The Greatest Superhero Movie Ever

Rating: 10/10 (12 March 2017)

In Christopher Nolan's first interpretation of the Caped Crusader, "Batman Begins", he hints at the notion that Batman will always be a controversial or vigilante figure, never fully accepted by society-at-large. In this film, that theme is explored in-depth, as Batman comes face-to-face with his most difficult challenge: stopping a figure, The Joker, who is more like The Bat then Bruce Wayne (or, in turn, the audience) wants to admit.
The central theme of this film, then, has the marvelously insane Joker (played brilliantly by the late Heath Ledger) pitted against our "heroic" Batman. Of course, things are not that black and white. As the movie begins, with Batman leading the police force's effort to crack down on mob crime, this creates a back-lash of sorts that makes Batman responsible for every nefarious deed committed by the Joker. The conundrum is this: Although Batman created The Joker through vigilante methods, those same vigilante methods are the only way to stop the cackling madman.
Essentially, every scene in this film is either a sight to behold, or gripping emotional drama. Any scene featuring Ledger's Joker is brilliant, while Christian Bale takes his Wayne/Batman character up a notch in intensity from the first film. The penultimate confrontation between the two will have you on the edge of your seat. The action scenes are also a notch better than Nolan's first effort, as they are filmed with IMAX cameras that lend themselves to incredible, sprawling action.
Finally, the ensemble cast featuring Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman are spot-on in their respective roles.
If you are at all a fan of superhero movies, I can nearly guarantee that this film will top your list after viewing. Even if you typically don't care for this genre, the acting is so tremendous, the action is so riveting, and the drama is so thought-provoking that you will feel like you just watched an Oscar-worthy masterpiece. I only need two hands to list the movies that warrant multiple viewings by me, but when this film lands on DVD I will snap it up again in a heartbeat.