The Dark Knight.

Rating: 10/10 (22 December 2008)

Words simply cannot describe this movie. It was just... phenomenal. It makes no difference whether this was a sequel or not; The Dark Knight is in a different league than most movies, and is far beyond Batman Begins.
Christian Bale was great. Not as good as he could have been, but great. He was marvelous as Bruce Wayne: there was a good amount of "I am rich" swagger about him, but not so much as to make him annoying; it makes him all the more likable. However, his Batman did have one issue: his voice. Rather than merely having a deeper, stronger, fiercer voice, he sounded like a talking bear with laryngitis.
Aaron Eckhart was a surprisingly good Harvey Dent. I never thought anyone could outmatch Tommy Lee Jones', but he did so magnificently. Powerful with his voice as Harvey, and believably twisted (and yet sensible) as Two-Face, he did a brilliant job.
Heath Ledger was... wow. Just wow. He didn't just get into character; he may as well have become the Joker. Every subtle thing; the licking of the lips, they way he walked, the little hand motions, his voice, his laugh, even the way he looked at other people, all contributed to his performance, and I for one loved it. Terrifying, but in the best possible way. I hate to say it, but he outdid Jack Nicholson by a long shot.
Christopher Nolan had his work cut out for him, trying to make a Batman movie to rival Batman Begins, but he pulled it off with room to spare.
The Dark Knight earns a solid 10 out of 10.