Devastatingly beautiful

Rating: 10/10 (6 September 2008)

I just came home after the projection, and I remain mesmerized. If you're like me and go to the movies only once a month or less, make sure you don't miss out on The Dark Knight. I'm sure you've heard all the praise about it. Well, it's true. It has the carefully crafted dark atmosphere of Batman Begins, but Nolan takes it up a notch, so that it really hits you hard. It has the commanding performances of Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, and Aaron Eckhart. It is also Heath Ledger's swan song, which is more like an oratorio. While I hadn't seen much of his previous work (surely an omission on my part), his Joker took me in completely. Whether he was wielding a gun or wearing a nurse's uniform, his presence was infectious and menacing. His masterful portrayal of the agent of pure chaos, combined with the really heavy topics the film tackles (love, loss, justice, revenge), leaves a deep imprint in the mind of the beholder. The technical side of it - camera work, make-up, costumes, SFX - is immaculate, particularly because it does not get in the way of the characters for a single second.
Batman has always been my favorite superhero. I am grateful to Christopher Nolan for reinventing him so skillfully and making him so human and so tangible. He has assembled a wonderful cast of endlessly talented actors and crewmen, and I look forward to his next title. Although, surely, The Dark Knight will be hard to beat.