film of the year?

Rating: 9/10 (27 October 2008)

When Christopher Nolan directed his first film, Doodlebug, in 1997, I'm sure he had no idea that a decade later he would be directing the box-office blowout, The Dark Knight. The film beat out Spider-Man 3 for the biggest weekend opener in the box office, and also surpassed box office records set by movies such as¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ ¬¬¬¬Star Wars, and E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. The Dark Knight is currently trailing Titanic for the total box office record by a mere $80 million. Eighty million sure sounds like a lot, but keep in mind: The Dark Knight has only been in theaters since mid-July, whereas Titanic sailed in the box office for nine months.
The film's great success can be mostly attributed to the acting style of the late Heath Ledger. Ledger, who took on the role of the Joker in the summer smash, spent very much time studying the 1928 silent film, The Man Who Laughs. It is also rumored that in order to prepare to take on the role, Ledger spent much time in front of the bathroom mirror practicing his smile and laugh.
While most may argue that Ledger is the main feature of the film, viewers must not forget about the other talent found in the movie. The new chapter of the caped crusader also contains other notable actors such as lead Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and alter-ego Batman, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, the Batman equivalent of James Bond's 'Q', Aaron Eckhart as colleague Harvey Dent, and Cillian Murphy, who appears briefly as Scarecrow.
Containing cutting-edge special effects, the film is full of explosions, catastrophes, and a couple of intricate chase scenes. Though the film was shot in the famous Chi-Town, director Nolan was seemingly careful not to include any big Chicago landmarks such as Navy Pier, Millennium Park, or the skyline, giving the film a more not-of-this-world appearance.
Batman is viewed by Gotham City as a masked vigilante whose help only appears to result in the deaths of policemen and other prominent figures. Entering the scene, the Joker does nothing to help this perceived image, as he frustrates both Bruce Wayne and the audience with his clever attacks on both society and the dark knight's social status.
The story goes beyond your classic, 'good-guy, bad-guy' ideals and replaces these with things that you wouldn't expect such as the importance of love over friendship, and the concept of revenge. Batman is torn between business acquaintance Harvey Dent and one-time lover Rachel Dawes, notably played by Maggie Gyllenhal, who took the role in the stead of Katie Holmes.
The Dark Knight is a classic example of the shift in audience interest from bright and cheery movies to more dark and dreary films. Somewhere between the Joker's devious plots and society's misunderstandings about the caped crusader's intentions, The Dark Knight will leave you gaping, wondering where the last two hours of your life disappeared to.
"I think audiences get too comfortable and familiar in today's movies. They believe everything they're hearing and seeing. I like to shake that up." -Christopher Nolan