.Best superhero movie to date.

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2011)

I had high expectations for this movie, partly due to the hype and partly due to Batman Begins. Those expectations were met, The Dark Knight shines on many levels: splendid action scenes, impeccable storytelling and well-defined, well-portrayed characters embroiled in a grandiose yet credible plot.
Villains, in particular, are credible. They're not just escaped circus freaks causing grand mischief for no reason, revelling more in theatrics than villainy, as was often the case in the old Batman movies.
No, this Joker is a true psycho: he has little time for puns, he's got people to kill, a city to terrorise and lessons about the human nature to impart. He's no mere thug, but he still acts like a criminal, not like a crazed performer appearing where he's expected in a needlessly complicated scheme. Forget deadly but impractical props, he's got guns and explosives.
One can only applaud Christopher Nolan. He has one thing most of Hollywood lacks: passion. He's not just out for the money, he wants to do the material justice, and for that we should be thankful.
The actors all deliver a solid performance, particularly Heath Ledger and Michael Caine, yet one minor gripe of mine is not seeing the return of Katie Holmes. Maggie Gyllenhall is a fine actress but she just doesn't have Holmes' sheer presence, nor her heart-melting smile.
My other minor gripe is that the movie feels rushed in places. Some scenes end too abruptly, with the situation only partially resolved and Two-Face gets very little screen time; Nolan seems to have just run out of time.