Review of The Dark Knight (2008) by Thatguy123 — 07 Nov 2015

“The Dark Knight” transcends the comic book genre.

Christopher Nolan has created yet another masterpiece this time setting the bar sky-high for comic book based movies in the form of “The Dark Knight”. Lead by and all-star cast with Christian Bale (Batman) , Gary Oldman (Jim Gordon) , and Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth) reprising their roles from “Batman Begins”, the star power on its own is enough to make this a movie worth watching. However, it is Heath Ledger’s portrayal as the psychotic tormentor “The Joker” that steals the show. Ledger’s performance earned him the first posthumously awarded Oscar for Best supporting Actor. Ledger justifies the hype around his performance time and time again as Ledger is creepy, darkly humorous, and downright disturbing as the the Joker. As much as the movie is brought to life by the terrific cast, the screenplay and action should not be overlooked. “The Dark Knight” is similar to other superhero movies in that it features big explosions and otherworldly combat. However, the “The Dark Knight” simply outmatches any other comic-book movie ever made even its sequel “The Dark Knight Rises”, due to its elaborate plot and characters. Nolan is masterful in his direction and justifies the two and a half hour running time as he twists the audience around just as they are recovering from the previous turn. Nolan has taken a movie based on a fantasy and turned it into something believable, something real. Batman has never been more human than he is here as he struggles more than ever to be both Bruce Wayne and a savior to the crime-ridden Gotham. Ultimately “The Dark Knight” is worth every penny and is a must-see film. Watch it for the action. Watch it for Heath Ledger’s “Joker”. Watch it because it’s Batman, unless you hate Batman.