Review of The Dark Knight (2008) by Landon M — 23 Mar 2016

My favorite movie of all time. No movie comes close. No movie tops it. The only movie to ever reach as high as this is The Empire Strikes Back, and it can't even beat it. The Dark Knight is my all time favorite movie, and no movie can ever top it.

This movie is the definition of a perfect comic book movie, as every single element of this movie is done with sincere quality. The fantastic direction of the incredible action scenes, or the incredible acting during the fantastic quiet scenes, all is done with beauty and effort.

This may be one of the few movies I've seen where every single scene adds to the plot in some way, shape or form. Even a small scene with Dent and Gordon talking about warrants is a small piece in the puzzle that completes itself in spectacular fashion.

The acting: Bale is incredible, continuing the calm rage that Wayne personifies and owning some phenomenal dramatic scenes. Oldman stands out as wonderful, as he is intense and ferocious in his performance as Gordon.

Other oldies such as Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman also are more developed and humanized, giving excellent performances as well. Newcomers: Maggie Gyllenhaal takes over from Holmes and crushes as Rachel, making for a much more likable love interest and motivation for both Bruce and Harvey.

Speak of the devil, my second favorite performance in the movie is that of Aaron Eckhart, who controls the screen as Harvey Dent and portrays his character arc with a healthy balance of calmness and ferocity.

And without further ado: Heath Ledger as the Joker. My personal favorite performance ever given by an actor. There are few actors that have done what Ledger accomplishes with the Joker. He is vile, cynical, merciless, terrifying, and completely insane.

The performance keeps amazing you with Ledger terrifying you with many scenes of suspense and terror. Many people think that Ledger is the only reason this movie is lauded, but that is false. Ledger is fantastic, but it's what the Joker does for the story is what makes the story unimaginably great.

The Joker's plot, which is one of the most genius and insidious plots ever, is extremely scary, keeps you guessing, and actually makes you question morality, just as he makes the characters question their moralities.

The parallels, the metaphors, etc. The idea of chaos tearing down civilization, making them resort to choices they never thought they'd have to make. Making a superhero out to be someone who people will throw away when they don't want him anymore.

"When the chips are down, these civilized people, they'll eat each other." The Joker's ahead of the curve, and he predicts accurately every single step to fulfill his ultimate truth, and it is a marvel to watch.

Everything culminates into the final scene, as none of it's 157 minute run time is wasted, and the movie ends on one of the best endings ever. There are so many scenes that blow me away to this day: The opening bank robbery scene, the pencil trick, the 'Why So Serious?" scene, the three traces of DNA, the mayor's speech, the highway chase, OH MY GOSH THE HIGHWAY CHASE.

It's so beautiful, it's so incredible in it's effects and the ending scene still gets me. The interrogation scene might be one of the greatest scenes in film history, as it is so intense and so well written that you can't help but feel your heart beating.

The Dent/Rachel rescue scene and the hospital scene, all fantastic scenes. Everything from the ferry scene to the end credits of the movie is purely perfect cinema, in my opinion. It is intense, the writing is amazing, and the morals and symbolism in the scenes are beautiful.

The final scene with Batman, Dent, and Gordon could not be better set up and led up to. It is perfectly done, and makes for one of my favorite endings ever. Also, did I mention the music? CAUSE THE MUSIC IS AMAZING.

Everything about this movie is amazing. The writing, the acting, the cinematography, the editing, the music, the characters, the sets, the IMAX filmed scenes, the practical effects as well as the CGI, all fantastic.

There are certain plotholes, such as certain important characters who disappear before the movie's end. These don't bother me, as they don't correlate with TDKR either. Overall, The Dark Knight is my favorite comic-book movie, my favorite superhero movie, my favorite crime drama, my favorite action movie, my favorite drama, and my favorite piece of filmmaking in existence.

I love The Dark Knight with every bone in my body, and while there are a few better movies out there, none will I love more than this. "Let's put a smile on that face." 10/10.