Undoubtely the best superhero film ever made but lets not get ahead of ourselves here...

Rating: 7/10 (4 August 2008)

Christopher Nolan first brought Batman back to life with 'Batman Begins' which I unfortunately didn't see because I thought it looked drab but 'The Dark Knight' had me at the edge of my seat and in utter awe at Ledger's sadistic rebirth of the prolific character we all admire - The Joker Ledger's Joker has rapidly become a hugely iconic character and grown a massive cult behind it. After seeing the film I can admit that I have fallen in love with the latest Joker. Throughout the film i was waiting impatiently for him to come back on screen. He was a delight to watch, from the freakish tone of voice to the innovative new make up scheme. Furthermore, I think we can agree that Jack Nicholson has finally been overshadowed from his 1989 stint as the Joker. Its a huge shame that Ledger passed before he could see his character immerse movie-goers around the world. He will no doubt receive one of few posthumous Oscar nominations, whether he'll win is something we'll have to wait because it may be a close one with such other great films coming out at the end of the year.
Not only was the Joker a great villain i also enjoyed Eckhart's reinvention of Two-Face. Whilst I felt that Tommy Lee Jones' creation was more entertaining, Eckhart's was intriguing with extended back story and of course excelled make-up to make him look grotesque. I also would have liked a bit more of Two-Face but the Joker was enough to compensate.
Bale was also competent as Batman. He managed to achieve the cool and slick Bruce Wayne we remember but I felt his ridiculous voice of his Batman alias was very off putting. Fair enough its to conceal his identity and I suppose it make its more feasible but in the more serious scenes I was holding back the laughter because of his insanely deep voice.
Anyway, the film should expect many technical Oscar nominations alongside Ironman and who knows if the ret of the films in the year are mediocre a best picture nomination?.
Concluding, Nolan has resurrected Batman with ruthless effectiveness and the complex story with the irresistible performance by Ledger has made The Dark Knight a searing success.
The Dark Knight is a fantastic comic book adaptation yet i feel that the public are severely over-rating it and taking it as a serious thriller. The Dark Knight must be considered a superhero film and nothing more. I feel that people are looking at Ledger's Joker rather than the film as a whole. Of course Ledger's performance is a 10 but the film is an 8. The plots not great, the script is great at places but not ground-breaking. Therefore its not a GREAT film but a GREAT SUPERHERO film. The idea that this is anywhere near the greatness of godfather and shawshank redemption or most of the films in the top 100 is absurd.
Public - stop looking at just the joker and look at the film before you rate it.
8/10