Excellent Film- Better Joker than Batman

Rating: 9/10 (24 July 2008)

I have never really been a Batman fan. I like the 60's series with Adam West, but I've never been particularly drawn to the story, especially not in other mediums. So, why, when I saw the trailer for the Dark Knight, did I instantly want to go see it? I'm not quite sure, myself. I think it was the eerie darkness portrayed in the trailers, the dramatic music. Or maybe it was the Joker.
Obviously, due to Heath Ledger's untimely death, the film has been receiving enormous buzz. One can only assume that, had he lived, the film would have been celebrated, but not as "big" (think Ironman's buzz). Sadly, of course, we will never know.
The plot can be easily found on this page, so I won't go into detail. All I will say is that Gotham (a dark and nearly unrecognizable Chicago) is under attack from the mob and,of course, the Joker. Batman is not being regarded as a hero, more as a vigilante, and the citizens are crying for him to turn himself in.
Christian Bale as the Batman was passable. I have never been a particularly big fan of his, and his deadpan throughout the movie did not stir up any emotion in me. I found myself not caring much about his character- never a good thing. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart were all good at their respective roles in the film. But, of course, everyone I've heard from is talking about Heath Ledger as the Joker.
And he is superb. His voice, his laugh, his character's little quirks (licking the jagged scars around his lips), all make Heath Ledger melt away and the Joker emerge. I felt somewhat the same way as I did the first time I saw Edward Scissorhands- Johnny Depp became the character, and he as an actor was practically invisible. You saw only Edward. The same holds true for Heath Ledger-- you see only the Joker, except for the one time his greasepaint was taken off; he was shown only for the most fleeting of moments, but I practically did a double-take: "Heath Ledger??" I heard a film critic say that the Joker did not appear to be having fun. I watched the film and can say that it looked to me that he was. He laughed maniacally at the things that made others cringe and he appeared to really enjoy being supremely evil.
This film was very good, and I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone that had any interest in it. Even if you only go to see the Joker, that is reason enough. He is the reason that I have rated it 9/10, not the Batman.