Not just a comic movie, but the measuring stick for every action movie to follow

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2008)

This was one of the best films I have ever seen, not just on a comic and action level, but emotionally as well. This film although it is a comic and is a big-dollar blockbuster had a very raw quality to it. Yes it is packed from end to end with high speed action, explosions, and sequences, but every single actor delivered above and beyond what I expected. I can now see why Heath Ledger had trouble sleeping while doing this film. If he did indeed kept this character going on set all the time, it's not shocking to hear that he was sleep deprived and took too many sleeping pills. This character is psychotic, not in a gruesome way like we see in stupid snuff flicks like Saw, but the kind that you see in classic horror like Psycho. He made a comic character so deep, demented, and yet funny....you almost wished he wouldn't get caught. Easily takes home the trophy with this, and one of my favorite characters of all time now. Bale once again shows how good he is by taking a seemingly unbreakable Comic icon like Batman, and turning him into an emotionally drained, and torn human being. He by far is the closest thing to the character that you will ever find. (Side note, the preview before the movie was Bale starring as John Connor in the new installment of Terminator AWESOME) Eckhart, who at first I thought might not gel as well in this type of movie did a great job as Harvey Dent/Two Face. Although you know where his story leads, he does a great job of letting you see just who he was before the transition, and how much pain he is in after it. Oldman, did a wonderful job as Gordon. Com. Gordon has never really been seen as a 3D character, but with all the terror that comes crashing down in the story, the threats on his family friends and himself....he becomes a courageous, torn, and emotional character, not even close to being seen in any Batman installment before. Even Maggie did a good job, far better than Katie Holmes...the two actresses are almost black and white. Katie always seemed jagged, and forced into that role, and Maggie seemed to slip right into it, a good fit and a solid addition. She was somehow able to not only give her character depth, but was able to give the Harvey/Rachel/Bruce Triangle a very real emotional tie.
Overall, this is probably the best, most balanced, most entertaining, and most dramatically and action charged movie, let alone Comic movie that I have ever seen.