To call it the best Superhero film ever made is an understatement!

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2008)

So, went to a midnight screening, and I have to tell you, watching The Dark Knight I did not know what to expect because of all the hype. Well, I do not know what expectations people had, but for me, it exceeded what I wanted it to do, and more!
To call this a superhero film only is a bit of an understatement, actually, it is a lot. It plays out like a crime film. More than i thought it would too. Without knowing it was rated PG-13, I wouldn't know it was. It has the tone and feel of a Rated R film, films like The Departed, No country for Old Men, and Seven. After watching Batman Begins about a year ago, it really is different. The Dark Knight doesn't feel like the first, nor does it feel like any other superhero film ever made. I will say this, though, do not worry about expectations when you watch it. You really do not have time to be thinking about it, and if you are, it means the film is not keeping your interest. Well, watching The Dark knight was probably the most thrilling, enjoyable, and amazing experience I have ever had in a theater. The fans all in line, and also when the film started, all throughout, we were all blown away. There were claps and cheers, there were whistling( a bit annoying) but it was all root for the film. The film entertained, not just with some of the best action sequences ever, but with it's amazing script. It is very powerful, more powerful than some of the Oscar films last year. I think the Academy should take this amazing script into consideration. The acting by everyone was top-notch. But of course, the one that steals the show is Heath Ledger. Does Ledger deserve all the Oscar buzz? All the hype? With a very 'un-fanboyish' answer, freakin yes!!! Heath Ledger accomplished something amazing. I cannot really compare his acting, character he created, with any I have ever seen(unlike many critics). Yes, he has a bit of Hannibal Lector, but with all respect, what he did in this film is beyond what Anthony Hopkins accomplished in The Silence of the Lambs. He goes really deep into the character, so deep that in ever scene he is in, you cannot help but imagine what the actor was thinking, how he was reacting, to all his lines and scenes. I think Ledger, even if he was alive, would have received this buzz. Surprisingly, it was not over-the-top like I thought it would be. He doesn't overreact, he just 'is'. The action in this film, unlike the first one, is literally amazing! It is very much stunts, and the reason the action works is because of how the script builds it up.
Overall, I cannot say if this film will exceed all expectations. Many fans have a lot of anticipation, and expect a full-blown masterpiece. I have seen amazing, great, even perfect films, but only a few can be called masterpieces. Is this a masterpiece? Well, not really, at least not by everyone. Some will say it missed that mark, some will say it is... The thing with this film is that it's trying to be an amazing, flawless deep superhero film. It is very ambitious(yes, overused word, but its the truth) and it aims for that goal, and in a lot of stages, like writing, direction, entertainment, complexity, darkness, it is somewhere a hidden masterpiece. It is not the second-coming like fanboys call it, but it is near one in a way. Never has a blockbuster achieved so many things at once, and never has it reached this lever of deepness(that Batman Begins TRIED to reach) and in that way, yes, maybe it is a masterpiece, only time will tell though. But, even though it is not flawless, it really is an amazing film, by any means, and not just the best superhero film ever made by far, but also the most thought-provoking film in years that I have seen, and will stand among some of the best 'epic, big blockbusters' of all time. It certainly deserves too. Now, on to the Oscars, The Academy should not snub this film in a lot of categories.... Best Director for Christopher Nolan is deserved...