Ledger Goes Out without a BANG!

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2008)

Director Christopher Nolan has never made a sequel to his movies before, as he believed that there's no point in making sequels if you cannot make it superior than the the first. So, in directing this sequel to his 2005 blockbuster Batman Begins, which has been hailed for reinvigorating the Batman franchise and introducing a darker, grimmer portrayal of the Batman character and of the city that he protects, Nolan and crew set to ensure that The Dark Knight is better, darker, edgier in every way compared to the first.
The question is, does he and the crew succeed? While there's no doubt that most, if not all, of us will be flocking to the cinemas mainly to watch Heath Ledger's final performance, and that we probably wouldn't care if the story sucked, I am glad to say that Nolan delivered his promise to serve us up a rollicking, uber-cool and wickedly dark sequel.
Superior in every way indeed, from the multi-layered plot, the cinematography, cast performance and strong writing, each and every frame of the movie oozes quality, each and every second of the film worth the ticket price. It's hard to pinpoint a flaw, because there seemed to be none. From the start, we're thrust into the dark world of Gotham City and taken on a fantastic, tension-filled ride that causes us to jolt, laugh and gasp in horror and delight as Christian Bale's Batman pummel the baddies and Ledger's villainous The Joker relishes in the chaos and mayhem that he created.
The Dark Knight is THE most anticipated film of the year, and it lives up to all the hype and glory that the media and critics had heaped on it. This is THE film to watch this year. Forget the rest as there's no sequel like it. An awesome, awesome movie that continues to resonate within your being long even after you left the cinema. And at the end, one wonders how Nolan would be able to top this performance if there ever were a third and whether there's anyone who could ever fill the large boots that Ledger left behind. We have lost a great performer and entertainer, and this film marks his triumphant end in this life.