Ledger's Joker makes this a lot better than it probably would otherwise be

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2008)

The sequel to Christopher Nolan's much ballyhooed Batman Begins, a film which frankly I disliked. It spent way too long on Batman's well-known backstory, brought in two of the worst villains from Batman's gallery of rogues, and edited together so choppily that it gave me a headache. The Dark Knight has won even better reviews and already scored a fanbase so rabid that it's hard to tolerate. No movie deserves that, of course, but we can't hold it against the film itself. No, it's nowhere near good enough to be called the best movie ever made. It's nowhere near the best movie released so far in 2008. It is, however, a marked improvement over Batman Begins, even while having some of the same flaws. Its editing is frequently poor, too. It has improved somewhat, but there were still some action sequences, most notably Batman's first appearance, that were difficult to follow.
The biggest hole in the movie, in fact in every Batman movie so far, is Batman himself. I can't offer any advice myself on how to fix the problem, but Batman/Bruce Wayne is the dullest character. They try to inject some substance with Wayne's struggles with his own vigilantism and the way in which he keeps the cycle of criminality in revolution, but, in my opinion, it's rarely interesting. Christian Bale is a mediocre actor, and he brings nothing to the table. And the deep voice he uses as Batman is extremely grating and ridiculous. Add to that that the costume design of the current Batman makes him look like a linebacker. He just doesn't seem streamlined enough to be able to pull off any complicated martial arts moves.
Of course, as you've no doubt heard, all eyes watching The Dark Knight are looking at Heath Ledger, who plays the Joker. The Joker is easily the best of Batman's villains, and Ledger has created the definitive Joker in this movie. I hate to say it, but Jack Nicholson's performance in Tim Burton's Batman is bound to be forgotten. The script overall is quite good, despite a clunky scene or two. It creates a fuller view of Gotham City and its strata of criminals and official corruption. And I love how it fits the Joker into this all, an "engine of chaos", as he describes himself, wanting to upset the good guys and the bad guys alike until nothing is left but total anarchy. The Dark Knight veers into the horror genre at times, and does so effectively. As for the rest of the cast, Aaron Eckhart is quite good as Harvey Dent. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are both as good as they were in the first film, in which I thought they gave by far the best performances. Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, but unfortunately she doesn't improve this already undercooked role. Nolan's direction is fine, but I still think he's far better suited to the mystery puzzle films he's done besides the Batman flicks. I think any moderately good director could have made it.