The Darkest Knight

Rating: 10/10 (21 September 2008)

Batman Begins was a highly enjoyable film and the first to be truly close to its origins. Tim Burton's films were good but the Bat seemed somewhat inanimate, cold and lonely (despite Alfred and billions of dollars).
Killing off a major Bat-villain is always sacrilege in my eyes and the only thing that Schumacker did right with his two duds was to incarcerate the villains in Arkham instead of killing them off. you should at least leave a plausible chance of their return.
Back to the 21st century and Begins did what all have failed before. Gotham is completely believable as a real city and not the hyper-exaggerated version of the 90s versions. The characters are a lot more convincing and more like their literate counterparts and perfectly ended with ongoing storyline of all the characters and the tasty teaser of The Joker.
With the exception of the different Rachel this "sequel" goes for continuity in spades. Gordon recently promoted (All knowing that he ends up as commissioner and excellently played by Oldman)still keeping his head above water with the corruption around him. Harvey Dent rising to his expected post as DA after the previous one was murdered and his eventual fall from grace after being disfigured (differently from the written version). The only gripe with continuation in this flick is the sudden disappearance of the whole rail system from the original.
The Dark Knight is brilliantly acted, expertly written (more of that in a mo)and properly styled.
The good thing about the script is that everything that happens, all that is said is there for a reason, never (despite the long running time)does it feel like padding. Take the obvious, Dent saying "you either die a hero or live long enough to become the bad guy" which resurfaces towards the end, or the two scar stories from the Joker that ends with Batman throwing a punchline regarding the aforementioned scars.
As for Dents final scene, like I said you should never kill off a major villain ( Big no-no in my opinion) but as Maroni said "one professional to another if your gonna scare someone try a different height, from here the fall won't kill me" (please forgive possible misquotes) Two-face didn't fall that far and technically Dent is dead, I want to believe Two-face ain't. (and much Kudos for Eckhart, simply brilliant).
Despite really just being the glue that holds the film together, Ledger's undeniably brilliant (and spot on) performance of the Joker cannot be unmentioned in any review, terrifying with a very dark sense of humour (Watch as the Bank robbery at the start plays out like a joke.... albeit with a very funny but subtle punchline... Not to mention his "magic trick" which was worth the admission (or six) alone.
As good as Bale was, it seemed like he needed an inhaler at certain points in the movie (understandably he would be knackered doing what he did anyway) but at a certain scene towards the end, he just seemed to have got over it in just a change of camera view.
As for Oscar nominations, this is considered an ensemble movie where there is a big cast and all are good performances meaning that the stars are overlooked for other roles in other films. I do firmly believe in all honesty that Ledger deserves a posthumous nomination but as predictable as the Academy is, he will probably be awarded some sort of achievement award or something. I also believe that Gary Oldman deserves equal recognition improving on his role from Begins.
The only thing (other than Begins) that comes close is the fan-made "Batman; Dead End" (see youtube).
AS FOR THOSE THAT REFUSE TO WATCH IT BECAUSE IT IS A "BATMAN" MOVIE OR A "SUPERHERO" MOVIE.... SHAME ON YOU, LOOK PAST THAT STIGMA AND ENJOY WHAT IS Easily THE BEST FILM OF THE YEAR AND ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES EVER (SEE IMDb TOP 250 FOR EVIDENCE).