Not, in fact, a godsend of modern cinema.

Rating: 8/10 (28 November 2008)

Yes. It's a good movie. The acting is good, the shoots are good, the writing is good, the effects are good, and the pacing is good. However, that's the problem. That's all they are. "Good". Not "uber fantastic the best I've ever seen in a film ever". Just "good".
This movie appears to try to make up for the fact that it's a comic book adaptation by adding grit and realism everywhere. No matter how deep the themes, no matter how realistic the plot, no matter how good the acting, the fact remains that the main focus is a man running around dressed up as a bat.
However, I have to say the villains in this movie were brilliantly acted. Ledger's Joker was just as fantastic as everyone says he is and the inclusion of Two-Face was a very pleasant surprise. However, these characters were so well done that I felt that the scenes without them were utterly pointless. The villains truly made this movie.
Yes, I liked the action, but I wanted more Joker.
This is a decent movie, but it's nowhere near as fantastic as people would have you believe.