Mildly Disappointing Considering Expectations and Hype

Rating: 7/10 (18 July 2008)

I watched Batman Begins immediately before seeing Dark Knight, and Batman Begins was definitely more 'real' than Dark Knight, more gritty, and a more coherent, smooth screenplay. No doubt Heath Ledgers' Joker is a superb Villain - to go down in the history books as one of the best all time on the big screen, however he was misused and underused. He had a grasp on the character like no one else, yet they didn't have near the character development they should have for him, and they lost focus almost making the movie more about Harvey Dent (played with a bland performance by Aaron Eckhart) than the Joker. Bruce Wayne comes on the scene much less humble and down to earth than his character in Batman Begins, and Maggie Gyllenhaal's character was more annoying and less lovable than Katie Holmes' rendition. It felt like there was just too much money put into this that took the focus off of making the storyline tight, and instead was about how many different things can we do with the money.
Cinematography was good with several picturesque shots, stunt work was spectacular, and the Joker was insane and intoxicating, however without him the movie would be sub par. It's a shame.