Big achievement, but exhausting experience

Rating: 8/10 (18 June 2009)

I'd love to give this movie a 10. It cries out for it. The only problem is that I was so exhausted after watching it the first time, I may never watch it again. The Dark Knight desperately needed more in the way of tension breaks, much like the original "Batman" movie had, but they just weren't there. The movie got more and more dark, and more and more tense, and even the ending couldn't leave you with a positive feeling about what had happened and what might follow.
All the performances were top notch. Action sequences: big. Special effects: dazzling. Its a must see movie.
However, its going to be an endurance contest for many viewers. I felt the same way about Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan. Both are top movies, must see, and after viewing them once I was done with them because the stories were just so exhausting. It may just be a personal viewpoint. I run two businesses, and my days are more often than not eight hours of unrelenting tension. That doesn't leave me with a desire for more of the same in my evening or weekend entertainment.
So watch it the first time, and then you can make your own decision about surviving it in subsequent viewings! LOL