Best Film of 08

Rating: 10/10 (27 July 2008)

We watched the trailers. We read the early reviews. We followed the advertising trail of "Dark Knight" like bloodhounds. Basically, we devoured everything we could get our hands on, especially after Heath Ledger's untimely death. We looked forward to the movie with as much enthusiasm as if "The Dark Knight" had been prophesied to come for years. We could only hope that the movie would be at least half as good as all the hype! And when the film finally came out  we flocked to the theaters, willing to pay any amount of money to see this so-called "legendary" performance. Forget the Batman  forget Christian Bale, forget Aaron Eckhart, forget Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, or Michael Caine  we wanted to see The Joker.
Did the movie live up to the hype? Oh, yes.
I'm sure if I asked, 93% of you would say you were most looking forward to seeing the mysterious Joker, the blurry clownish figure leaning forward out of the posters asking "Why so serious?" Am I right? Thought so.
But, as this is a Batman movie, I'll dutifully begin with Christian Bale's performance as Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight simultaneously. Bale has both sides of his character down pat. Batman is menacing and impressive  and we must remember he is essentially not a superhero. Yet it's easy to forget with all the risks and high leaps he takes. As the head of Wayne Enterprises, Bale is equally convincing. He's rich, he's successful  but he has a secret only a handful of people know. And he's in love with someone else's girlfriend. Whoopsie. I marvel over the voice change Bale undertakes between the characters. Yes, Bale was accurately cast for his role(s). Yes, he paled in comparison to his archenemy.
The supporting characters are also well-acted. Gary Oldman returns as Lieutenant (later Commissioner, cue applause) Gordonwith a rather unexpected twist halfway through the film! As in "Begins," we root for Gordon as he works alongside Batman. Morgan Freeman returns as Lucius Fox, the sometimes reluctant, feigning ignorance friend and employee of Wayne. In a smart casting move, Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, Wayne's childhood friend and flame of Harvey Dent in "Knight." She does a much better job in the role. Michael Caine returns as beloved butler Alfred Pennyworth, and he's still funny, still helpful, and still talented. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey "Two-Face" Dent is one part professional and the other part chilling. From the very beginning of the film, we see him making decisions by the flip of a coin  later, those outcomes become more important  to the lives of victims! Applause goes to the makeup crew on this one! Dent is absolutely disgusting after half his face is gone. Eckhart played both parts of the character with ease, easily switching from beloved D.A. to feared psycho. And though many of us wanted Rachel to end up with Bruceyou gotta admit, she and Harvey were good together, especially as hostages surrounded by oil barrels! The rest of the cast were great background for the story.
And we come to The Joker. The real star of the show. Well, the hype wasn't too much. He was perfect. In every aspect of the character, Ledger excelled. I could find many adjectives to define my point, but none would do better then chilling. His very first entrance into the film is short and unexpected, yet the line he gives us is a great summation of his character. 'Makes you stranger,' indeed. He's definitely a dark character  his idea of a joke is making a pencil "disappear" into someone's head. Funny!...well, in a twisted way, it is. I found myself literally fearing what the Joker was going to do each time he was on screen. And more props to the makeup crew! His makeup, imperfect as it was, was perfect. And greater applause to Ledger, whose vocals fit the character. Not to mention he drew laughs from the audience more than once. And his maniacal laughterAll in all, I can't find one flaw in the performance. Simply tragic Ledger died. If they try to resurrect the Joker in another film with a different actor...well, it won't be as good! And if Ledger doesn't get a posthumous Oscar nomination for this one, it's a crime.
Besides the characters themselves, the costuming, makeup, design, and music of the film also deserves recognition. Without these elements, the film would just not be as good. Gotham City is a dark, complicated place, as is shown in the setup of the city. The costumes and makeup for each respective character fit their look  impressive new batsuit! And the music provides thrilling background for all the great action on screen! I just really, really enjoyed this movie and cannot wait to it again. Definitely struck gold this time around.
9.9/10.