Incredible

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2008)

I have nothing to complain about with this movie. It's absolutely incredible, from start to finish. The Joker is a force of nature, and he is truly terrifying to behold. He's funny and charismatic, and at the same time, horrible. Batman seems all grown up in this one, as compared to Batman Begins; he's got all the awesome gadgets, cool vehicles, everything. They beefed him up a little bit, and the scenes where he is fighting are filmed such that this time, we actually get a good view of his combat prowess. There is a lot of discourse on Batman's role in Gotham, as well as the Joker's, and how the two are intertwined, and Batman has to make a lot of difficult moral choices, one of which ends up costing him -- and Gotham City -- dearly. There were some unexpected twists, as well, and all of it is satisfying. The cinematography and direction are wonderful; some of the shots of Gotham and Gotham's skyline are absolutely breathtaking. The length of this film is not an issue, as every second holds your attention, especially when the Joker is on screen. Heath Ledger delivered a truly legendary performance, bringing the Joker to life in every last little detail, and it's a shame we won't see this character again, though maybe that's a good thing -- I think it would be nearly impossible to match this performance, let alone surpass it. This is one of those rare sequels that is well and truly better than the first, a movie about the nature of heroes, both super and regular, and the way society needs them. It's about chaos and order, and fear. Nobody in Gotham is safe from the Joker, right up until the last minutes of the movie, and I mean nobody. Ledger elevated the character to a whole new level, beyond the clown with homicidal tendencies we're all already familiar with, turning him into something just barely human -- or perhaps all too human, as he suggests at one point. When the fabric of society breaks down, and anarchy is all that's left, people are basically animals; the difference between us and the Joker is that we wait for the breakdown -- he *is* the breakdown. This movie is an instant classic, I can't say enough good things about it.