still don't like the new Batmobile. Stunts are just right.
BATMAN: Not quite. Bale's Batman is sincere, but he's still not yet the "Batman" I expect. This could've been called "Batman: year two" more appropriately, because he's still not the master detective yet. Also missing is Batman's uncanny ability to anticipate his foes and use their weaknesses against them. I want a Batman who's resourceful and cunning, not just strong and loaded with weapons (speaking of which, Batman has way too many physical advantages over his foes, something they actually make fun of at one point in the movie).
Overall, it's a fine movie; the plot involving Harvey Dent is genuinely interesting, and Ledger really does give an Oscar-worthy performance as the Joker. Still, I reserve higher ratings for a Batman movie that gives me a more fitting image of the dark knight.