Review of The Dark Knight (2008) by Rollingstone82 — 12 Aug 2010

The best superhero movie. EVER.

I had a lot of expectations when I went to see this film. Batman Begins was so promising because it started on a darker and more realistic tone. The Dark Knight exceeds all expectations. It is darker, scarier, and a bigger ride.The old Batman movies and TV series were more joyful whereas the comic books themselves were more sinister. The Dark Knight is better than the comics. The atmosphere is bleak in Gotham City. Nothing but black thanks to the high crime rates. Batman helps decrease felony rates but Gotham needs a more normal person to take over. And that is Harvey Dent. However, the Joker marvelously played by the late Heath Ledger, is the only nemesis that stalls Gotham's hopes of being clean. And that path shows disaster as Harvey himself turns mad after the death of his girlfriend and the loss of half of his face. How Batman defeats both Joker and Dent is the main plot.

But Batman isn't much of an adventure as it is a perilous journey in the experience of doom. It feels and breathes dystopia. There is no light. There is hardly any shelter. The music itself explains the tragedy. But then there was Batman. And that is what helps Dark Knight to succeed. How one person alone attempts to triumph in the lack of light. How he sacrifices himself to help his city from the depths of despair really makes him the Dark Knight.

The cast has done a superb job in portraying their characters without going overboard. Christian Bale returns giving both sides of Bruce Wayne equal attention (the playboy and the hero) as he did in the first film. Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal also give fine performances. But it is the Joker that really makes the film terrifying. He is insane but believably played by Heath Ledger. The Joker alone is enough reason to see this film.

But alas, people will say that it is the best part of the film even though there are several other reasons on why The Dark Knight is not just the best superhero film but one of the greatest films of all time.