Simply the best of all time...

Rating: 10/10 (6 September 2008)

Im a huge fan of the Batman franchise and was delighted when Christopher Nolan and David Goyer brought it back to life with the fantastic 'Batman Begins' in 2005 after Joel Schumacher's mediocre 'Batman and Robin' in 1997. It was a fantastic movie with a great cast, a great storyline, great fight sequences... Everything about the movie was excellent. I would never have predicted the sequel would have topped it (most sequels never match up to the original movie) but The Dark Knight beats it hands down and in my opinion is easily one of the best movies ever made, and is the best comic book adaption of all time by considerable distance! We get the same great cast plus more, an even more action packed and gripping storyline and we get sensational performances from Christian Bale as Batman and the late, great Heath Ledger as The Joker. Nolan himself said he didn't see The Dark Knight as a superhero movie but called it a crime saga similar to Michael Mann's Heat, and he is spot on. It's the story of the battle for control of Gotham City, pitting Batman and his allies Lt. Gordon and DA Harvey Dent against the mafia and the insane terrorist The Joker. The storyline is gripping with lots of plot twists and you get caught up in the plight of every character instead of focusing on one simplistic story. It has incredible special effects and is not crammed with CGI which gives the film fantastic realism and makes 'Batman and Robin' looks 100 times worse after watching The Dark Knight. I recommend that if you haven't seen it yet, do so as soon as possible because it is the total package and appeals to all people, not just Batman fans. I hope Nolan and Goyer return for the third installment because the two previous films would not have been possible without their fantastic story telling skills. And Heath Ledger may be dead but his spirit lives on, and its a shame that he didn't get to see his finest work in full and get the recognition he richly deserves. A simply incredible movie.