A much needed and longed for kick in the balls to the movie industry

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2008)

To start off, I will say that I never was a big fan of the original Batman Begins, but as an open minded individual, after a couple of my closer friends told me to give it another chance, I did. I caught it on TV sometime last year, and I have to say that I was all in all impressed with it.
Why the sudden change? Because in the previous Batman movies, a lot of us had come to accept that our main hero was not as calm and yet psychologically damaged as Bale's rendition. Actually, all the previous Batmans were calm, but in comparison to Bale, not as slick. After seeing Bale's Batman, I realized that the new take on him and the rest of the characters and settings of Gotham now made perfect sense through the directorial visions of Nolan and crew. It alllowed us to truly see the dark times in Gotham and see the human condition through the Gotham universe.
Now, the first movie aside, I had no expectations when I came in to see Dark Knight. I knew it was receiving a major amount of hype and that Ledger's Joker was rumored for a nomination, so I was excited to see Ledger's first appearance. Anxious even. And wow, did he amaze and captivate. Everything about him thanks to the costumes, props, lighting and music combined makes for a truly shrill and frightening Joker. That new look will stick in my mind for a long time.
Now, how about the rest of the movie? Did it amaze all the way through? Yes, it did. It surpassed amazing. It was suspenseful, surprising, dark, and a spectacular rendition of a comic book universe. But, did it have flaws? Yes, it did. But a movie of this caliber deserves to have the flaws thrown aside. Even the Godfather has flaws. Opinions on movies are subjective, and thus even such a classic cannot have universal love. That's why The Dark Knight needs to be seen in the context of what it is. A take on a comic book character and a comic book universe. What does this mean? That it's not real. There is no standard here for what's acceptable in Gotham. There are different physics at play, which is what made its precursor, Batman Begins acceptable in the first place.
I've read plenty of 1/10 reviews on here and have really thought about the current number 1 movie in all of IMDb status it has now. Does it deserve it? No. And that's only because I think this movie needs to stand the test of time. If in 20-30 years, people still remember it like we remember the Godfather now, then it truly is a classic. But, do I think it will stand the test of time?
Simply, yes. The nature of Ledger's preparation for the role, his masterful acting, and his untimely death will propel this movie to beyond amazing reception. No doubt people will go around claiming how overrated this movie is. But, critics like that must be ignored and my heart says this movie was beyond fantastic and will be in 20 years and beyond.
Regardless of that, it's a classic in my eyes. The small plot holes and flaws really do make this movie perfect. Yes, this movie was so good that the flaws make it great. It's inevitable that it couldn't be subjectively perfect. Even my favourite bands (I say this as a musician), aren't perfect. They have objective flaws that make them perfect in my individual eyes.
An easy 10/10 because I've never been entertained and thrilled in such a way and kept on the edge of my seat the whole time. This isn't an average superhero movie. It's a movie that deserves a spot in any DVD collection for rewatching.