A truly unique superhero film

Rating: 10/10 (14 August 2008)

Overall: In my opinion The Dark Knight far surpasses all films in this genre. It's truly a dark and sinister take on what has quickly become an over exploited film type, and actually makes the viewer care about what's going on, and gives the desire to see what's going to happen next. While movies like Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, Spiderman, etc. will continue to provide decent entertainment during the movie, the Dark Knight (and the same can be said of Batman Begins) are movies that can be watched over and over, and still provoke the emotions you felt the first time you saw it.
The Good: This movie is novel in that it split the focus between Batman and Joker. It wasn't your typical superhero movie that follows the protagonist until he/she confronts the antagonist. The Dark Knight is a hunt for the hero, rooting him out and exposing him in front of all, removing any ambiguity and also the "force" that drives Batman's ability to fight injustice. Bale, Ledger, and Eckhart play their roles flawlessly. They create an intricate plot that at some point makes each character consider who is really doing the right thing. Is the Joker actually to blame for what's happening in Gotham? Is Harvey Dent just as corruptible as the rest of Gotham? And what of Batman's tactics, are they ethical? Everything in this picture was pretty much flawless, the atmospheres and environments are rich and range from high tech bat cave, to dark dingy alley. The props are fantastic (again the same goes to Batman Begins), and the use of CGI is really not noticeable except a bit with Two-Face.
The Bad: I didn't really care for Gyllenhaal in this movie. She was a rather bland Rachel Dawes, and while at points the emotion really flowed out of her well, I would have liked to see Katie Holmes again. I assume they picked Gyllenhaal because she looks similar to Holmes (especially at a distance), but I think that her cynicism in the movie towards Batman came off flat at times, and maybe I think part of it was that I was disappointed in her role at times. In the end, what happens to her is not what I saw coming, and I'm curious to see how they will fill the void in future films.
Conclusion: See the movie! Even if you're not a Batman fan! I'm far from a comic person so I just like this series for what it is - great movies. While I wouldn't recommend bringing your small children (someone brought a baby to this movie and I was appalled) because of the pretty intense scenes and plot, most older people will greatly enjoy this movie. It deserves it's spot amongst the top of the 250, and this will prove to be a classic for many many years.