The Dark Knight review

Well, the wait is finally over and the most anticipated movie of the year and possibly the decade is finally here. And boy, does it live up to the overwhelming hype. There's a ton of praise for this movie going around so I'm simply going to list the reasons why The Dark Knight is not only the best comic book movie ever but also an amazing stand alone film.


The Joker and Harvey Dent. The most notable change in the sequel to Batman Begins is the addition of two great villians. The Joker is arguably the best villian ever and Harvey Dent, aka Two Face, is right up there as well. Now, a lot of interest over this movie is because of Heath Ledger's untimely death and performance. However, not once during the movie did I think to myself "Wow. That guy's dead." To me, Heath Ledger wasn't in this movie. He became so immersed in his character that it was just the Joker. The Joker playing the Joker. Ledger became the psychopathic killer clown. I've never seen a performance so great that every time he appears on screen the tension in the audience grows and you can hear a pin drop. Ledger's performance is that good and I'm not exaggerating. He's by far the best part of the film. It was a great decision not to give the back story of the Joker. Not knowing where he came from or why he's doing these crazy acts makes him even creepier. Ironically, the Joker is actually the only character that brings a feel of light heartedness to the majorly dark film. At times sinister and scary, he finds a way to put a smile on your face more than once through hilarious sayings and movements. A big surprise to me was Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. You really sympathize with this guy and root for him as the "White Knight" of Gotham. He really seems to be for justice and making the city a better place, which is why his transformation into a deformed psychopath is even more sad. Two Face surprisingly plays a much bigger role than I expected, which made the movie even more enjoyable.

The gadgets and action sequences. Because of the exceptional performances and crime drama, some people forget that the Batman movies are all about the action. All the movies have really cool looking gadgets that Batman uses but they are handled so well in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Director Christopher Nolan doesn't exploit everything Lucius Fox gives to Bruce Wayne and they definitely don't overshadow the story. The most welcome addition is the amazing Bat Pod. I never thought something could be cooler than the Batmobile, but I digress. Speaking of the Batmobile, we do get a couple of great chase scenes involving the beloved car, or tank. Finding out where exactly the Bat Pod comes from will make fanboys drool all over themselves.



The exceptional cast. There's comic book movies with mediocre actors, ones with good acting, but The Dark Knight truly has great actors. Everyone gives an outstanding performance and seem to showcase all their talents. Christian Bale, once again, shows that he was born for the role of the Caped Crusader. Maggie Gyllenhaal was a much stronger Rachel Dawes than Katie Holmes in Batman Begins (even though I thought Holmes did a fine job). In what other movie can you have Morgan Freeman being the 5th of 6th main actor? The cast is that great and makes the movie feel more like an Oscar contender rather than a superhero movie.

The unpredictable and "Didn't see THAT coming!" plot. I was really shocked in how many twists and turns happened in this film. Going in, I thought I was going to get a straight up story involving the Joker and Batman. The movie goes places you don't expect and will shock you, making you think "Did that just happen??" It keeps you on your toes and the movie becomes so much more exciting when you have no idea what's going to happen next.

The mood and atmosphere. This isn't your average comic book movie. It's not campy at all and has no cringe inducing lines. While most everyone can relate to Batman and will enjoy the movie, the film is essentially made for adults. The title is very appropriate because the movie's mood is as black as the suit. The best thing about the atmosphere is that is feels so real. Gotham seems like a real city and Batman seems like a real man. That's the beauty of the Caped Crusader, he's a human just like us with no superpowers. It could easily just be me (well maybe not). Because the city and characters feel so real to us, it makes you become even more involved with what's happening.

To sum it up, The Dark Knight is everything it promises to be and everything that comic book fans and Batman fans alike will love. It's the definition of epic, with great performances and characters carrying the film. We can all see a little bit of Batman in ourselves and perhaps Batman even sees a little of himself in the Joker. "You complete me," the Joker says to Batman at one point in the movie. If you're a comic book fan, Batman fan, or just a fan of movies, then this movie just might complete you.