Comic Book Coming to Life

Rating: 9/10 (22 July 2008)

At last! This is a true comic book adaptation! Although Tim Burton's Batman gave us a darker and more sinister version than the campy Caped Crusader of the 60's TV series, Christopher Nolan's vision of Batman in the The Dark Knight takes the character into depths of utter despair and conflict, which fans of the DC comic books know well but fans of the films never got to see. Add to that a spot-on and frightening portrayal of the Joker as a completely homicidal sociopath, a brilliant portrayal of hero DA Harvey Dent along with his unexpected turn, and you have the comic book truly coming to life.
As for the performances, Heath Ledger most likely will get a well-deserved posthumous Oscar nomination for his brilliant swan song role while making the Joker the stuff of nightmares. However, Christian Bale was truly superb as Bruce Wayne/ Batman, and his ability to finally show us Batman's inner turmoil makes his portrayal perhaps the best ever. The real surprise of the motion picture was Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. Eckhart came very close to stealing the show from Bale and Ledger in his role as the aggressive but equally conflicted DA. Another standout performance was Maggie Gyllenhall as Rachel Dawes. Much has been written about her "improvement" of the role once played by Katie Holmes, and she certainly doesn't disappoint. Stalwart actors Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Luscious Fox, and Michael Caine as Alfred, all turned in excellent performances as well.
This film is indeed a must-see motion picture, but it is not perfect. At 152 minutes, it is a bit long, and there are a few rather slow moments. However, as a whole from beginning to end, The Dark Knight is wildly entertaining and sets a new standard for comic book adaptations.