overrated

Rating: 7/10 (23 July 2008)

Great crime drama. Excellent story and acceptable plot. Ledger was brilliant, and this new characterization of the joker was fresh and thrilling and still true to the origins of the character.
But seriously... Bale is flat and lifeless as Wayne, and ridiculously overdoes the gruff Batman voice, but that's nothing new to fans of Batman Begins. The real depressing fact here is the way the scenes just sort of meander around, with no real direct, strong editing to point the way. Eckhart and Oldman's scenes together resemble a quick read in a hotel the night before a shoot, and after their first three scenes the points have all been made and repeated and I just wish the movie would move forward. When it does, you're rewarded with a clever build into a stylish action sequence that doesn't stick to close to the rules of continuity, but doesn't stray too far from the path either, usually ending with an abrupt cut to yet another "plot development" scene with Eckhart and Oldman, and maybe Bale standing around to fill out the screen.
Not a terrible movie, but not the masterpiece it's being hailed as. Too long and too loose. Another month on the script, another month shooting for better takes from the leading men, and another week in the editing room would have turned out something near perfect, but for now, it'll fill the void inside you that yearns for films based on comic books.