The Hero Gotham Deserves?

Rating: 8/10 (11 March 2020)

2008's "The Dark Knight" is deserving of its praise both at the time of its release and retrospectively; there isn't much I can contribute that hasn't already been analyzed. The movie's profound modernization and brutal depiction of what a superhero movie can be is incredible. And most paramount to mind, Heath Ledger's portrayal of Joker is uniquely unforgettable and will endure the passage of time to be revered as one of, if not the greatest live-action Joker performance.
No movie is perfect to everyone though, and I believe in contrast to 1989's "Batman" for example, Gotham City of "The Dark Knight" lacks an attempt of imaginative aesthetic of the previous. 1989's "Batman" used methods such as constructed sets, miniatures, matte paintings, etc., that enhanced mystique and audience escapism to the fictional Gotham City, not limited to environments and architecture that exist in our world. "The Dark Knight" featuring the latter, has a diluted visual appeal in that regard. But that's just a personal preference of style; to each their own. It doesn't break the movie.
One final criticism I have, and it's something that I believe really does damage the movie to a degree - Christian Bale's Batman voice sounds like every morning before shooting, he ate gravel as his breakfast cereal and it tore his throat to shreds. It's almost laughable and cringe inducing; such a bizarre choice, and no one among the crew opposed it? Wow. It nearly dissolves the emotional/dramatic impact of every scene Batman is in, and because gosh, it's the MAIN CHARACTER, it's unavoidable and it's near crippling. Bale's performance is bat guano, and Bale is definitely not my favourite Batman portrayal.
Despite those two elements mentioned, don't assume my overall opinion wrong, "The Dark Knight" is incredible. It's still one of my favourite movies of the superhero genre typing this review in 2020. I just would never claim any movie as perfection. Do yourself a favour if you haven't watched "The Dark Knight" already, and to quote Joker, "Let's put a smile on that face."