The Best Comic Book Movie Ever Made

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 2014)

In 2005, Christopher Nolan banished all memory of the dismal Batman and Robin with the phenomenal Batman Begins. A gritty, realistic take on the Caped Crusader; Batman Begins was the movie many Batman fans had been waiting for. It was clear from the final shot that Nolan was not finished with the character and three years later he returned with The Dark Knight.
We pick up a few years after Batman Begins, and Gotham City is no longer a den for criminals and corrupt power players. The presence of Batman has led to a decrease in crime and with District Attorney Harvey Dent vowing to clean up the streets for good, it appears that things may finally be looking up for Gotham, until the Joker makes his explosive entrance and the trio are pegged back time and time again by his devious schemes.
As good as Batman Begins is, The Dark Knight is on a whole other level. A lot of this is down to Heath Ledger's stunning portrayal of The Joker as he gleefully destroys everything Batman has achieved. Ledger's Joker is an unpredictable, homicidal force of nature who pushes Batman to his absolute limit and immediately elevates the movie above its peers. It's also clear from the outset that Nolan is already much more confident in his ability to tell a Batman story, with a plot which is much larger in scope and a script which defies a number of comic book conventions.
For, although it contains all the elements of a good comic book movie, The Dark Knight often feels like it is so much more. Nolan and David Goyer's script gets under the skin of the character and asks some fairly philosophical questions about the nature of justice vs vengeance and what constitutes a moral code. It's fairly adult stuff and the 12A certificate is stretched to its absolute limit due to the sheer intensity of Ledger's Joker. Despite its near two and a half hour runtime, the movie never feels like it outstays its welcome, and, even though you may be familiar with some characters' fates due to the comics, Nolan still manages to throw in one or two surprises which will leave you astounded.
The best comic book movie ever made. The Dark Knight elevates the genre to a whole new level and, with Ledger's Joker, contains one of the finest acting performances ever committed to film. A must see for fans and non fans alike.