Hmmm hmmm hmmmm....after all the hype for this movie, and now all the praise, I felt conflicted about even writing a review for this movie. I mean honestly...what can I say that you, my dear reader, haven't already read, heard, seen, or at this point, thought yourself about this movie? I mean the simple fact that you're browsing this website means you're probably apt to check up on those giants of nerd.com lore such as newsarama or ain'titcool or any number of countless other sites that dwarf this one. Those have been loaded to the point of Dark Knight critical mass with reviews, interviews, and all sorts of other buzz. Well, I decided I'd do it anyway for my track record's sake, since that's pretty much my function on aboutheroes. But I am going to quickly browse over most the stuff that's generally already known. Ready?
Ok, here's what you should know thus far. It's good. It's very good. It's so good that there were times where I honestly kind of felt like tearing up just because it was so damn good. It was just pieced together so comprehensively and artistically that I couldn't help but feel my heart-strings being tugged with thanks at the fact that people who really love these characters as much as us fanboys are in the driver's seat on this one.
Heath Ledger is truly worthy of all the buzz he's getting on this. All you've heard is true. He just cuts through the film like a razor, messing everything up and leaving a path of destruction in his wake. He's a monster, he's truly scary, and he's loveable in the most sinister fashion conceivable. He literally cannonballs into the roll, going from silly clown menace to intimidating violent psychopath and the drop of a hat, and it's sooooo good.
Harvey Dent is sooooooo well handled here. I was surprised that they took him full circle in this. Pleasantly surprised, though. He's the main character of the story, and thus needs to have his story play out for a good sense of closure. He plays a really good straight man to the titular character, our man Bats. He's the other side of the crime-fighting coin that operates in public, cracking down on criminals in the court rooms and saving Gotham city through the proper channels. It's good to see him operate in tandem with the caped crusader to get Gotham's cowardly and superstitious lot behind bars. Aaron Eckhart does a really good job of playing the two sides of this character, and when he goes around that corner, man, you're right there next to him, feeling just what he's feeling. Too put it frankly...Man, it's so brutal.
And then there's our man, Batman. Decked out with a few new tricks up his sleeves, it's amazingly fun to watch him run around in this movie kicking ass and taking names. Christian Bale continues to play both Batman and Bruce Wayne very convincingly, I do however come up a bit short when I try to think of praise for Bale here because this isn't really his movie. That's not to say he isn't in it very much, but Batman's story was really told in the first film. This story flutters from one character to the next, and it does so very well. Bats is certainly one of the more prominent characters, but like I've said before, it isn't his movie. It's Dent's, but also his supporting cast as well.
The supporting cast continues to be amazing in this series. Gary Oldman fully settles into his roll as Gordon. Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine) continue to be good counter-balances for the Dark Knight, holding him up when he's failing and encouraging him when he's struggling to get the job done. They are perfect casts. And Maggie Gyllenhaal fills Katie Holmes' boots very well as Rachel Dawes. But to get back to the beginning of this review, this is all stuff you should know by now. So here's what you might not have heard. The stuff that's not great. And it isn't much. The Bat-Pod is a little silly, but once you get past it, it's really cool in terms of what he can do with it. One of the gadgets in the film is a little too big for it's britches, but again, just swallow that pill and enjoy the effects. Other than those two things, the movie is just about flawless. But then, you knew that didn't you? If for some reason you didn't/don't, then I'd prescribe a trip to your local theater for a liberal dose of TDK, otherwise known as The Dark Knight. A.
Also, one neat little thing is that the Mayor of Gotham city is played by Nestor Carbonell, also known as Batmanuel from the short lived live action "The Tick" tv show from years back. As soon as I saw him in the movie I started giggleing like a child and was surprised to find that none of my nerd-friends had made the connection. I thought it was a stroke of genius. Not to discredit Mr. Carbonell though, he played the part quite well.
