A fantastic movie, truly a worthy successor to Batman Begins.

Rating: 10/10 (16 July 2008)

I went to see this movie with fairly high hopes that it was going to be a pearler. All the trailers looked good, the press were raving about Heath's portrayal of the Joker, and most of all it was a Batman movie. A character i had grown up with watching on TV. While this movie, like the previous title Batman Begins takes a big leap away from what everyone except the Batman comic book lovers have seen. It lands solidly on a firm ground made up of fans who are going to find this movie an absolute joy.
Christian Bale is back as the Batman and he works just as hard as he did in the last movie to bring that character to life. He plays Bruce Wayne down to a tea and his aggressiveness and ability to fight Shine through the big black suit. His voice, while some call it too strained and annoying as Batman I find fitted the role well. This is not the Batman we are used to seeing. But I hope to see a lot more of it.
Heath's acting in this movie is unlike anything i have ever seen before. Both he and Director Christopher Nolan have done an amazing job with the character. Never has a character made me feel afraid, horrified, confused then had me laughing in hysterics all in the space of 10 seconds. At times he truly is a horrifying figure to watch, then he switches to to a lunatic you cant help but laugh at. They have managed to truly capture what the Joker really is in this movie. A dangerously insane human being.
Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/2 face. His performance was also excellent. You could sense the frustration within Harvey's character in his fight to clean Gotham City of the mob families and the Joker. Yet there was such a change in character once the transition from one to the other took place. And he did it superbly. I look forward to seeing this character develop.
Other notable performances were Michael Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman as James Gordon, Eric Roberts as Salvatore Maroni and a small role by William Fichtner as the bank manager (But I'm just a fan of whatever he does :) ) Overall the film is a monster coming in at a runtime of 2 hours 32 minutes. But in no way do you feel it. The movie manages to stay fresh and vibrant throughout. The action comes at you fast and intense and there is plenty of it. All in all this film will surpass any hype you have seen or heard about it. Its worthy of any awards it or its actors are nominated for.