Perfect everything!

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2008)

Insert all superlatives here and they would still be lacking; The Dark Knight (TDK) just blew me away! I daresay it's a perfect film.
Director/writer/producer Christopher Nolan has done the seemingly impossible with TDK by topping his own other piece of almost-perfection, Batman Begins (Katie Holmes just did not belong there). Nolan has proved that he can do no wrong, elevating what could easily have been just another empty superhero cash cow into a veritably deep, multi-layered piece of film-making brilliance. He has the natural gift of translating not only complex situations but also complicated thoughts and emotions fluidly on screen.
Christian Bale continues to leave audiences in thrall as he shuttles effortlessly from the charmingly carefree Bruce Wayne to the brave but tormented Batman. Never has a super anti-hero been this insanely hot! But everyone will of course be talking about the real scene-stealer: Heath Ledger. It would be unfair to say that the hype comes with his untimely death, because his rendition of one of the most terrifying villains in cinema as the Joker was truly impressive. He successfully added depth and humor in a role where the obvious route could have been a bad case of overacting, but he made the Joker a truly frightening but strangely likable psychopath. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent and Maggie Gylenhaal as Rachel Dawes were surprising but wise choices; both are terrific actors, actually everyone in this film was, down to the extras.
If I had to nitpick? I'd have wanted a killer soundtrack to go with it, but I suppose that would've destroyed its stick-to-good-old-film-making basics.
Despite its length (but I wouldn't have it any shorter), TDK delivered more than its hype, and that is its biggest success. Everyone involved in this film deserves all the credit due to it; it's just spectacular!