Review of The Dark Knight (2008) by Tim S — 24 Apr 2017

Here's a review I wrote on July 18, 2008, only a few hours after I had seen the midnight screening of The Dark Knight:

"We got there at 7:30 pm. We got our tickets. We were the first people in line. We got into the theater at about 10:00 pm. The movie started at 12:02 am. We saw... The Dark Knight. I sit here, rather speechless, about the masterpiece that was just handed over to me and my friends this evening. This is the definitive Batman film and most importantly, the definitive comic book film, but it goes beyond even that. The film is intense, violent, scary, dramatic and just flat-out entertaining; it belongs in a category all its own. First of all, The Joker is here in spades. It's an all-time classic performance from a lost artist. He paints the film brilliantly with the psychotic, twisted and always conniving nature that the character should be, and is, played. For the fans who wanted an absolutely insane Joker with no moral compass, you got your wish. Second, this film is all about the villains. The total opposite of The Joker is Harvey Two-Face. The creation, summation and declination of this man is heartbreaking and intense. A commanding performance. Third, direction. This film is absolutely splattered with beautiful imagery, incredible dialogue and stunning performances. They're calling it "The Godfather Part II" of comic book movies. Well, if ever a comic book-based film deserved an Oscar, then this is it. It's that good. Actually, Oscars all around, for Ledger, Nolan and most importantly, the film. I have a feeling I won't be seeing a film this good for quite a while. Neither will any of us.".

As the upcoming Awards Ceremony date approaches, I still feel this way. I am immensely disappointed that this film DID NOT receive nominations for Picture, Directing and Cinematography. However, I am relieved that Heath got his posthumous nomination and I dearly hope he receives it (edit: he did :D). If it happens, it will be an emotional moment for all of his fans, friends and colleagues in Hollywood. Regardless, this film will be a landmark AND a benchmark in the history of comic books translated to film. After seeing it again in high definition over and over again, I'm still convinced of its power.