The Dark Knight - Review

Here it is. The big one. The Batman film to end all Batman films. It's always tough going into a film that you haven't seen but it is widely received as one of the best films of all time. Your expectations are through the roof and often that can destroy a movie for you. Thankfully, The Dark Knight doesn't fall into that category. I really like this movie. Like, really really like it! Maybe even love it! If Tim Burton's Batman was dark and mysterious, and Joel Schumacher's Batman was over-the-top corny and cheesy, then Christopher Nolan has the title of having the most realistic Batman. In fact, this doesn't feel like a superhero film at all, this feels more like a crime drama than anything else. Batman isn't the movie for very long and most of the time is all talk about the mob, money, the police, crime, and things like that. So it feels like a very well made crime film... that just happens to have Batman in it, which makes way for the filmmakers to use one of Batman's many enemies. Here, they chose the Joker and... yeah this performance is perfect. I won't get into Heath Ledger's performance too much because it's talked about to death on the internet, but it is wonderful. One of the best performances in a superhero movie to date. Speaking of performances, I'm noticing a trend in these Batman films. All of them have A-List talent in their supporting roles. Here, the cast consists of Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. All of them great here! As for Batman himself, Christain Bale does play a good Batman... but seriously, that voice is a bit much. It's fun to make fun of and all but... come on. Overall, one of the better superhero movies out there for sure. High stakes drama, exciting action, and a level of realism never seen in a comic book film before.