The Film of the Year

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2008)

Since 2005's Batman Begins, moviegoers and Batman fans alike have been waiting on its sequel thanks to a scene that hinted The Jokers appearance. A heavy viral marketing push and several trailers later, The Dark Knight premiered and packed more punch than your average super hero flick. Without a doubt this is the best Batman film ever. My first exposure to Batman was the 1989 Tim Burton film and I hold that one near and dear to my heart. However, there is no denying the intensity in this one starting with, the talk of the nation, Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker. Jack Nicholson's was good in a sense that it combined the kookiness and comedy of Ceasar Romero's Joker with the rough edge of the one in the comics. Heath brought a new edge to this one however. Pure madness. For the first time ever, I sat and watched a movie and 1) pretty much called an Oscar worthy performance and 2) thought I could be afraid of this character. At one point I thought to myself that Batman would never put this guy to rest. To make this all simple, Heath stole the show and, sorry to say because I absolutely love Jack's Joker, blew the '89s Joker out. As for the film itself, at some point you're forgetting that you're watching a super hero flick. They're all supposed to be CGI heavy, hinting characters for sequels, funny and a really fun movie experience for the fan boys to crazy over. The Dark Knight however contained some of this stuff but it felt so original and really cinematic. Clocking in at 152 minutes, the material in the film is really heavy and the darkness goes deeper than the hues of 1989's Batman. Some scenes I felt were R rated material only if they included the presence of blood. Me being a Batman fiend, but movie buff first, I really liked the script and depth of characters. Nolan succeeds where Raimi failed miserably, with Spider Man 3, by introducing a host of characters, twists and key plot elements without making the film confusing or feeling too crowded. The summer of 2008 saw the return of Indy, a new screen hero in Iron Man and the redemption of the Hulk, however its The Dark Knight that triumphs all and may just set a new standard for the summer super hero flick.