The Dark Knight sets a new standard in comic book films

Rating: 10/10 (1 December 2012)

The Dark Knight builds upon the story that was established in Batman Begins, and raises the stakes for Batman, and his allies. This film is for me, the best Batman movie to date, and the reason is that there are so many decisions that the characters have to make, and they're not easy ones. The movie takes place about a year after the events of BB, and the arrival of the Joker turns all the progress made so far, upside down.
On that note, I will say that Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker is amazing, and completely deserving of his posthumous Oscar win. Heath is unrecognizable as the Joker from his appearance, to his creepy, and sadistic voice. I will always enjoy Nicholson's Joker, but what Ledger has done is simply put, better, and more developed. The Joker he creates in this film is chaos incarnate. The Joker's only goal is to corrupt whoever he can because to him, being a moral person is a joke, and only mask's that fact that everyone is just as ugly as him, if pushed to it. This idea that he has, really does a number on the protagonists, and Gotham as well.
Harvey Dent the new DA is another new character, and is focal to the films plot. Aaron Eckhart portrays Dent, and does justice to the character, just as well as Ledger does with the Joker. He is faced with the difficult task of continuing to clean up the city, that was started by Batman and Gordon. Harvey is also dating Rachel Dawes which creates a love triangle between him, and Bruce Wayne. Maggie Gyllenhaal portrays Rachel in this film. She is an upgrade to Katie Holmes, but I have never been a fan of recasting, so it's hard for me to look at her as the same character. Rachel's dilemma is that even though she has feeling's for Bruce, she also doesn't believe he could ever not be Batman. Harvey has the same morals as her, and in turn perhaps has even stronger feelings towards him. Bruce is aware that she is slipping away, but with the Joker's threats to him, and the city, makes him powerless to really sway her decision.
Jim Gordon also has enough to deal with, as the Joker's attempts to bring chaos on Gotham, become more, and more threatening. The Joker's resources become greater, after he gets the mob to back him, who gives the Joker whatever he needs, if it means bringing down the bat as he promised them. The Joker is the wild card that the remaining mob guys put faith in, to try and stop Batman, and law enforcement. The joker is so dangerous because he cares not for money, the lives of others, and even himself. His lack of feeling towards anything, makes him very hard to stop, because unlike the hero's of the film, he has nothing to lose. Even Batman nearly gives in, because as he tells Alfred, he see's what he would have to become to stop him, and he can't bring himself too. Luckily Harvey Dent know's the importance of Batman, and in a bold move, buys Batman some time. This leads to a very impressive chase scene in the film. The scene where Joker fires his sub-machine gun at Batman, and on coming traffic, shows how much he want's to corrupt the seemingly incorruptible; by firing on innocent people, if it means Batman will hit him with the bat pod at high speed.
The interrogation that follows between the two, is where Joker get's the closest to having Batman violate his moral code, and the Joker simply relishes in it. This scene is where Ledger, and Bale's characters, really make the film catapult into something far greater than any other comic book film. Of all the great scenes in TDK this one is for me, probably the best, because it shows just how high the stakes really are. After this scene Rachel, and nearly Harvey, is killed in an explosion, and Batman finally see's how great the sacrifices of being Batman are. Harvey, who is badly burned on one side of his face, becomes Two Face. He also loses the love of his life, and becomes vengeful towards everyone, and his morality becomes easily susceptible to the Joker's poisonous ideal's. Harvey's fall from grace is one of the more heartbreaking parts of TDK, but the demons unleashed by his alter ego Two Face, were prevalent before his transformation. Eckhart doesn't get much screen time as Two Face, but the moments he has, especially at the end, are frightening, as well as tragic. Joker's ferry boat dilemma is an interesting concept, who will blow up the other's boat, the criminals on one, or the civilians on the other. The scenario requires some suspension of disbelief, but the message is more meaningful than the plausibility of it. When neither of the boats decide to do it, and they accept their fates, the Joker for the first time shows a bit of concern. This is because the way he perceive's life, has now been shown to be false.
This is the brilliance of TDK, that every character's ideals are put to the test including the Joker's. Batman doesn't give the Joker the satisfaction of Killing him, and the Joker now captured, reveals his last ditch effort to destroy Gotham's soul. In the end Batman must take the fall for Harvey Dent's crimes, as well as his death, so that the city can have it's well respected hero. Gordon telling his son why the police have to chase Batman is so beautiful, and along with the epic music, creates the perfect ending for a batman film. TDK is great because, it raises the questions about ones morality, do you stand by it, or do we abandoned it when it's too hard, or becomes unpopular.
10/10