Wow ...

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2008)

I saw the very first showing at 12am on July 18. Ever since the teaser they showed at the "I Am Legend" premiere I had been anticipating the release of this movie ... not so much for Batman, but because Heath Ledger's cuts in the teaser were simply amazing.
The film did NOT fail to meet any of my expectations. I loved every single plot line, and every single minute of the movie did not fall short of the rest. The shot angles were beautiful, the scenery was great, and BEST OF ALL every single one of the actors in this movie FIT the part of their character. I must admit though, Heath Ledger was THE star of the film. Every minute he wasn't on camera, I just wanted him to come back. Honestly, he made me wish the whole movie was about Joker - although Christian Bale is an AMAZING Batman (and extremely sexy Bruce Wayne), I have NEVER myself witnessed such an amazing performance from an actor depicting a comic character. I will say, though, that is one downfall of the movie - I do feel like Christian Bale was merely the supporting actor rather than the star of the film.
One other thing - who cast the Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel? How do you go from the cutesy Katie Holmes to the female version of the Joker without makeup (seriously ... if you really pay attention in the movie, her face resembles Heath's makeup). Her enthusiasm was definitely lacking in that movie, I was bored by her character. That was my main problem with the movie - she was SO drab. I'm glad she won't be returning ...
All I have to say is that I hope NO ONE EVER tries to play Joker again. Ledger killed it. Anything less than his performance would be a disappointment. He made you believe Joker was really the joker that he is while showcasing his darkness, something that Jack Nicholson just didn't do. I think the best part of this movie was the realness of the characters. Instead of coming off as a cartoony movie, it came across as a real story. This IS the best Batman movie, and this HAS to be one of the best movies of 2008.
KUDOS RIP Heath Ledger