For those who can't handle the darkness, go watch the Fantastic Four

Rating: 10/10 (17 July 2008)

To start, I'd like to say that I'm not a comic book fanatic, nor a die-hard batman fan (the X-men will forever remain my s***). However, I am a Nolan brothers enthusiast ("The Prestige", not "Memento", was their masterpiece). That being said, this is not a bias review. If it were, I don't think I could even pretend to surpass the amount of praise I already have for The Dark Knight. Some Batman fans will surely have something to complain about, whether it be the lack of cartoonish camp, thematic score, or summer movie "fun". Tim Burton purists will most likely object to the realistic Gotham City backdrop as opposed to the innovative, Gothic version he created (which was brilliant, but not appropriate in this era). And don't even get me started with the Adam West crowd.
Simply put, this movie is the greatest comic book adaptation ever (sorry X2), but that's an understatement. Christopher Nolan's new masterpiece transcends the comic-book-to-movie genre and IS one of the best movies of the new millennium. Never before have such grand-scale action and mind-blowing special effects (rarely CGI) been perfectly meshed with art , philosophy, psychology, and symbolism to create the ultimate modern movie experience (with the exception of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, of course).
This movie, and its predecessor, reinvent Batman into a realistic, flawed hero. In fact, the whole movie analyzes the thin line between hero, anti-hero, and villain perfectly. Yes this is a super-hero movie, but never does the viewer doubt the fact that this could, realistically (although it never will), happen. All of the technology Batman uses to become the superhero is explained and is plausible (I'm not a scientist, so please prove me wrong). And all of the HUMAN emotions expressed throughout the movie are brilliantly on point, including those not of the main or side characters, but of the nameless civilians believably going through the motions of experiencing such terror and havoc.
As for the main characters, they each play their part to perfection (there is no exception). So much has already been said about Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker that I'm not going to say anything.........except that it's absolutely ****ing amazing. If he doesn't get nominated for best supporting actor at the Oscars (let alone awarded), it's proof that those on the voting board wouldn't know genius if it was written on the side of a pencil and jammed into their respective head. However, Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart have the most challenging acting tasks here. Bale excels at mastering the tight-walk between the intimidating, ruthless Batman and the cocky, upper-class yuppie playboy Bruce Wayne. Eckhart deserves more credit for successfully making the drastic transformation from "white knight" crusader to vengeful menace Two Face. And yeah, of course Caine, Freeman, and Oldman are gold in their respective roles. Maggie Gyllenhaal is also exceptional in her role replacing Rachel Dawes (even though I didn't have much to complain about Katie Holmes in the first one, though she was unfairly overshadowed by virtually everyone else in the cast), adding real emotive depth.
Let me cut to the chase here. You don't need a brain to seriously enjoy this movie. There's enough crucial stunt-work and special effects to impress any casual summer-movie-spectacle fan, and enough disturbing violence and mayhem to impress even the most ardent horror movie buff (except for the lack of blood and guts; sorry "Saw" fans and Takashi Miike followers). But if you do have a fully-functioning, independent mind, there is so much more to relish in. Scorsese should be proud. Spielberg should be ashamed. Go see the friggin' movie.